A California golf course might be deemed a safe spot for homeless residents

The land includes the golf course clubhouse as well as three homes.

STOCKTON, Calif. — The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors is considering turning the shuttered Oakmoore Golf Course in Stockton into a safe camping site for the unhoused.

Supervisors recently approved a notice of intention to purchase two parcels of land, totaling 67.25 acres, located at 3737 and 3801 N. Wilson Way. The land, which is owned by Gurpartap Singh of Oakmoore Properties, includes the golf course clubhouse as well as three homes.

Supervisors have not yet decided on a use for the property. However, they are planning to discuss a short-term plan and a long-term plan for the property, which involves safe camping.

Safe camping provides a dedicated space for unhoused individuals to live in tents, provided by the county, on a short-term basis.

The Oakmoore Golf Course is located at 3737 N. Wilson Way in Stockton on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (Photo: Clifford Oto/Stockton Record)

The 2024 Point-in-Time Count reported a total of 4,732 people experiencing homelessness in San Joaquin County, compared to 2,319 in 2022 and 2,629 in 2019.

The county’s short-term plan is to use a small portion of the property — about three acres — for a safe camping site. The long-term plan includes the possibility of moving the community development, environmental health, and public works departments to the site.

District 2 Supervisor Paul Canepa said the county had been looking for a property for safe camping, and he expressed excitement over the golf course.

If the plans are approved by the board, supportive services will be in place at the camping site, along with rules and regulations to keep the area clean and free of drugs and crime, according to county officials.

“It’s an absolute home run,” Canepa said before the Nov. 12 vote on the property.

District 3 Supervisor Tom Patti commended the board for its willingness to partner with cities to find solutions to homelessness, but also for “really doing more than what a lot of counties are doing.”

The county has set a price limit of $9.6 million. The board is set to make a decision on the purchase at its Dec. 10 meeting.

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman.

This California municipal golf course is about to get a $13.5 million redesign

The city council voted by a 3-2 margin Thursday to redesign one of the resort’s two main courses.

In an effort to keep the Indian Wells Golf Resort competitive — and to attract the LPGA Tour back to the Coachella Valley — the city council voted by a 3-2 margin Thursday to spend $13.5 million to redesign one of the resort’s two main courses.

The Indian Wells council agreed to spend $12 million for Troon, the company that manages the resort, to work with a golf landscaping company to complete the Player’s Course redesign, along with $1.5 million to build a new fire access road on the property.

The remodel was planned by John Fought, the same person who designed the course in 2007, and it involves relocating the 17th and 18th holes to the north side of the Whitewater Channel, rehabilitating the greens and tee boxes, replacing the course’s irrigation system and rerouting the overall course.

The 18th fairway and green at the Indian Wells Golf Resort, seen April 26, 2024.
City officials told the council the remodel is sorely needed to keep the course competitive among golf destinations in the Coachella Valley and beyond. While most of the council ultimately supported the project, some members were concerned about getting more community input, as well as the considerable increase in the final bid submitted to the city compared to prior cost estimates.

With the council’s approval, construction on the redesigned course will begin in March 2025, with an opening date in November 2025.

Why it matters

The Players Course at the Indian Wells Golf Resort was built 17 years ago. City Manager Christopher Freeland said its irrigation system and bunkers need to be replaced, noting the course’s ranking has dropped in recent years.

“We want to maintain our market share and to make sure that our course is competitive with our other (local) competitors of PGA West and Desert Willow, who have done recent renovations,” Freeland told the council Thursday.

Hotel officials also told the city they’ll be able to better market a new golf course, compared to just a rehabilitation, with Freeland noting estimates that the project will lead to more revenues for the resort.

Freeland also said the remodeled course could be a draw to the Ladies Professional Golf Association, which has a long history in the valley. The LPGA Tour held its Dinah Shore tournament, now known as the Chevron Championship, at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage from 1972 to 2022.

That tournament moved to the Houston area in 2023, but the Epson Tour, the developmental tour for the LPGA, recently held its championship at the Indian Wells Golf Resort Player’s Course. City officials are optimistic the Epson Tour event, combined with the remodel, will open the door to a full LPGA event.

