Indian Wells Golf Resort’s Celebrity course: Where I played

The glory of October within the California desert might not be a well-kept secret, but it surely certain felt that means when I visited.

The seasonal crowds had not but returned, and the vibe was relaxed. The temperature was a really perfect 90 levels. That could sound sizzling to individuals who reside in colder climates, however within the desert, it’s excellent. Warm sufficient to coax you into the pool however not so sizzling you’re sweating. The greatest!

I took a weekend jaunt from my residence desert in Phoenix to my unique hometown desert in California to spend two days at Indian Wells Golf Resort in October, the place I stayed in a two-bedroom villa on the onsite Hyatt. While there, I was fortunate sufficient to snag the primary tee time of the day on the Indian Wells Golf Resort’s Celebrity course, certainly one of two programs on the property, and for the primary time ever, I was played a solo spherical.

Strange however true! My plans to play with my husband fell by, as work commitments stored him from making the drive. But the children had been on fall break, and suspending the keep wasn’t an choice. So my mother graciously accompanied me on the journey and stayed again with the children within the room whereas I embarked upon what I hoped can be a Zen-like golf expertise on my own.

The solar hadn’t but come up over the mountain when I quietly left our villa. It was one-layer climate, even at 6:15 within the morning. Shuttles are plentiful on the resort, but it surely was a fast 10-minute hike on foot to the course, so I determined to hoof it. The Pro Shop was brightly lit and stocked with a lot of cool merchandise. Check-in was simple, and I opted to go straight to the tee. Who wants a warm-up at 6 a.m., proper?

I grew up about an hour west of Indian Wells, so enjoying desert golf all the time offers me a cheerful, acquainted feeling. Approaching the primary tee introduced again a wave of nostalgia for my youthful years, when I played plenty of summer season junior golf tournaments within the desert. The Celebrity course was designed by Clive Clark and opened in 2006, whereas its sibling, the John Fought-designed Players course, opened in 2007, so the programs had been by no means part of my childhood rota.

Needless to say, I was excited to get going. At 6:48 a.m., I managed to get the ball in play off the primary tee with an viewers of 1, the starter, although the jury continues to be out on whether or not or not he was watching, since I jetted forward of his put up to the inexperienced tee. But I was off! And so had been my sleeves, after only one gap. The climate was completely excellent. Warm, no wind. The nearly-full moon was nonetheless seen for the primary third of my spherical earlier than it dipped behind the Santa Rosa mountains. Simply beautiful!

One factor I actually appreciated concerning the Celebrity course was its tee choices. There are six to select from, starting from 7,000+ yards from the tricks to 5,280 from the reds. The greens played to five,601 — a pleasant yardage for me. You can’t all the time discover that form of lodging, as a lot of programs wish to go straight from the 5,100 vary to six,000, which is a bit too lengthy for me.

Zipping round as a single with out anybody forward of me was an unbelievable feeling. It took just a few holes to succeed in the upkeep workforce, however enjoying by was simple.

One factor I have all the time beloved about resort golf is its playability. The Celebrity course isn’t any exception. There are obstacles — loads of bunkers and water to navigate — but it surely feels simply difficult sufficient, not a torture-fest. I misplaced three balls to water hazards and primary blind-shot ignorance (the par-4 thirteenth has reachable water to the correct of the inexperienced — oops), however the course was in any other case immensely playable.

Though the Celebrity course is a par-72, it’s distinctive in its inclusion of solely two par 5s and two par 3s. The fairways had been lush — agency and fantastically maintained, and the inexperienced speeds had been good. There’s plenty of magnificence to get pleasure from, from the lushly landscaped surrounds to a number of water options. There’s a great deal of shot selection, and threat/reward alternative, just like the drivable par-4 twelfth. Just a few different highlights: The par-4 third provides an exquisite vista of the Santa Rosa mountains to get pleasure from, particularly on the method. The par-5 14th gap is a signature gap, with a meandering creek that calls for a strategic compelled carry to the inexperienced, and on the par-3 sixteenth, you’re greeted by a stunning waterfall to the correct of the inexperienced. The par-4 18th is a troublesome nearer that requires not one however two carries over water.

I didn’t rush, however I nonetheless completed my spherical at 8:30 — clocking in at about an hour and 40 minutes. How exhilarating! Maybe there’s one thing to this crack-of-dawn tee time, solo-golf factor. I can’t consider a greater approach to begin the day.

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As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of feminine varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everybody on the masthead. She can out-hustle them within the workplace, too, the place she’s primarily answerable for producing each print and on-line options, and overseeing main particular tasks, reminiscent of GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview sequence, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in each within the journal and in video type on GOLF.com.