Empire Polo Club

The Ultimate Playing Experience

Follow us

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • Home
  • News
  • About Empire
  • Videos & Photos
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / Archives for Vicky Owens

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

Empire Polo Club enlists the maestro of polo fields, Alejandro Battro

December 5, 2017 by Empire Polo

Argentine Polo Field specialist Alejandro Battro brings his expertise to the Empire Polo Club.

Polo veterans will tell you that the horse is 80% of the game, and that the safety of the horse is paramount to the age-old game, but equally important is the field on which they play.

A properly designed and maintained polo field can insure the safety of the horses, the roll of the ball and the lifespan of the playing surfaces themselves.

Argentina’s Alejandro Battro is considered to be the maestro of polo fields.  With over 35 years of experience behind Battro Polo Fields, and an international resume that lists over 700 fields from China to England, from Morocco to the United States and featuring the revered polo fields at Palermo in Argentina, Battro is looked upon as the dean of the fields.

Earlier this year, the Empire Polo club brought him in to review their fields and prescribe a maintenance program for them.

In a March vsit, Alejandro Battro, Jr. and an associate reviewed the condition f the fields at Empire and implemented an ongoing maintenance plan.

“It’s encouraging to have the kind of understanding and support for the fields that we get from the ownership here at the club,” said Empire Polo Club Manager, Vicky Owens.  “Improperly maintained fields can take their toll on players and horses.  Mr. Haagen is a former player himself,” she added, “and knows the importance of proper footing in this fast-paced game.”

Alejandro Battro, Jr. was in Indio in March to do an initial assessment on the fields and make recommendations on the upkeep and maintenance.  Ignacio Martinez, a member of the Battro team returned this week to monitor the current condition of the field as the winter season gets underway.

The Empire Polo Club boasts ten fields, and has action beginning in November with stick-and-ball sessions going on as players and horses prepare themselves for the upcoming months of tournament play.

“The quality of the fields is of utmost importance to the horses and the players alike,” said Kevin Ittig, Director of Operations.  Properly constructed and maintained fields make the play more enjoyable to the players and safer for the horses.”

Battro assessed the composure of the footing on each of the club fields.

The Bermuda fields at Empire are over-seeded with Rye as the more tropical Bermuda grass goes dormant during the winter months.

“We get a lot of play on the fields over the course of a laying season,” said Owens.  “Last year we logged in 1,275 chukkers on the fields, so the maintenance and upkeep of them is a daily challenge.

The most important aspects of the field, according to Battro, are the surface and choosing the right type of grass.

“The greatest challenge is making sure that a good surface can be achieved using materials from the local area. Safety is the highest priority. Polo players must be able to concentrate on the match and be sure that they are playing on a level and predictable field.”

The arrival of Martinez this week will insure for world-class fields for each and every chukker of the coming season.

The 2017-2018 Empire Polo season attracts players from across the country and around the world and offers fourteen weekends of fast-paced polo in the beautiful and relaxed setting of California’s winter playground.

The Empire Polo Club is located at 81-800 Avenue 51 in Indio, CA. For further information go to the club website at http://www.empirepolo.com or call 760-342-7755.

Filed Under: Club News Tagged With: Alejandro Battro, Alejandro Battro Jr., Alex Haagen, Alex Webbe, empire polo club, Ignacio Martinez, Kevin Ittig, polo fields, Vicky Owens

Copyright © 2023 · Outreach Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in