“At the Epson Tour, the LPGA commissioner came to the events, learned about our redesign (and) had the opportunity to look at the design, and she is quite excited on what that can bring for the golf course,” Freeland said. “It’s our hope that perhaps that means we can bring the LPGA back to Indian Wells and the Coachella Valley.”

The city plans to pay for the $13.5 million project largely by using loan repayments it receives through the successor agency of the Indian Wells Redevelopment Agency, as well as by using proceeds from potential land sales. The loans, which the city made to its redevelopment agency to improve the golf resort prior to the dissolution of such agencies by the state in 2012, are now paid back annually through Riverside County property tax rebates.

Due to timing issues, the city’s general fund will provide some gap funding, covering an estimated $2.2 million to be paid back through a loan payment in 2026, according to a city staff report. The Player’s Course will also be closed from the start of March 2025 through the start of November 2025, which is expected to cause a net loss of about $1 million for the resort.

Two residents spoke in favor of the redesign project during Thursday’s meeting, calling it a good business decision for the city.

What the council said

After holding a lengthy special meeting last week to discuss the project, the council had a few more questions and concerns Thursday.

Councilmember Ty Peabody, who opposed the project, was worried about additional costs associated with the project, such as a new parking lot, and he said the city should try again to get more bids from top golf course designers.

Peabody also said more community input was necessary before moving forward with the project.

More: The best public-access and private golf courses in California, ranked

“There’s been no resident discussions since April 2 until last week (at the special meeting),” Peabody said. “There’s been no survey of the residents at all whether they want to go ahead with this project. … We’ve been asked to rush through this.”

In response, Councilmember Donna Griffith noted more than two dozen city meetings have been held in recent years related to the golf course renovations. The city’s golf resort advisory committee also unanimously recommended the project in March, according to a city staff report.

“(The residents) have been here since 2018,” Griffith said. “We’ve had extensive public engagement where we have had the ability for our public to be there at an open noticed meeting.”

“I think that our residents know this is coming,” she added. “And I just want to tell you, I ran into a lady at CVS the other day, and she was upset with me that it isn’t already done.”

The councilmembers who voted no also questioned the large jump in the project’s cost estimate in the final bid, compared to an initial projection of roughly $8.7 million. The final plans included an increase in the amount of earthwork from 25 acres to 42 acres.

Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Whitman, who also voted against funding the project, said the council didn’t receive the final plans with the higher estimate until days before a potential vote, and he described a “failure of communication” in the process.

“I do think that this is a problem of communication with our people who are supposed to be our experts and our consultants, and who didn’t give us the information in a timely way so that we could really have a deliberative process over the summer,” Whitman said. “Instead, we’ve had a deliberative process about this increase for essentially 10 days.”

“It’s not fair, but life isn’t always fair, so we have to make a decision,” he added. “But we don’t have to make it today.”

Councilmember Dana Reed said the approval process for the project “has been going on for years,” adding the city has done exactly what it’s supposed to do from the start.

“I am persuaded by Troon and the hotels and the golf committee that this is a good project, and I am persuaded by our finance director that the money is available without jeopardizing our general fund,” Reed said.

The council approved the funding for the project and the fire access road on a split vote, with Whitman and Peabody opposed. In a separate motion, the council also agreed to prepare an agreement to make Troon the project manager, with Peabody the sole member in opposition.

This story includes prior reporting by The Desert Sun’s Larry Bohannan. Tom Coulter covers the cities of Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells. Reach him at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com.

These two Fazio-designed courses near Las Vegas are closed (and appear to be sold)

Although the course is less than an hour from Las Vegas, it’s in California, just outside the town of Primm, Nevada.

A pair of Tom Fazio-designed golf courses are currently closed and according to reports, the property might have been sold.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal said Primm Valley Golf Club, which houses a pair of courses, was sold recently. According to the story, “an employee with the club confirmed the closure and sale in an email response but did not provide additional details.”

Although the course is less than an hour from Las Vegas, it’s in California, just outside the town of Primm, Nevada. It has breathtaking views of the Mojave National Preserve and Clark Mountain, and the courses opened to much fanfare in 1998.

