MEET THE TEAM
Indian Wells Insider / Winter 2023
W
hen guests arrive at Indian
Wells Golf Resort, one of
the people they are most
likely to see initially is a member of the
Outside Services team.
"We are the first ones you see when
you arrive at our facility, we see you
again after you check in, we see you
after your round is over, and then we
are the last ones you see when you
are either picking up your golf bag or
your car from valet," said Joe Valdivia,
Director of Outside Services. "We are
your first impression and your lasting
impression."
It just so happens that Indian Wells
Golf Resort has one of the most dedi-
cated and experienced Outside Services
teams around. There are 27 employees
in the department and six of them have
been working at the resort for more
than 10 years.
The team is responsible for the entire
valet operation, greeting every guest,
unloading and loading golf bags, and
parking and returning cars. In addition,
team members are in charge of keeping
the resort's fleet of 160 golf carts clean
and charged up, all club rentals, and
the driving range, where they stack pyr-
amids of balls, pick them up off the
range, wash them, and ensure the area
is presented in its best fashion.
"We have a team that takes pride in
its work and most importantly customer
service," Valdivia said. "We want peo-
ple to come to our public municipal
golf course and feel as if they are at
their own private club. We also have
great leadership in the Golf Depart-
ment, from the Director of Golf to our
Head Pro to our Outside Service Super-
visors, and we have a great mixture of
employees who have been here any-
where from 6 months to 17 years."
It's a mix that works well, Valdivia
said, as it gives newer employees the
opportunity to lean on and learn from
more experienced staff members, and it
gives the veteran employees colleagues
to work alongside who have an eager-
ness to learn and want to be the best, so
it pushes them as well.
Valdivia praised the entire Outside
Services team for its camaraderie,
noting that a number of staff members
get together outside of work, and for
its ability to adapt and work through
recent construction.
"We are only getting better," he said.
CLICK HERE TO BOOK TEE TIMES
AT YOUR
SERVICE!
Indian Wells Golf Resort sports
a dedicated and experienced
Outside Services team
TEAM PLAYERS: The longest-tenured
members of Outside Services…
Danny Geurts, 17.5 years; Ray
Lew, 17 years; Andrea Avila,
16 years; Joe Valdivia, 15 years;
Ivan Haro, 13 years; Arturo
Ricardez, 11 years.
