Indian Wells moves resident tee‑time booking online and limits protected‑period bookings

City staff recommended operational changes to the resident 14‑day tee‑time booking policy after an analysis showed roughly the top 13% of residents were taking about 51% of the protected tee times. Staff presented five policy options (including shorter protected windows, resident‑only protected hours, a tiered paid access option and a concierge/guaranteed slot program) and recommended two immediate steps: require online‑only booking (time‑stamped) and limit residents to one protected‑period booking per day.

Kevin McCarthy, presenting the staff report, said the online process addresses perceived favoritism at in‑person booking and that the golf‑shop and call‑center workload favored an electronic timestamped system. Joe Williams, director of golf at the Indian Wells Golf Resort, confirmed the top 14‑day window dates back decades and that operational changes are feasible. Residents offered mixed views in public comment: some supported limiting repeat bookings and moving online, while others opposed pay‑tiered access as inequitable.

After extended council discussion about equity and data needs, council voted to adopt staff’s operational recommendations (online booking, one protected‑period booking per resident per day) and directed staff to change the resident booking opening time from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.; larger policy options (tiered pricing, monthly allotments, or a concierge product) were left for further study. Council specifically asked staff and Troon to provide more granular booking analytics so the body can evaluate the effect of high‑frequency users on overall availability.

The change is intended to level access during protected hours while preserving current resident rates; council members said they want more analysis before shifting to market‑priced or non‑refundable booking tiers.