8th green of the Lakes course, Primm Valley Golf Resort. pic.twitter.com/VtKBnSeNvg

— Jeff Peterson (@Weatherhack) June 17, 2024

The town has not grown as previously anticipated, however, and members of an HOA in a somewhat nearby neighborhood staved off a potential investor who wanted to turn the courses into housing a few years ago.

According to the story at the Review-Journal:

A note on the homepage of the course’s website says “Primm Valley Golf Club is closed for the foreseeable future. Please check back for updates.”

According to the club’s website, it is home to two 18-hole courses that were designed by golf architect Tom Fazio, and the club also has a 22-acre practice facility with a driving range and practice putting greens.

The future of Primm remains a question mark as the area’s mall is currently vacant; however, Primm still has its three big hotels with casinos — Buffalo Bill’s, Whiskey Pete’s and the Primm Valley Resort and Casino — all of which are managed by Affinity Gaming.

Primm Valley’s two courses did not crack the top of the Golfweek’s Best ratings for best courses in California. Here’s a look at the list.

La Quinta development now calls for four-hole golf training facility instead of two 18-hole courses

Initial plans for the project gained approval in 1995.

A proposal to develop a large swath of vacant land in south La Quinta, California, into as many as 1,200 homes and a 100-room resort is soon heading to the city council, after the plans gained recent approval from the city’s planning commission.

Known as Travertine, the project encompasses roughly 855 acres of land. While initial plans for the project gained approval in 1995, the revised proposal — which calls for fewer homes, along with a four-hole golf training facility instead of two 18-hole courses — is making its way through the process at city hall.

A resort with 100 villas and a wellness spa, which would include yoga programs and tennis courts, are also part of the proposal, along with a sizable trail system that would run several miles around and through the site.

The proposal has drawn scrutiny from several residents, mostly from an adjacent Trilogy community, during a pair of recent planning commission meetings. The residents are not in opposition to the overall project, but rather concerned with its plans to construct an elevated access road over a berm along Avenue 62, saying it will cause noisy disturbances for residents in the area.

If Travertine is approved by the council next month, the lead developer, Newport Beach-based TRG Land, has estimated the first phase will be built by 2029, with additional construction phases expected to extend into 2033.

What the developer said

Mark Rogers, a developer with TRG Land, noted the project’s substantial reduction in scale during the planning commission’s May 28 meeting. The 1995 specific plan allowed for up to 2,300 homes and a 500-room hotel, along with two golf courses and a tennis club that were removed under the new proposal.

“Our goal, when we began to take this project on five years ago, was to right-size it,” Rogers said. “We’ve taken a project and effectively reduced it by 33 percent in total impacts and … almost half the number of units. We’ve also preserved 300 acres … in permanent open space that will add to the ambience of the trail systems that we provide in this project as one of the major amenities.”

The homes at Travertine are slated to be sold at market-rate prices, Rogers said, with home sizes ranging from 1,450 to 3,600 square feet. The first phase of the development is expected to include 600 homes.

“It’s not just another Andalusia or Madison Club,” Rogers said. “It’s really a project that’s meant to provide a range of housing that meets a range of opportunities for permanent and second-home residents.”

The 100-villa wellness resort would be on the northern end of the total development, while a four-hole golf facility, along with a wedding garden and banquet facility, is planned for its southeastern edge near the main entrance. There are also two recreation centers with pickleball courts and pools planned for the site.

Rogers also highlighted the project’s trail system, including a roughly five-mile loop around the entire development and other connector pathways. The developer is also working with the Desert Recreation District to connect the site’s trails to the nearby Boo Hoff Trail. Plans for Travertine call for an eight-foot perimeter fence designed to prevent peninsular bighorn sheep from entering the community.

Rogers also told the commission that his team is asking for all of Travertine’s homes to be allowed as short-term rentals, though he pointed to estimates from city staff that roughly 30 percent of the homes in new developments typically apply for a short-term rental license.

As part of the Travertine project, Rogers also noted his team will be a major contributor to a planned Imperial Irrigation District power substation.

What residents said

During the pair of recent meetings, several residents raised concerns mainly focused on the potential impacts of the proposed Avenue 62 crossing over an elevated berm west of Madison Street.

