Seventy years of swings and smiles at Indian Wells Country Club

Lucy, I’m home!

Among the most storied and historic clubs across the 120-course bounty of the Coachella Valley, Indian Wells CC (IWCC) nears its 70-year anniversary having stayed true to its forever, self-appointed moniker: The Fun Club of the Desert.

Preceded only by the 18-hole desert debuts of Thunderbird (1951) and Tamarisk CCs (1952) respectively, Indian Wells CC was unveiled in 1956 as the desert’s third-ever championship play, its debut preceding the city’s incorporation by 11 years. With actor Desi Arnaz, developer Milt Hicks(“Mr. Golf”) and SoCal legend Eddie Susalla (Thunderbird’s inaugural associate head pro, who invented the golf cart) among its founding core, the club has never strayed from its mantra.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF INVITED CLUBS AND THE SUSALLA FAMILY COLLECTION WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO JORDAN BORAD.

“One of the reasons this club was created was because the two other desert clubs in existence at the time were also private, but a bit stuffy and restricted in those days,” says Dennis Coker, general manager at IWCC. “So, Desi and his group of friends fromHollywood and beyond — they wanted a more casual vibe to gather and have fun. That’s how this club began, and it’s our job to keep that up.”

As the desert has grown up around it, IWCC has managed to keep its compass on a combination of swings and smiles across the grounds’ prime 400 acres and 36 holes. The game has changed, equipment has evolved, styles have altered; but the club has never forgotten the value of a good laugh and post-round toast.

A BRIDGE TO SOMEWHERE 

Crossing IWCC’s wooden bridge from entry drive to clubhouse is as much an invitation to sun-washed fun as it is an immersion into living history. Among the four founding clubs of what’s colloquially known as the “Bob Hope” (today’s American Express PGA Tour stop),the club’s Classic Course served as tournament centerpiece, smile central and aesthetic nexus for much of its rotation run from 1960-2005.

Dressed in the bosom of the Santa Rosa Mountains, the grounds’ postcard allure proved instantly magnetic for all manner of famed footsteps.

With Hope as beaming frontman, IWCC’s early days saw its tee sheet filled like a Hollywood marquee, welcoming the likes of Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, James Garner, Chuck Connors, Lawrence Welk, Phil Harris, Kirk Douglas and Zeppo Marx. Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Gerald Ford would also prove avid VIP guests, with the former’s surname belonging to the tournament’s historic golden putter trophy.

The club’s most poignant brush with the spotlight was, is and will forever prove among the most famed rounds in golf history when, in February 1995, former presidents GeorgeH.W. Bush and Ford teed-up alongside President Bill Clinton, a 91-year-old Hope and defending event champ Scott Hoch for the opening round of what was then the ChryslerClassic. With a reported crowd of 25,000 on hand to witness, Clinton, still the only sitting president to ever play a PGA Tour pro-am, quipped of the bipartisan day that he would “try to hit it not too far and not too far right.”

Celebs and politicos aside, an array of prime PGA play has graced these grounds, with Arnold Palmer winning the first of his (still) record five tourney titles in 1960, and The King’s reign followed by the winning likes of Jack Nicklaus, Billy Casper, Johnny Miller, Fred Couples and Phil Mickelson.

DISTINCT CHARACTER

Its four nines were unveiled over time, with each sporting distinct character, the twin courses were eventually coupled as the Classic and Cove; what may today prove a dearth of distance for the pros continues to serve as premier shot-making real estate for eager ams of all levels. While both tracks tip at under 6,600 yards, neither course relies on nostalgia alone for muscle; rather, both courses marry scenery with strategy.

“Personally, I’m partial to the Classic,” says Paul Cox, director of golf at IWCC. “And, like a lot of people, the main reason for that is because I grew up seeing it on TV during the Hope, and seeing all the old-school stars out here, like Palmer, Nicklaus, Miller. And even though I have my nostalgia for the Classic, it’s like asking if you like pizza or cheeseburgers more — both courses are awesome.”

