Desert Horizon Country Club renovations aim to appeal to an active lifestyle community
When Paula Manoski moved to Desert Horizons Country Club in Indian Wells in 2017, there was one feature of the club that she didn’t like.
“The clubhouse obviously wasn’t the reason you bought here,” Manoski said. “The aging structure isn’t the reason you bought here. I think when people come here now, the building, the clubhouse, the pickleball, it’s all a selling point for Desert Horizons.”
Manoski, now Desert Horizons’ board chairwoman, said she was pleased with the renovation of the clubhouse, which was originally part of the club more than four decades ago. Interior remodeling, relocation of the locker rooms and pro shop, and construction of a new second floor were part of the renovation, which was overseen by Irvine-based design firm Melzer Deckert and Ruder Architects.
“I was personally involved in the long-term planning and sat on the board and the renovation committee,” Manoski said. “I saw the early plans, the drawings and fabric samples. When I walked in and it was finished, I had tears in my eyes. It exceeded almost all expectations. It was so beautiful.”
Planning for the renovation began in 2022, when a temporary pro shop was set up. The two-level clubhouse was 32,000 square feet, but the plan called for the majority of the building to remain the same size. Interior changes included removing walls to create brighter areas in the club’s entrance that would extend to the back of the building.
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A new indoor/outdoor bar has been installed in the dining room. A balcony off the outdoor bar area overlooks the ninth and tenth holes of the golf course and also provides access to two large bocce courts.
The interior now also includes a wellness spa, a card room where the old pro shop was, a new pro shop where part of the men’s locker room was, and other minor changes.
Now and in the future
The biggest change is the addition of a second floor of 8,000 square feet. This area houses the new fitness center with new exercise equipment, a Pilates room and a group training room overlooking the golf course.
An additional 896 square meters were added by fencing off the old lounge terrace to create an event space and private dining room.
Manoski said there were two main reasons for the renovation, which came several years after the club hired local architect Clive Clark to make changes to the golf course. The first was simply age.
“Look at your own home, a 45-year-old home. There are certainly things that need to be taken care of,” she said. “I think looking forward, we really needed to make it relevant to the new buyer. There are so many places that have outdated infrastructure, and in order to keep up, we absolutely needed to do the renovation to meet the desires of the new buyers and keep Desert Horizons relevant.”
While future members are an important consideration, current members must also be the focus. Although the renovations and funding were approved with a 58 percent yes vote, Manoski said current members will realize the importance of the changes in the coming months.
“We need to evolve from a golf community to an active lifestyle community,” Manoski said. “We want to make sure we’re catering to that active lifestyle. So you see the gym, you see the pickleball courts, you see the popularity of pickleball and we just need to make sure we have a social gathering opportunity here.”
When it comes to branding the club, the board and club members have agreed on the idea of “Desert Modern Cool” as the slogan that best describes the club.
“There are elements of mid-century here, there are elements of modern,” Monoski said. “But we call it Desert Modern Cool. That’s who we are.”
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