At the May meeting, Trilogy resident Derek Wong noted traffic data showing average daily traffic at Avenue 62 would increase from 600 cars to 6,300 with the project. He also said he can hear people talking during walks over the berm “clear as day,” despite being about 400 feet away.

“The noise (from passing cars) will be loud. It will be constant, and the houses, even though they’re 300 feet away, you can hear it,” Wong said. “With an additional 5,700 vehicles going up and down the street every day, the entrance to Travertine cannot be here on (Avenue) 62.”

Nearby residents even brought a few props to visualize their concerns. At the first hearing, Alena Callimanis brought a yellow balloon attached to 35 feet of string to demonstrate the height of the elevated roadway atop the berm, which is about 30 feet high from its eastern side.

“We are not asking to stop the Travertine development,” Callimanis said. “(But) the Jefferson (Street) extension… should be the main entrance, because it’s not going to impact Trilogy residents.”

A noise assessment for the proposal found the new traffic from the roadway over the berm would not exceed outdoor noise level standards of 65 decibels. Some of the Trilogy homes near the roadway were expected to experience noise levels between 52 and 60 decibels, according to the assessment.

Planning commissioner Dale Tyerman also noted the estimated increase in noise, while not above city standards, would create an increase of more than 10 decibels, meaning it could be considered a potentially significant impact under federal guidelines.

Explaining why the initial entrance was needed via Avenue 62, Rogers told the commission that all of Travertine’s infrastructure, such as water and sewer lines, are planned to come from the east to serve the project.

“We have to really build everything from the south, coming from Madison and Avenue 62, to get this project to have sewer and water,” Rogers said during the June 25 meeting. “When we get to 600 units, I’m hopeful that Coral Canyon will be in the game and be able to help us with the construction of (extending Jefferson Street).”

Resident Bryan Williams pushed back against the developer’s noise assessment, echoing Tyerman and pointing to federal guidelines that shows a project in which preexisting conditions are below 60 decibels requires an increase of just five decibels to be determined as a “potential significant impact.”

Other residents from Trilogy raised similar concerns about the noise assessment and urged the developer to prioritize Jefferson Street as the primary access point for Travertine.

What the commission said

After delaying its decision in May to grant the developer additional time to work through the residents’ concerns, the planning commission ultimately endorsed the project and sent it to the city council for consideration.

Commissioner Elisa Guerrero said she thinks access roads from both Avenue 62 and Jefferson Street are necessary to ensure safety during emergency events, adding she would support a condition to require access from both roadways.

“I understand the concern about noise,” Guerrero added. “The reality is if anything is built, there’s going to be more noise (and) there’s going to be more traffic.”

Tyerman said he likes the development overall, noting its reduction in scale compared to the 1995 specific plan and endorsing the open space planned in the southern end of the project site. But he reiterated his “significant concerns” with the draft environmental impact report, particularly regarding noise, and said the project’s traffic modeling is “flawed.”

“I think there is clearly an alternative that completely avoids all the concerns I’ve expressed… and that is to build a simple roadway as an extension of Jefferson off of Avenue 58,” Tyerman said, calling the option a “win-win” for the developer and residents.

Commission chair Stephen Nieto said the project’s revised scale and density are appropriate for the area, adding he has “full faith” in the environmental impact report. Commission Mary Caldwell also said she didn’t see any “fatal flaws” with the project’s environmental impact report.

The commission ultimately decided to advance the project and encouraged the access route via Jefferson Street, though they didn’t include a specific condition of approval for the council. The commission unanimously approved the project’s environmental report, while the remaining zoning plans for the project were approved by a 6-1 vote, with Tyerman opposed.

The city council is tentatively scheduled to consider the development during its Aug. 6 meeting.

Stunning home on a golf course where Phil Mickelson has been a member is on sale for $9.25M

Mickelson has been a member at this golf club, which sits about 30 minutes north of San Diego.

Phil Mickelson was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001. He’s the winner of 45 PGA Tour titles, his most recent coming unexpectedly in the 2021 PGA Championship, before he made the jump to LIV Golf.

And while Mickelson has played golf all over the world, he’s chosen to reside in Rancho Santa Fe, California, an area where he’s been purchasing land for decades.

One course where Mickelson has been a member is The Farms, which sits about 30 minutes north of San Diego.