Buoyant, cordial and (expertly) extroverted, Cox proves an ideal extension of the club’s modern-day fun foray; he was sold on the job when told that members were just as focused on their post-round cocktails as they were on the play that preceded them. 

To tackle the sister tests, however, players best bag some clear-mindedness to navigate an ongoing host of skinny corridors and small-target surfaces.

“The difficulty for Classic and Cove is on and around the greens; that’s what guards these courses,” details Cox. “It’s not about distance here; it’s about managing your game and navigating the greens.”

Coupled with putting nuance, course knowledge often denotes play on the Classic, as best evidenced by the deep fairway rock out cropping on the par-5 fifth.

“You just need to play it intelligently,” advises Cox. “Bang the driver, play a smart second shot and then a flip wedge. You need to understand the angles where you’re hitting because you’ve got a big mountain rock in your face and need to pick which side of the rock or which mountain crevasse you’re hitting over. And, believe me, we’ve got members out here who know specifically the outcrop they’re using as a line.”

KEEPERS OF THE COOL

While course and club cultures of the Coachella Valley have evolved over the years, IWCC has remained cool across seven decades by being the one thing no other club can be — itself.

To discover such continuity, one need search no further than the club’s pro shop, whereMark Winstrom has manned the starter’s role for nearly a half century.

“This place has seen a lot of living,” smiles Winstrom of IWCC’s “Fun Club” mantra, inclusive vibe and social reputation. “I believe, in every sense of these words, it’s lived up to that phrase. Back when the club was built, maybe people had a bit more of a carefree attitude in general. They didn’t, of course, have all the magnificent technology we have now; so, maybe they learned to interface with one another more.”

Amid the pro shop bearing his surname upon its awning, Winstrom’s starter voice over microphone is a combination of a seasoned game show host and your favorite grandparent.

“On busy days, it’s a necessity to get people to take the tee in a timely fashion,” states Winstrom, “a gentle encouragement to step up and play away.”

Across his brushes with stardom since being hired in 1978, Winstrom’s celebrity take away is that stars seek not spotlight at IWCC; rather, they prefer to avoid it. 

“Everybody here is as far from being pretentious as they can be,” Winstrom offers. “Therehave been quite a few, shall we say, ‘people of substance’ who have been members here— but you wouldn’t know it; not the pleasant way they conduct themselves.”

With the game’s pandemic-era upswing, IWCC has found modern balance by leaning into its vibrant past, rather than simply leaning upon it.

“Retro is cool, right?” says Coker. “The Lucy movies (being the Ricardos; Lucy and Desi) were out just a few years ago, and so that brought it back to many people’s memories, that they (Lucy and Desi) were here at the club. We embrace our history here; our ‘House & Heritage’ committee at the club, they collect old photos, videos, archives and, on the Cove Course, we have our Bob Hope Room, with decades upon decades of memorabilia.”

From his pro shop perch, Winstrom has also eyed the club’s youth movement.

“The mean age at the club, along with other places in the desert, has dropped dramatically,” the starter says. “I mean, 50 years ago, this club was just for people who had done very well in business; other than the workforce, you didn’t see all that many young people on the course. Today, we’ve got a lot of younger members; the average age is really being lowered every year and the young people, they have a lot of respect for what’s happened here in the past. And that’s great; it’s what perpetuates the game and the industry. Golfers won’t last forever, so it’s healthy to have the new blood.”

“Once a history like ours is attached, as the years tickby, the people that follow, they’re aware of it,”concludes Winstrom. “It’s sort of human nature towant to be part of something.”

The generational baton pass at IWCC, akin to the club’s vibe, feels neither forced norfractured. Rather, the spike steps of history walk with cool anew, and the hug of the mountain surrounds echo with the Fun Club’s timeless laughter.

“Once a history like ours is attached, as the years tick by, the people that follow, they’re aware of it,” concludes Winstrom. “It’s sort of human nature to want to be part of something. And I wouldn’t necessarily call it a concerted effort, but people here just kind of fall in step with what we have been and what we are as a club.”