"It's getting folks back out here again to enjoy the space and we believe that from that activation we can learn things that help inform us about the next few phases," Shannon Phillips, chief operating officer of the McConnell Foundation, told KRCR in September.
The Range at Lake Redding opened Oct. 1 on the old Lake Redding Golf Course. It isn't the finished version of the property. It's the first draft, open to the public while the rest is still being planned. The Foundation has said it will learn from that use as it plans the rest. So every bucket hit there this fall and winter helps decide what Redding's oldest public golf ground becomes.
Sixty-six years of golf, then 11 months off
The Record Searchlight called Lake Redding the city's oldest public golf course. It was a nine-hole layout in the Benton tract neighborhood that opened in 1959. For a long stretch it ran on a familiar setup. Jim and Linell Smith operated it for 15 years on land leased from the McConnell Foundation. In late 2022 the Foundation looked for a new operator as the Smiths prepared to retire.
California Sporting Company took over in 2023. By October 2025, the Foundation and the operator had jointly decided to close the course. A News Cafe reported the reason. The irrigation system had "reached the end of its serviceable life," and infrastructure, design, parking and accessibility all needed work too. The Record Searchlight reported the closure would start at the end of October 2025 and last about a year.
The Foundation framed the closure as a chance to rethink the site. CEO John Mancasola called the course's "central and scenic location" worth "spending time and money to redevelop into a more relevant golfing and recreational experience." The word "relevant" signals change. The plan was never to put the 1959 course back the way it was.
Golf came back ahead of that estimate. The gates closed at the end of October 2025, and the range opened on Oct. 1, 2026, about 11 months later.
What Phase 1 is
The Foundation's press release on A News Cafe calls the range "Phase 1 of the redevelopment of the former Lake Redding Golf Course." It's run with Jason Munson, operator of Tierra Oaks Golf Club. Before opening, crews repaired the drainage and irrigation, refreshed the clubhouse and built the range pad. The failing irrigation was a big part of why the course closed, so it was among the first things fixed.
Here are the basics, from the same release:
- Days: Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
- Hours: 11 a.m. until one hour before dusk
- Buckets: $10 small, $12 medium, $15 large
- Clubs: Bring your own
- Capacity: Up to 23 golfers hitting at once
Munson explained the timing in the release: "The reason for opening a driving range sooner rather than later is that there is a demand for more driving range opportunities, and this course can be activated at the same time it is being developed for future golf opportunities." His statement and Phillips's describe the same approach. Get golfers using the ground now, keep building around them, and watch what people actually use.
Because the range closes an hour before dusk, its hours get shorter as the days do. A late-fall weekday visit leaves less time than the same trip did in early October.
What the next phases could include
KRCR reported the ideas on the table for later phases:
- Lighting
- Covered areas
- Picnic and viewing spaces
- Putting greens
- Practice areas
- Several par-3 holes
The last item stands out next to what was there before. The course that opened in 1959 had nine holes. The current concept list includes "several par-3 holes" and puts its weight on practice, chipping and putting. KRCR also reported that more of the property will open for chipping and putting as work continues. None of these items has a date yet. They're concepts, and Phillips's quote makes clear the Foundation expects the first phase to shape them.
The other theme is young golfers. Phillips told KRCR that one of the Foundation's main goals is "creating more opportunities for young golfers." She added that the Foundation hopes to bring "high school students and their golf groups into this space to do practice, to do learning, to do lessons." The press release says the greens are being upgraded for short-game practice, lessons and youth golf. It also says the Foundation's goal is to keep the property "as a public golf-related recreational asset for generations to come."
Taken together, the plans point to a practice-and-teaching ground near downtown. Several short holes would go in where a full nine-hole loop used to be, and the site would stay public.
Where it fits among Redding's public practice options
Lake Redding isn't the only place in town to hit balls. Here's how it lines up with two other public facilities, based on what each one publishes:
| Facility | Where | What's there |
|---|---|---|
| The Range at Lake Redding | Former Lake Redding Golf Course, Benton tract, near downtown | 23 hitting positions, open Thursday through Sunday, short-game greens being upgraded |
| Gold Hills Golf Club | 1950 Gold Hills Dr. | Public-access 18-hole course with an all-grass practice facility |
| Churn Creek Golf Course | 7335 Churn Creek Road | Public nine-hole course, 300-plus-yard driving range, practice putting green |
The table shows what's different about Lake Redding. Gold Hills and Churn Creek pair practice areas with full courses. Lake Redding is the one built around practice from the start, in what KRCR called a convenient spot near downtown. It's also the one still being designed. Golfers who show up at Gold Hills or Churn Creek use a finished facility. Golfers at Lake Redding are using an early version of something that isn't built yet.
Lessons are already on the range
Teaching has started even though the youth programs are still a goal. The Tierra Oaks Golf Club instruction page lists Geoff Wild, PGA Associate, with lesson rates covering both the Lake Redding Range and Tierra Oaks. He teaches beginners, advanced players, juniors and groups, and also offers launch monitor work, video swing analysis and fittings.
| Lesson | Adult rate | Junior rate |
|---|---|---|
| One hour | $60 | $40 |
| Series | 4 for $200 | 3 for $100 |
| 9-hole playing lesson | $100 | Not listed |
A junior series of three lessons costs $100, which is far less than the adult rate. That lines up with the Foundation's stated focus on young golfers. A teenager could pair a lesson series with a $10 small bucket and build a practice routine on ground that's meant to grow around exactly that kind of use.
For questions about the range itself, the press release lists Richard Eramaa at The Range at Lake Redding, (831) 676-7775. It also lists Shannon Phillips at the McConnell Foundation, (530) 949-9460. Since the range closes an hour before dusk, calling ahead on a short fall afternoon is a good idea.
Why showing up counts
Action News Now placed the opening at Lake Redding Park on Oct. 1. The range opened while the rest of the property is still being designed. Phillips has said what the Foundation learns from that use will help inform the lighting, covered areas, par-3 holes and youth programming that come next.
If you live near Lake Redding Park or the Benton tract, you're watching one of Redding's longest-running neighborhood amenities get rebuilt in public, and that kind of local change is something I track closely for clients. If you want to know how changes like this one fit into what your home is worth today, Dustin Foster can put together a free home valuation or set up a no-pressure consultation. It's the same kind of conversation we'd have between buckets at the range.