According to the club’s website, Mickelson uses the club to prepare for majors.

“The Farms is one of the most challenging courses off the tee in Southern California,” Mickelson said. “When I’m preparing for a major tournament (like the U.S. Open) and really want to test my driver, I come to The Farms.”

A five-bedroom home that sits perched above the course is currently on sale for the tidy sum of $9.25 million.

From the Sotheby’s listing:

Live the luxury lifestyle on this Premier lot within the gated community of The Farms, one of Rancho Santa Fe’s most beautiful, peaceful, private, and picturesque communities. Ideally situated to take advantage of the 270+ degree views of the lush golf course below all the way to the Pacific Ocean. This custom residence features high end finishes and design elements including soaring ceilings, large windows and glass doors allowing for an abundance of natural light, beautiful wood accents while encompassing over 10,000 sq feet of gracious living space. The home exudes elegance and provides the ultimate venue for indoor/outdoor living and entertaining. As you enter the gated courtyard with large wooden gates you feel a sense of beauty and warmth and are mesmerized by the stunning views. The formal living room with stone fireplace and service bar has access to an extensive rear loggia through multiple sets of French doors, which is perfect for entertaining, and for capturing views of the pool, pristine grounds and the views of the golf course, mountains, ocean, and sunsets. There is a large formal dining room and an oversized wood flanked office/library/ game room. The kitchen is a true chef’s dream, perfectly detailed with top-of-the-line appliances, crisp slabs of stone, custom cabinetry, large center island, oversized butler’s pantry, and a spacious informal dining area. The kitchen opens to a warm and inviting family room with large media center, fireplace and doors that open to the oversized veranda….the ideal venue for indoor/outdoor dining, entertaining and relaxing. The primary suite comes with fireplace and has dual dressing rooms and bathrooms with French doors leading to a balcony overlooking the sun splashed pool and spa, with ocean and sunset views. There are an additional oversized 4 bedrooms all ensuite, a theatre, gym, second family room with fireplace and bar, wine cellar with room for tasting, secondary kitchen or workshop, sauna and steam shower, outdoor living room with fireplace, putting green, elevator, garaging for 4 vehicles. Living in the Farms community you can take advantage of all The Farms has to offer with 24 hour guarded security entrance gate, opportunity to join The Farms Country Club and Rancho Valencia Resort. Access to some of the best schools, close to some of the best beaches, restaurants, shopping.

Here’s a look at the home, which is currently on the market for $9.25 million.

‘Like the hand of God’: Storm-battered California golf course facing uncertain future with climate change looming

“All of that area is going to be affected in the next 10 years by climate change.”

Parts of Peter Hansen’s favorite golf course were underwater. Again.

As the Pineapple Express storm swept across Ventura County Sunday, the bus driver from Camarillo drove by the 92-year-old course he described as good for morale because of its shorter, more forgiving holes. Already frustrated the city-owned Ventura track had been closed for more than a year because of damage from 2023 storms, Hansen saw the water and worried he might never tee up there again.

“I said: ‘This isn’t good,’” he recalled thinking.

The course’s future remains at least partly cloudy, but if it doesn’t reopen it won’t be because of the storm unleashed by an atmospheric river.

City officials said the course sustained only about $16,000 of damage, relative pennies compared to the $10 million or more estimated price of repairing destruction incurred by tons of sediment and mud that covered the course after the Santa Clara River flooded it on Jan. 9, 2023.

This time around, sand traps filled with water. Ducks swam in temporary lakes. A tree was lost and a piece of irrigation control equipment was damaged.

“It was pretty minor,” said Stacey Zarazua, the city’s parks and recreation director.

The course opened in 1932 and has built a loyal following, in part because its shorter length acts like balm on golfers’ egos. Its long-term future continues to hinge largely on funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and finding ways to reduce the chance of future flooding.

But city officials said parts of the course could possibly reopen in a short-term fix aimed at regaining some of the revenue lost during the long closure.

It’s not clear exactly when such a reopening could come but the course could be ready for it fairly quickly, said Deputy City Manager Brad “Brick” Conners.

“We think we can do at least nine holes,” he said. The final call on a temporary, partial reopening would come from the City Council, as will the key decisions on repairs and the course’s future.

