All summer, Richard Eramaa started his days early at the old Lake Redding Golf Course on Benton Drive, and people kept stopping to ask what was going on. He told the Record Searchlight he knows the place is an important part of the community. Eramaa came to Redding from the Monterey area, where he was an assistant pro at Pebble Beach Golf Links. He is now the project manager. Working with him on the sprinkler lines was Jim Smith, who ran Lake Redding Golf Course with his wife, Linell, for 15 years before retiring in 2023.
The site has a new name, The Range at Lake Redding, and its new form was scheduled to open October 1. It opened in an early, unfinished state on purpose. The netting, lighting and covered bays are still waiting on a later phase. Until they arrive, the range closes an hour before dusk, so your time to use it shrinks a little each week through December.
A Year Off, Almost to the Week
The McConnell Foundation owns the land. In the fall of 2025 it said the closure would last about a year, and that turned out to be close. Here is how it went:
- October 22, 2025. McConnell announced that Lake Redding Golf Course would close at the end of the month so the Foundation could "explore the design and development of a new golf-related amenity," according to the Record Searchlight.
- April 9, 2026. Shasta Scout reported plans for a public driving range on the 23-acre site, with a May opening forecast.
- July 16, 2026. The name was announced. Fixing the old irrigation system had pushed the timeline back.
- September 24, 2026. Crews finished 23 hitting bays, and October 1 became the official opening date.
The irrigation repairs were one cause of the delay. McConnell Foundation Chief Operating Officer Shannon Phillips told the Record Searchlight that on 23 acres, crews had to check "every sprinkler head and see the range it is (watering)." Smith's long history with the property was a big help with that job. Before Lake Redding, he built dozens of golf courses, including The Course at Wente Vineyards in Livermore and the Arnold Palmer course at PGA West in La Quinta.
Why It Opened Without Lights
In July, the operator was still deciding whether to open with just the range or wait for phase two. That phase means netting, lighting and covered bays. Jason Munson, owner and general manager of The Golf Club Tierra Oaks in Redding and Grape Ranch Golf Club in Palo Cedro, put it this way to the Record Searchlight:
"If it's going to take an extended period of time before we get phase two done, then we may choose to open early."
They chose to open early. The September press release, published by A News Cafe, quotes Munson's reasoning: "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." Phillips added that opening now will help shape what gets built next. "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," she told KRCR.
So the golfers using the range this fall are helping decide what the rest of the property becomes. That also means using a facility that has a hard daily cutoff.
What "One Hour Before Dusk" Means in November
The range is open Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 11 a.m. until one hour before dusk. The listed closing time moves with the season because there are no lights to keep the range open after dark. Lighting is part of phase two, and no completion date for it has been announced.
This weekend is the last one before the clocks fall back in early November. Once they do, the afternoon window gets noticeably shorter, and it keeps shrinking toward the shortest days of December. A Saturday session that fit easily after lunch in early October needs more planning by Thanksgiving week.
Only two weekdays are open, so the schedule matters more for anyone with a regular work week. Thursday and Friday are the only chances before the weekend. After the time change, a weekday visit realistically means a long lunch break or a day off, not a stop on the way home from work.
What's on the Ground Right Now
Phase one uses the parts of the old course people remember best. The driving range sits on what used to be the second, sixth, eighth and ninth holes. Here is what the opening phase was built to include:
- 23 hitting stations with grass mats, all along a long concrete pathway, so up to 23 golfers can hit at once.
- A grass area for lessons and other activities.
- Upgraded greens for short-game practice, lessons and youth skill development.
- A refreshed clubhouse with new flooring and paint. It was planned to serve drinks, including beer and wine, plus what Phillips called "very minimal food service in the beginning," with grab-and-go items.
Ball buckets cost $10 for small, $12 for medium and $15 for large. There are no rental clubs, so bring your own. The press release says the range lets you practice everything from scoring clubs to driver, with room for long shots and short ones.
Location is a big part of the appeal. The site is on Benton Drive near Caldwell Park, close to downtown. KRCR described it as a convenient place to hit a bucket or work on your short game. Munson told the Record Searchlight, "I think the community lacks this type of offering."
The Rest of the 23 Acres
Phase two is the netting, lighting and covered bays. That's the phase that ends the sunset cutoff and makes winter evenings usable. According to KRCR, plans after that include covered areas, picnic and viewing spaces, putting greens, practice areas and several par-3 holes. Munson has talked about an eventual short nine-hole course on the holes the range doesn't use. In the meantime, those holes could serve as practice space for high school and youth golfers.
Young golfers are the common thread in nearly every statement from the operator and the Foundation. Munson told the Record Searchlight, "Having a good community golf center for kids and providing kids development is important and that's why I am part of it." Phillips told KRCR the Foundation is "excited about the opportunity to bring especially high school students and their golf groups into this space to do practice, to do learning, to do lessons."
The long-term promise is stated just as clearly. According to the press release published by A News Cafe, the McConnell Foundation's "goal remains to keep this property as a public golf-related recreational asset for generations to come." No later phase has a timeline yet, so the limited daylight hours are what you get for the foreseeable future, including this winter.
Before You Drive Over
- Call ahead with questions. The press release lists Richard Eramaa at The Range at Lake Redding, (831) 676-7775, and Shannon Phillips at The McConnell Foundation, (530) 949-9460.
- Ignore the old map listing. If you search the site in Google Maps, you may see the former Lake Redding Golf Course listing marked "Permanently closed." That listing belongs to the old course, not the new range.
- Pack your bag. The range has balls and mats but no rental clubs.
- Go early in the afternoon. After the time change, a late-afternoon arrival leaves only a short session before the range closes.
If you've driven past Lake Redding for 30 years and want to talk about what a new public amenity near Caldwell Park could mean for the homes around it, Monet Templeton is glad to walk through it with you over coffee. Book an appointment or request a home valuation, and we can schedule it around your next bucket of balls.
