Indian Wells Golf Resort: Players vs Celebrity, the redesign and rates

Indian Wells Golf Resort is a city-owned, Troon-managed 36-hole public facility with two courses: the Players, redesigned by John Fought and reopened in December 2025, and the Celebrity, the friendlier of the pair. Anyone can book. GolfPass listed the Celebrity from $149, and four resort hotels sit within walking distance.

This guide compares the two courses, covers the redesign, explains resident and hotel-guest pricing and gives what is known about overseed. The resort does not publish a rate card, so the prices here come from listings and reviews, seen November 2, 2026, and rates change.

Quick facts

• Owner: City of Indian Wells; managed by Troon; public.
• Courses: Players (par 71 after the 2025 redesign) and Celebrity (par 72).
• Players redesign: closed March 2025, reopened December 2, 2025.
• Residents: Resident Benefit Card, online booking up to 14.5 days ahead from 7 pm.
• Hotels next door: Grand Hyatt, Renaissance Esmeralda, Tommy Bahama Miramonte, Indian Wells Resort Hotel.
• Tour events: Epson Tour Championship, scheduled on the Players in 2026.
• Phone: 760-346-4653.
• From downtown Palm Springs: about 29 minutes, 16.3 miles.

Players vs Celebrity

The resort site says both courses are in Golfweek's Top 25 Best Municipal Courses in the US, year not stated.

The Players Course is the bigger test and now the newer course. The Celebrity Course is the better choice for mixed-ability groups and couples. GolfPass reviewers rate the Celebrity 4.6 out of 5 from 522 reviews, higher than the pre-renovation Players.

The 2025 Players redesign

The Players closed in March 2025 and John Fought, who rebuilt it in 2007, redesigned it again. Holes 9, 17 and 18 were rerouted, with new 17th and 18th holes north of the Whitewater Wash, and bunkers, tees and greens were redone. Par dropped from 72 to 71. It reopened with a ribbon cutting on December 2, 2025, and the resort site shows January 2026 grand-opening galleries.

One caution: scorecards on GolfPass and elsewhere still show the old par-72 routing. The Players tees below come from that kind of source, so treat the yardages and ratings as approximate and expect new numbers on the card at the course.

The Celebrity's tees run from the 7,038-yard Cabernet (74.3/138) through Blue 6,642 (72.3/133), Yellow 6,339 (70.7/128), White 6,012 (69.1/123; women 75.6/137), Green 5,601 (66.7/118; women 73.4/132) and Red 5,280 (65.4/112; women 71.7/128).

Indian Wells Golf Resort rates

No 2026-27 rate card was found, and Indian Wells Golf Resort does not publish one. What has been seen:

• Celebrity: from $149 on GolfPass, undated.
• Players: a GolfLink estimate of $299, and a GolfPass reviewer who paid $227 in 2025 before the renovation.
• Summer: specials have been offered in past summers.

For a sense of where that sits, Desert Willow's own peak estimate is $125 to $210 for prime times. See Palm Springs golf rates.

Resident rates and the Resident Benefit Card

Indian Wells residents with a Resident Benefit Card (or Property Owner ID) get discounted resident times. The city's benefits page, seen via a search snippet with the season year not stated, listed:

• $50 from January 1 to April 30.
• $35 from May 1 to December 31.
• Accompanied resident guests at $55 Monday to Thursday and $65 Friday to Sunday in a July-August window.

Resident booking moved fully online from June 1, 2026. Times open 14.5 days ahead at 7 pm, are prepaid and need 72 hours' notice to cancel. Resident guests must be accompanied. The card costs $45 to $50 (sources differ).

For snowbirds, the catch is eligibility. The city's card policy mentions renters obtaining a card, but the documents and lease length needed were not found. If $50 peak-season golf is part of your plan for an Indian Wells seasonal rental, ask City Hall before you sign the lease. Read Palm Springs golf passes and Palm Springs snowbird rentals.

Hotel guests: what each Indian Wells hotel offers

No separate published hotel-guest green fee was found at any of them. The Indian Wells Resort Hotel is the value play, with past guest prices on booking sites of roughly $112 to $224 a night (not a 2026 quote) and a September 2025 package listing of 3 nights and 3 rounds from $964. A TeeTimesUSA package for the Renaissance lists a $50 daily resort credit from May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027. Compare more in Palm Springs golf resorts.

Overseed and timing

The 2026 overseed dates were posted only as an image on the resort site and could not be read. The past pattern is one course at a time: in 2022 the Players reopened October 13 and the Celebrity closed October 16 to November 3. Call 760-346-4653 before an October or early November visit. See Palm Springs golf overseed.

Also watch the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, scheduled for February 28 to March 14, 2027. It brings two weeks of big crowds to Indian Wells and pushes up room rates. Read Palm Springs events.

Indian Wells Golf Resort facilities

Both courses share a 53,000-square-foot clubhouse with the Vue Grille restaurant and bar, a pro shop and a shared practice facility.

Is Indian Wells Golf Resort worth it?

For a group based in Indian Wells, Indian Wells Golf Resort is worth it: two good courses you can walk or shuttle to, and the Players is freshly redesigned. The trade-offs are that rates are not published, the Players price estimates run high, and the overseed dates are hard to confirm without calling. For Indian Wells residents, $50 peak golf is one of the best deals in the valley.

Nearby, Desert Willow Firecliff and Mountain View publish their seasonal bands and sell a season card; compare them in Desert Willow Golf Resort. Course pages: Players course guide and Celebrity course guide. For the town, read Indian Wells golf.

Plan it on the map

Open the Palm Springs golf map to see the Players and Celebrity courses, the four hotels beside them and the rest of the mid-valley. The $30 plan fits Indian Wells rounds around BNP Paribas fortnight and can cover a whole winter stay with a weekly rotation.