“The potential exists,” Conners said of a full opening. “There are a variety of things that have to happen.”

Work crews use dump trucks top to remove mounds of dirt at the Buenaventura Golf Course on Friday, July 7, 2023. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR

‘Like the hand of God’

In January 2023, massive rain turned the course into a giant lake, also flooding the snack bar and pro shop. After the water drained, fairways, greens and sand traps were cloaked in thick, suffocating coats of mud and silt.

The sediment was removed and much of the grass survived, sparking hopes the course could survive and reopen. Barriers remain.

This file photo shows how Buenaventura Golf Course looked after it was flooded in January 2023. The Ventura course’s future remains uncertain.
Virtually all of the dozens of sand traps on the course were destroyed in the flood. Two greens also need to be rebuilt in expensive projects that involve irrigation issues and drainage repairs.

“It looks like the hand of God came in and swept them away,” Ventura Mayor Joe Schroeder said of the damaged putting surfaces. “There’s a hole where the green used to be.”

Buenaventura Golf Course in Ventura survived the Pineapple Express storm with minor scars as shown in this photo on Wednesday. Its future remains unclear but could include partial reopening. (Photo: Tom Kisken/VC Star)

The course is located in a floodplain. Conners said the city is in discussions about possible mitigation plans that would help flood-proof the course. Those changes could include some alterations to the layout and would be limited to the course and not the Santa Clara River. The mitigation would need review from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The city gained approval for funding from FEMA but the exact level of reimbursement remains unknown, Conners said. The city’s insurance carrier also needs to validate the funding claim to open the FEMA pipeline.

Big decisions coming

Schroeder said he has been told FEMA will cover 75% of the costs and 15% or more will be covered by other sources, leaving the balance for the city to pay.

He cited the 80,000 rounds of golf once played at Buenaventura yearly in voicing support for the reopening if the FEMA reimbursement money materializes. The opening could come in stages, growing from 9 holes to 12 holes to the full 18, he said.

But the mayor also said mitigation is needed to protect the course from future flooding.

“If we can do that … I’m open to investing in the course,” he said.

City Council Member Liz Campos said she’ll need to see an exact plan before revealing how she’ll vote. But she also thinks the course and other city sites fronting the ocean or river need to be pushed back at least a quarter mile to reduce the chance of future storms creating deja vu.

“All of that area is going to be affected in the next 10 years by climate change,” she said, suggesting the risks of damage will grow.

Hansen, the golfer from Camarillo, drives by the site often. He emails city leaders and others for status updates. The fairways looked so good before the recent storm that he had difficulty understanding why the course hadn’t reopened.

He remains hopeful.

“That’s my favorite course and I can’t wait for it to happen,” he said of the opening.

Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com or 805-437-0255.

Woman blows through stop sign in fog, launches car onto 8th hole of Johnny Miller-designed golf course

Foggy conditions in the California Central Valley are common as air rises and cools between mountain ranges.

One woman got a recent reminder of why drivers should take it slow through such conditions when she launched her car 40 feet in the air after missing a stop sign north of Fresno.

Early on Tuesday morning, the woman accidentally wound up on the eighth hole of Eagle Springs Golf Club in the town of Friant.

More: Golfweek’s Best: Top public and private courses in California

The woman was fortunate that the intersection was clear, no golfers were present on the course and she walked away with just minor injuries.

https://www.facebook.com/CHPFresno/posts/pfbid02WMsh1eqoVEgwstWwq5yoTJNbY1TQd2z5MhtQVqtdoXeJZ23Rg8BeQAztmepWHa5Sl

The course opened in 1990 and was designed by Johnny Miller, who was born and raised in San Francisco, just a few hours to the west.

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This stunning California 27-hole golf resort with mountain views is on the market for $3.8 million

Ever dream of quitting your job, heading off into the mountains and taking over a pristine golf property?

Find yourself a cool $3.8 million and that dream can be fulfilled in the picturesque Northern California region near Mount Shasta, the second-highest mountain in the Cascades range and the fifth-highest in the state.

Lake Shastina Golf Resort has a Robert Trent Jones par-72 championship track and an additional 9-hole course to boot.

