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Quick History

Indian Wells boom began in the mid to late 1950s when Johnny Dawson and Jimmy Hines began developing Eldorado Country Club and Golf Course. Around the same time, Eddie Susalla and Paul Prom, later joined by Milt Hicks and Desi Arnaz, began building the Indian Wells Country Club and Golf Course.

In 1957, Arnaz opened his Indian Wells Hotel (forerunner to the Indian Wells Resort Hotel) on a site that would later become the club’s 11th and 12th fairways. Just three years later, a youthful Arnold Palmer won the first Bob Hope Desert Classic, a tournament Milt Hicks, then president of Indian Wells Country Club, helped launch. The presence of such Hollywood legends as Desi Arnaz, Frankie Avalon, Ray Bolger, Kirk Douglas, James Garner, Harry James, Zeppo Marx and of course Bob Hope, all of whom played in the inaugural event, along with President Eisenhower, a regular Indian Wells visitor and later Eldorado homeowner, created a unique identity.

Today

Besides the well-known country club communities, Indian Wells is home to Indian Wells Golf Resort (The IW), featuring 36 holes, a magnificent 53,000 square-foot clubhouse, and ranked in the Top 25 “Best Municipal courses in the United States” by Golfweek Magazine.

Prominent hotels include Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa, Renaissance Indian Wells Resort and Spa, and Miramonte Indian Wells Resort. Fine dining and entertainment can be found Vicky’s of Santa Fe, The Nest, Cliffhouse, Frank’s Place at Indian Wells Resort Hotel, and The Pink Cabana at the Sands Hotel.

Another notable Indian Wells landmark, The Tennis Gardens, attracts top professional tennis players and avid tennis fans from around the world.