Planning underway for new California facility to introduce golf to new players and cater to the golf enthusiast
El Dorado Hills, Calif. (July 18, 2022) — The Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, through their Acorn Development Corporation, have selected Forrest Richardson Golf Course Architects to create a 9-hole par-3 course and golf entertainment center to serve the Shingle Springs Tribal Community and area visitors. The development is planned on 34 acres of trust land located on Highway 50 south of the Tribe’s Red Hawk Casino, about 20 miles east of Sacramento, California.
Plans call for a golf driving range with launch monitor and gaming technology, a 9-hole “short course” and miniature golf course. The project will adhere to best environmental practices including water saving technology and sustainable approaches to building and operations. “Today we are looking at combining golf with food, entertainment and activities,” notes Jeff Denzak, a Senior Partner with Swaback Architects + Planners. “The uses we envision are not meant to be static, but flexible and adaptable to change with trends, technology and the way people want to socialize.”
The design team will work closely with Acorn, the tribal community’s official development entity, to program, plan and implement the project. Forrest Richardson Golf Course Architects will oversee a team of consultants including National Golf Foundation Consulting for golf market analysis; Synergy Consultants for golf entertainment integration; and PutTek for implementing the miniature golf concept.
“It’s a new age,” according to Forrest Richardson, Principal Golf Course Architect. “We’re no longer designing just for the game we grew up playing, but for a new generation of golfers — many who simply want to have fun as opposed to keeping score. The biggest difference we see is how the playing board of the game is changing — today it’s often smaller and highly connected. Today’s golf facility is more interactive than any of us could ever have envisioned.”