According to the real estate listing, the sale of the property, which sits about an hour north of Redding and four hours from Sacramento, includes 15 condos and a restaurant/bar combo as well as 85 golf carts:

The masterpiece has all the challenging golf and scenic beauty one could imagine, with majestic Mount Shasta in its background, scenic ponds, and home to a plethora of wildlife. The firm and fast greens have long been touted as some of the finest in Northern California while the tee boxes offer some of the finest golf vistas you will find anywhere. The wide but challenging fairways are equally well kept by the seasoned golf course staff.

In addition to the busy golf destination, the membership at Lake Shastina Golf Resort provides access to a vibrant community. With 225 members and six different membership types available. The community is inviting, tight-knit, and highly interactive, making events extra special. Just like any well-run organization, the people here make it what it is today.

In terms of alternative activities, there is snow skiing and snowmobiling at Mt. Shasta in winter months and hiking, backpacking, camping, fishing, and boating in summer months. The clean mountain air and natural beauty without the hectic city traffic invites relaxation, peace & inspirational experiences. Whether you are an avid golfer or seeking a profitable venture, this resort is worth a look. Business Opportunities combined with an exciting lifestyle don’t come along often; seize the moment – they don’t repeat.

Here’s a look around the property:

Epson Tour Championship is officially heading to Southern California. Will other events follow?

Officials are making no secret that they want to bring the LPGA back to the Coachella Valley at their courses.

The Epson Tour will play its biggest golf tournament at the Indian Wells Golf Resort in 2024, but officials from the City of Indian Wells and the golf resort are making no secret that they want to bring the LPGA back to the Coachella Valley at their courses.

“First, it puts us back in the game,” said Robin Graf, the new general manager at the Indian Wells Golf Resort. “It gives us an opportunity to potentially host more events in the future, and bigger events.”

The Indian Wells City Council voted 5-0 on Thursday to approve a one-year $100,000 sponsorship for the 2024 season finale of the Epson Tour, the developmental tour for the LPGA. That event, to be called the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells, will be played on the Players Course of the golf resort on Sept. 30-Oct. 6.

While the Epson Tour Championship becomes the biggest golf event played at the golf resort for now, city staff and council members talked openly about the prospect of an LPGA event for the city in the future. The LPGA left the desert after the 2022 Chevron Championship at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, with the major championship moving to Houston. That left the Coachella Valley without an LPGA event for the first time in 51 years.

The Epson Tour event could show the LPGA that a regular LPGA event is viable for the desert in the fall, and that the Indian Wells Golf Resort is the place to hold such a tournament.

“Let’s not lose sight of the fact that we have had a golden opportunity dropped into our laps,” council member Greg Sanders said during council discussion of the sponsorship. “The Dinah Shore, the ANA tournament, the last year it was here it was sponsored by Chevron, I think. They moved out. I’m going to ask Visit Greater Palm Springs what the economic spinoff was from the ANA. I guarantee you it is huge.”

Sanders added the idea of the Epson Tour sponsorship is to get the LPGA to see Indian Wells as a top-flight candidate for an LPGA event.

“I see this as a strategic investment,” Sanders added.

City, residents benefits

The council chose a $100,000 sponsorship over a $50,000 option for the Epson Tour event. City manager Christopher Freeland explained that the $100,000 level includes everything the $50,000 level features including the city name and logo incorporated into tournament promotion and advertising, pro-am teams in the tournament, participation in a meet the pros party and VIP passes for the four days of the 72-hole professional tournament. But the $100,000 level also includes discounted tickets for city residents and a designated seating area along the 18th green for residents. Freeland also pointed out the $100,000 sponsorship might be viewed more favorably by the LPGA for any future tournament discussions.

Indian Wells is already the home of the two-week BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden each March, the Ironman 70.3 Indian Wells-La Quinta in December and has a sponsorship deal with the Coachella Valley Firebirds hockey club. For golf, the city hosted a PGA Tour Champion event at The Vintage Club from 1981-92 and at the golf resort in 1993 as well as three years of the LG Skins Game from 2006-08.

“Golf is the epicenter of Indian Wells. It always has been since the 1980s,” council member Bruce Whitman said. “I think golf is our past, our present and our future. And so our golf resort, that campus with the hotels and the golf courses, that is the economic engine of our city. All we can do to encourage more golf in this city can only benefit this city.”

