Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/366073
A little more than four years ago, there was debate about changing the Indian Bend layout into something very different. "Indian Bend was a very average golf course that wasn't very excit- ing. It wasn't a great JW Marriott product," said Shiloh Hagey, tournament director at Indian Bend for the past 18 years. So the decison was made to spend several million dollars to bring about a property that better suited the collective eye of the Marriott people who operate the Camelback Inn Resort and Spa, where Indian Bend and its sibling, The Padre course, are situated. Indian Bend was shut down the day after Father's Day in 2002 and reopened in November of 2013 under the name 'Ambiente,' after the team of Hurdzon/Fry Environmental Golf Design worked their magic. "We were looking for the facility to become a destination, not just a facility that has two golf courses with the resort," said assistant profes- sional Kurt Brown. "We're looking for somebody to come out and stay at the Camelback Inn to play golf and we just didn't have that before with the Indian Bend course." Hagey says the biggest change he's seen when viewing the new product is what he describes as an updated golf course with some character. In fact, two thirds of the holes you play today at Ambiente are essen- tially new, including the stretch of holes two through nine. "A lot of the routing along the golf course has stayed similar because it's along the wash which cuts through the golf course and it's in a corridor of homes. We had a specific blueprint to deal with and we stayed within the same one we had before but we competely bulldozed the golf course," said Hagey. Ambiente, which means, atmosphere, envi- ronment or surroundings in Spanish, went from 250 acres of turf grass down to 90 acres, trans- lating into quite a bit of water saved in a part of the world where agua is a precious commodity. "In the wash area, more than one thousand trees were planted from seed as well," said Brown. "It's going to be more of a high desert look, more of a links-style golf course." So, while you won't see the iconic saguaro cactus along the wash, you will see plenty of native grasses waiting to swallow up a way- ward tee shot. With a variety of tee boxes on each hole you can play to your handicap from a comfort- able length or toughen it up if you feel like a challenge. The look from those tee boxes is a little deceiving as the fairways appear to be on the narrow side but, in fact, you have plenty of room for a wayward tee shot. "It's a good design because you miss a tee shot by 30 or 40 yards and it still ends up in the fairway, which makes you feel good," said Brown. The fairways need to mature; the greens will soften up eventually and the sand in the many bunkers will settle, moving this course closer to what the designers had in mind when the process started. The early returns, though, have been favourable, according to Hagey, when he's chatted with people after their round. "People are just blown away by how much better it is and they can't believe the old golf course existed out there, said Hagey. "It's fair, every- thing is out in front of you. It's going to chal- lenge your golf game but it's also a fair game of golf," adds Brown. With the drastic makeover complete, golf- ers staying at the Camelback Inn Resort and Spa will be able to tackle the more benign, parkland-style Padre course one day and then step it up a notch with Ambiente, said Brown. "Once that gets to its maturity it will be absolutely gorgeous." DESTINATION ARIZONA SCOTTSDALE BY JIM CLAGGETT AMBIENTE GOLF COURSE A BREATH OF FRESH AIR THE REBORN AMBIENTE GOLF COURSE AT CAMELBACK RESORT BASKS IN THE ARIZONA SUN THE 13TH HOLE AT AMBIENTE (ABOVE) SHOWS THE CONTOURS AND BUNKERING OF THE NEW LAYOUT Golf courses, for the most part, can be viewed as works in progress. There always seems to be some- thing which can be changed from the original design in order to improve the look, or simply to keep up with technology, as players continue to hit the ball farther and straighter. 04(.,*6<9;,:@1>4(9906;; 04(.,*6<9;,:@*(4,3)(*2.* 56 INSIDE GOLF