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How to watch polo

December 29, 2017 by Empire Polo

With the popular resurgence of polo it is a common occurrence for someone to say, “I’d really like to see a polo match, but I have no idea what to do.”

Getting yourself together for an afternoon of polo is no more difficult than going to a baseball game. Both sports require a minimum amount of planning, with much of the organizational responsibilities being assumed by the particular club you are visiting.

The events are being presented for public viewing, everyone is invited, and spectators are encouraged to attend, and even cheer for the competition. A great deal of advertising is prepared every year to assist area sports fans in finding their way to the matches, and every effort is made to assist the general public when they do arrive.

Initially, it is a good idea to call the club to find out who is playing. All levels of polo are jam packed with action, however, and are always fun to watch.

It is also a good idea to find out whether the match you will be attending will be played on a field equipped with grandstands, box seating or just fieldside parking. That way you if you need to, you can drag along a couple of beach chairs to make yourself more comfortable.

The time of the match is also important. You should allow plenty of time to arrive and get situated, as there may be a slight traffic slow-down at the entrance just before the start of the action. If you want to get a look at the horses or players, you should plan on arriving nearly an hour early, since as the game time nears, they will all be quite busy preparing for play. Finally, learn the basics of the game, and don’t be afraid to ask. Getting a basic understanding of the game and being able to identify many of the players will make the game more enjoyable and easier to follow.

Here’s what you’ll need to know to become a polo spectator without sounding like a novice:

Question: What if someone asks to borrow a bottle of champagne or a horse?

Answer: Don’t worry. These guys bring their own horses, and chances are you’ll see more of the players drinking more Gatorade than champagne. If you think that everyone should be drinking champagne, you are probably suffering from what is known as “Prince Charles Syndrome.”

Question: How big is the field?

Answer: The polo field is approximately 300-yards long and 160-yards wide. It is boarded on the sides by 12-inch sideboards that run the length of the field and serve to keep the rapidly moving ball in play. If you arrive at the field to see eight players out there chasing a ball, you’re late. But it’s okay; there are more chukkers (periods of seven-and-a-half minutes each) to see. As you watch the eight riders you might remark to yourself, “Hey, this is nothing but hockey on horseback.” You’re right, sort of. The point is to knock the ball through the other guy’s goalposts. You’ll even see a polo version of the cross-body check, it’s called a bump or a ride-off, and the strategic purpose is the same; take your opponent out of play.

Question: How do you score?

Answer: Scoring is accomplished by putting the ball through the goalposts (centered on the endlines, eight-yards apart). You might find it a bit confusing when you see that the teams change directions after each goal is scored. The practice is meant to keep either team from taking advantage of wind or field conditions. There are four periods in a polo game, seven minutes each, plus a 30-second overtime.

Question: Where are the goalies?

Answer: There are no goalies. But there are goal judges who stand behind the goal and raise a flag every time a goal is scored.

Question: What you might hear and what you might want to say:

Answer: Most comments emanating from the polo field are self -explanatory. For example, “Leave it” is usually uttered by a player who wants his teammate to ride past the ball and leave it-because the former thinks he has a better play. But on the sidelines, you are likely to encounter the occasional puzzler particularly if you’re not the horsey type. For instance, a “green” pony is simply a horse new to the game of polo, a rookie, if you will.

What you say is up to you, but there are a few simple phrases that will make you sound like a true patron of the game. No matter what’s happening on the field, you can say: “The pace is a bit choppy”, with just the right touch of impatience in your voice. This is an impeccable and unchallengeable comment. The pace is always choppy in polo.

“Boy, that chestnut mare sure is running out of steam.” There will always be a chestnut mare on the field, and all of the horses are running out of steam by the end of any chukker.
“The losers were simply out-horsed.” At the end of any lopsided game, feel free to declare this. Nine times out of ten, they were.

Name a great place to watch polo this fall. The Empire Polo Club, Indio, CA.

Filed Under: Club News Tagged With: Alex Webbe, empire polo club, polo, polo games, polo schedule, polo tournament, tournament, tournaments

WELCOME TO THE EMPIRE POLO CLUB

December 21, 2017 by Empire Polo

The Empire Polo Club kicks off their 2018 season in style.

Empire Polo Club (Empire) situated in the Coachella Valley in Indio, California, is the self-proclaimed “Disneyland” of polo in the United States. Boasting one of the most exquisite and elaborate grounds, the club aims to impress players and spectators alike with a polo experience like no other. Offering a competitive polo season (mid-December through March) with public Sunday matches and a seasonal polo school, the club operates year-round hosting numerous non-polo events, such as music festivals—including but not limited to the famous Coachella music festival.

Established in 1987, the club has steadily grown over nearly three decades to include 12 grass polo fields, an indoor polo arena with stadium, two exercise tracks, on-site stabling for 650+ horses and the only fully-lit grass polo field in the United States for night polo. Equine amenities aside, the club houses not one, but two restaurants—The Tack Room Tavern Restaurant & Bar and Polo Pizza Co.—as well as “The Date Shed” a former date packing facility turned nightclub and live music venue.

Nacho Figueras in action at the Empire Polo Club.

“I think the players are always excited to come back every season to see what we have done over the summer. Most clubs when they are not playing polo are basically locked down and there is nothing going on. Here, we are constantly making improvements, so when the players come back each year there is always something new for them to see. This year it’s our pizza kitchen, the players will have another place to eat at the club which is really fun, an outdoor bar with TV screens.” said Kevin Ittig, Empire Polo Club Operations Manager.

