Famed golfer Greg Norman said, “Happiness is a long walk with a putter.” For those new to the area, you may be interested to learn that El Dorado Hills was founded on this notion when it was designed as a golf course community.

Newcomers to EDH may also be interested to know that the large, dead grass acreage on both sides of Serrano Parkway was not always this way. It was a beautiful, green, oak tree filled, 18-hole golf course for the community to enjoy for more than 40 years.

I recently came onto the EDH Community Services District board hoping to make a difference to a town that has been so good to me and my family. One of the main ways I thought I could do this was by helping to bring resolution to a very divisive issue … what is to become of the old golf course?

Is this land nostalgic for me? You bet. I learned to golf with my dad at this course. I saw firsthand many seniors using it daily, as well as kids learning to play. It provided jobs to  teens collecting range balls and to seniors as marshals. It was an affordable place to practice at the driving range. It offered the community another location for meetings, dining, events, etc. And, perhaps most importantly, it was the opening gateway to our community.

Now, sadly, we have none of that. As a 35-plus-year resident, it pains me to see the land in its current state. Once pretty ponds dried up. Trees dying all over the property, creating a fire hazard.

A rezone vote on this land is heading quickly to our county Board of Supervisors. We need to understand what it’s currently zoned for and what that could look like, as well as what a rezone could look like. We need our EDH supervisor(s) to fight for EDH. We need a compromise that takes into account our recreation needs.

For that reason, I am bringing the community an idea I believe could strike a balance with the proposed project while also preserve the history of some of the land, provide a recreational space to be enjoyed by all ages, be an economic driver for our area, and restore some of the property to being the beautiful welcoming gateway it once was.

Golf popularity has exploded in recent years. Tiger Woods even recently worked to redesign a short course at Pebble Beach called “The Hay.” His company, TGR Design, has been putting short courses all over the country. Why? Well, short courses have quite simply reimagined the game of golf. This is not a junky pitch and putt. It’s a well-designed, exquisitely maintained course. It’s affordable (even free for certain ages), quick (rounds can be played in a little over an hour — a perk for busy families), walkable (great exercise and no need for carts) and multi-generational. Holes could be designed to replicate smaller versions of the old Robert Trent Jones course. An idea like this would preserve what this town was founded on … a golf community.

I can see a small driving range along the south side and the old clubhouse revived, becoming a great local eatery that could be used for dining, meetings, weddings etc. While the Serrano Country Club is wonderful, it’s private and we need an option the whole community can access and afford.

It can be programmed to go beyond traditional golf with footgolf NS disc golf, yoga “on the green,” senior golf lessons, night glow golf, outdoor movies and concerts, after-school/summer kids camps, First Tee and Youth on Course programs. Oak Ridge and middle school teams could practice on the course. If designed properly, it can have walking trails and use the latest irrigation technology and water saving plants/grass so it’s environmentally friendly.

The CSD, which does not own the property, is holding a special public meeting about the old golf course May 19. The next Planning Commission meeting will be June 9. I’m asking our supervisors and planning commissioners to insist it’s hosted in EDH so our residents can weigh in. I encourage you to attend both meetings.

If we work collaboratively, we could have our own version of “The Hay” — maybe even calling it “The Hills!” I’m challenging our county leaders to fight for what the residents of EDH want and I’m challenging the land owner to work directly with the CSD to bring something historical and great back for all to enjoy, while also helping the property values in EDH.

I welcome feedback on this idea. To learn more about the project visit eldoradohillscsd.org or see other short course examples by visiting tgrdesign.tigerwoods.com.