Indian Springs Country Club - West (Boynton Beach, FL)

Kip Schulties has quietly been making a name for himself in the golf world by renovating courses in Florida. He is based in West Palm Beach and being local has given him an advantage in procuring work in this region. Numerous courses have his name attached to them including Indian Springs West course. 

Kip states on his website that he is flexible in his design philosophy, and he can change it up based on the caliber of player using the course. Indian Springs must have very good golfers because there are challenging holes here including several longish carries off the tee. I found myself more focused on the tee boxes, picking out safe driving lines, and concentrating on striking it solid. 

(The 420/373 yard sixth hole demands an accurate long drive over water. Block it right or slice it too much and you could be reloading on the tee box.) 

The greens are very receptive, and have a nice pace to them. If you can find the fairways, then the course allows one to have a chance at birdie. Kip placed the bunkers in spots that generate Sunday pins, but much of the putting surface is accessible. A wide variety of hole locations makes for a fun day of golf. Tough pins mixed in with easier ones keeps Indian Springs fresh for the members. 

(The 528/509 yard first is an exciting par five. The green slopes away to the rear, making this an exact shot even for a short iron. The long hitter needs to make a decision whether it’s worth trying to hit in two.)  

Both nines at the West course end with excellent holes. This is a great luxury for the club as they can alternate one or ten as the starting hole, and have a great finisher for the eighteenth. 

(The 439/414 yard ninth doglegs left and demands a long iron over water to the green. A rear pin can be tucked onto an upper tier between two bunkers while a lower pin in the front brings the water into play.)

(The 563/540 yard eighteenth features a cape style tee shot over water. One final gut check as you pick your line to attack...
...the green is in view but very few players can carry the lake. Most players will once again have to pick a line and carry over a corner of the water for the layup. After these two courageous shots, the third is a short or mid iron. The green is far enough from the water that it shouldn’t come into play. This is one of the best eighteenth holes I’ve seen.) 

Indian Springs does have some clunker holes, and they seem to be in the corners where the boundary lines force awkward doglegs. The front nine has three par threes that alleviate this issue, but the back nine has two holes (13,15) that are terrible.  There are also spots where residences come into play. Overall, the course plays well. I give it a 5 (good)(worth driving a hour).