Council member Dana Reed said he supports the sponsorship deal, but would like the city staff to audit claims about the golf tournament and other sports sponsorships the city has. One such claim is the Epson Tour saying the Tour Championship will produce 1,930 room nights in area hotels, with Freeland acknowledging some of those room nights could be in other desert cities.

Freeland added that while the sponsorship voted on by the council Thursday is a one-year deal, it could lead to a multi-year agreement with the Epson Tour and deeper discussions with the LPGA about a tournament on that larger tour.

As the developmental tour for the LPGA, the Epson Tour has 24 events across the country, including one in Beaumont each March. Purses for Epson events are between $200,000 and $375,000, with the Tour Championship featuring a $250,000 purse last month in Florida.

The top 10 money winners on the tour each year earn LPGA exemptions for the following year, with the Tour Championship the final event of that exemption chase. Top players on the LPGA who have graduated from the Epson Tour include major championship winners Nelly Korda and Lilia Vu, with Epson Tour graduates winning more than 400 LPGA titles.

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17 million to 1 odds: Back-to-back aces stun golfers at California course

“I thought I won a few bucks on that hole until Chuck hit his ball,” Spina laughed.

When Rick Lehman missed the green with his tee shot on the 165-yard par-3 seventh hole at Andalusia Country Club in La Quinta, California, he didn’t think much of it other than the shot wasn’t very good.

What Lehman and his two playing partners couldn’t have known was that within seconds the three golfers would be witness to something rare — back-to-back holes in one from the trio.

Steve Spina, a guest at the course and playing second on the hole, made a hole-in-one with a 7-iron. Chuck LaVarnway, playing last in the threesome, then holed his own tee shot with a 5-hybrid.

“The funny part was we are playing a game where one guy can win all the money if he wins by two strokes,” said LaVarnway of the double aces on Sept. 23. “So I hit my shot and I’m thinking I have to make a 2, and it was going at the pin and I turned away, knowing that I hit it very well. But I turned away and Rick goes, ‘That went in.’ And I said ‘oh, come on.’”

“I thought I won a few bucks on that hole until Chuck hit his ball,” Spina laughed.

The odds of an amateur golfer making a hole-in-one are 12,500 to one. The odds of consecutive holes in one, according to the PGA of America’s website, are about 17 million to 1.

Lehman, LaVarnway and Spina play golf often at Andalusia. Lehman and LaVarnway are members of the club and Spina, a part-time La Quinta resident who lives in Burlingame near San Francisco, as a guest of his brother-in-law who is an Andalusia member. On this day the threesome was playing a game called Nine Points, meaning the winner of a hole gets five points, the second-best score gets three points and the highest score on the hole gets just one point.

Lehman’s shot didn’t offer much inspiration to his playing partners, he said, missing the green on the downhill par-3 with water in front. Spina then hit his 7-iron.

“It was in all the way,” Lehman said.

“It hit three feet in front and rolled right in,” Spina said of his fourth career ace.

Second ace same as the first

Then came LaVarnway’s turn.

“We high-fived, and Chuck was like, whatever, and he walked to the cart to get a different club,” Lehman said.

“Chuck goes, oh, I feel a little breeze, so he goes back and gets a different club (a 5-hybrid) and then he hits it and it goes right in, the exact same line,” Spina said. “It was crazy.”

“They were almost identical shots, to be honest with you,” Lehman said. “They both went straight at the hole. I think the ball marks were a foot or so away from each other, and they both just bounced a couple of times and disappeared. It was crazy.”

For LaVarnway, it was his 10th career ace. But Spina, LaVarnway and Lehman all said they have never seen two aces from the same group before, much less on consecutive swings.

“And we are all jumping up and down like a couple of kids,” Lehman said.

“We are glad Rick was there (as witness), otherwise no one would believe us,” Spina said.

Perhaps the only downside of the two aces is that they came so early in the round.

“We walked onto the eighth tee box and, well, something like that, the excitement, it’s over,” Lehman said. “Stuff like that should last longer, the excitement. We did talk about it all day. How could that have happened?”

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