All of this combined with consistently picture-perfect weather are the factors that have made Empire Polo Club such a success. “We have three games a week, one practice and two tournament games. I think we had one rain day last year and one rain day the year before—and we played on that rain day! We sanded beforehand, stomped divots, sanded after and it was a great day!” said Polo Manager Vicky Owens.

The 2018 Polo Season at Empire Polo Club officially begins on Decembver 31st with the first Sunday Polo game of the season. Sunday Polo regularly attracts 1,500-2,000 spectators on a regular weekend and up to 3,000 for a final. A wide variety of spectating options are available including VIP cabanas and individual seating, tailgating and general admission bleachers – each with an equally fantastic view of the field.

Empire prides themselves on their ability to create polo fans. “That’s where the next polo players are going to come from, the sidelines somewhere. You have to see the experience and really live the experience before you ever get on a horse. Polo can be a bit complicated if it’s not explained well, and when people don’t follow it they don’t come back–they just don’t get it.” said Ittig. A former professional player, Ittig serves as the resident announcer in addition to his duties as Operations Manager.

Post-game trophy presentations are always a part of the Sunday matches.

“Kevin gets everybody so involved. He explains what is going on during the game and he’ll do a Polo 101 at halftime. It’s a whole experience here, rather than just a social gathering,” added Tony Schieffer, Director of Sales. “Our spectators are loyal and they come back year after year and they bring friends, or they bring relatives when they come to town. So, it is growing,” continued Ittig.

Not just a prime location for polo spectating, polo players travel to Empire from around the country including Texas, Colorado, Washington and Canada—in fact most of their members are from out of state. Empire offers a 1-Goal League, 4-Goal, 6- to 8-Goal, a women’s tournament, arena tournaments and monthly “Friday Polo Under the Lights” event. What sets them apart are their prize money tournaments, the Lions Cup 4-Goal and Champions Cup 8-Goal. Teams pay an entry fee which the club matches. Unlike other money games, the only deciding factor is the final score. The victors garner seventy-five percent of the total pot while the runner-up collects the remaining twenty-five percent. A unique feature considering the majority of prize money tournaments are geared towards a mid- to high-goal level of polo.

Another feature unique to the club is their golf cart polo. “We invented it,” said Ittig, regarding golf cart polo. “Golf cart polo is followed by an exhibition match afterwards, it’s really unique for an event, something different!” A professional player drives the cart, then invite guests to sit in the passenger seat and control the mallet. Safety is a priority, with seat belts, helmets, bumpers and a plate to make sure the guests cannot slide their foot over to the gas or break. A great way for guests to connect with the players, and even get a feel of holding a mallet, golf cart polo has become wildly popular at Empire Polo Club.

The popular divot stomp that allows spectators to stretch and socialize at halftime between chukkers.

Club staff assert that playing in the desert is comparably less expensive to other California locations and more importantly their rival winter destination—Florida. Hay is grown locally, decreasing costs significantly as buying hay on the East Coast (where it is shipped in regularly) can be costly and an expensive expenditure often overlooked by the un-seasoned player.

“Most polo clubs when I was growing up were pretty rustic, there was a field and if you were lucky you got a bathroom,” explained Ittig. What Empire Polo Club founder Alexander Haagen III and Ittig had in mind was something more sophisticated and inclusive. “Polo isn’t just an individual event, it includes the entire family. Nowadays it doesn’t matter if you are a woman or a man, you want to bring your kids to the polo club. We tried to build a polo club that was more family friendly and gives families more options. We never knew it was going to turn out like this, but it worked out great!”

Plans to expand continue with a recently acquired 93-acre pasture facility, which will be available in June increasing capacity to an astounding 800 or 900 horses. This year they will also name the main tournament field in honor of General George S. Patton. A dedication ceremony unveiling the field side Patton bust is slated to take place at the USPA Patton Cup 4-Goal Final at the end of January. A four-goal polo player, General Patton would bring his troops to the desert for training as the climate mirrored that of Africa. Only a thirty-minute drive from the General George S. Patton Memorial Museum, this tribute is yet another way to improve the polo experience for both spectators and players integrating the rich history of the sport into modern day play.

“We always have the vision of getting bigger and better instead of just staying where we are. I think Mr. Haagen’s thoughts are always, how can I improve this, how can I make this better,” said Ittig. A commendable aspiration, the Empire Polo Club’s burgeoning twelve-month event schedule is one to be admired and emulated at clubs across the country.                                         (Editorial courtesy of the United States Polo Association)

Filed Under: Club News Tagged With: Alex Haagen III, Alex Webbe, empire polo club, media, opening day, opening weekend, polo, polo games, polo schedule, polo tournament, social, tournaments, Vicky Owens

Season Schedule 2010-2011

August 26, 2010 by EPC Staff 1 Comment

Use the links below to download Empire Polo Club’s 2010-2011 Season Schedule (PDFs)

Side One of Season Schedule – Front of brochure with stabling rates.
Side Two of Season Schedule – Playing & Social Membership rates, season schedule & contact information.

Empire Polo Club Contacts

Polo Memberships, Stabling & Tournaments
Vicky Owens
Tel. 760-342-7755
Email: vickyowens@empirepolo.com

Social Membership and Advertising Sales
Tony Schieffer
Tel. 760-399-6311
Email: tonyschieffer@empirepolo.com

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Filed Under: Club News Tagged With: polo games, polo schedule, schedule, tournaments

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