What is the Pogonip Park Project?

“Contrary to the historical notion that golf courses are generally harmful to the environment, this proposed golf course is envisioned to exert a level of positive influence unmatched by any existing golf facility.”

-Parker Anderson, Greener Golf

Recognizing the latent potential of this space, Greener Golf presents an innovative plan to reinvigorate Pogonip Open Space through the transformative influence of golf. By harnessing the Greener Golf Index, this proposal aims to reconceptualize Pogonip as a driver of positive social and environmental transformation, nurturing a sustainable future for both the community and the ecosystem. Our vision employs the foundational principles of permaculture—care for the earth, care for the people, and fair share—to elucidate the impact of this endeavor. Permaculture, as a design ethos, draws inspiration from nature to cultivate synergistic systems founded on diversity, resilience, natural productivity, and sustainability.

Pogonip Open Space, situated in the heart of Santa Cruz, CA, boasts a storied past as the former Casa del Rey Golf Links, designed by renowned golf course architect, Tom Bendelow in 1910. Moreover, it represents an opportunity for the restoration of a vibrant and biodiverse ecosystem once stewarded by the Ohlone people. Since its closure as a golf course in 1936, this once-vibrant asset has faced many challenges including financial burdens, environmental contamination from its history as a shooting range, and issues related to health, safety, and homelessness. Despite these challenges, Pogonip Open Space holds immense potential for positive ecological and social transformation.

Meet the Team

  • Isaac Weintraub

    PGA Professional, Project Lead

  • Parker Anderson

    DESIGN DIRECTOR, GREENER GOLF

By aiming the golf industry towards and beyond sustainable future, Greener Golf reimagines what golf is and what golf can be. Rooted in the foundational principles of respect, responsibility, and integrity, Greener Golf focuses on creating golf courses that serve as catalysts for social connection, environmental sustainability, and community empowerment. We aim to transform golf courses into vibrant, accessible green spaces that provide public benefits such as wildlife habitats, ecosystem services, and opportunities for recreation and economic development. The mission of Greener Golf is to facilitate positive change in golf and society through the reconnection and partnership with nature.

Golf is a transformative game, with the potential to transform the ecosystem and transform participants in the game. When we are in a state of “play” as we are in golf, we find ourselves learning the nature of all things, and becoming better stewards and humans as a result. The mythical character Shivas Irons, from Michael Murphy’s Golf in the Kingdom states it cleary when he says,

What is Greener Golf?

“The game requires us to join ourselves to the weather, to know the subtle energies that change each day upon the links and the subtle feelin’s of those around us. It rewards us when we bring them all together, our bodies and our minds, our feelin’s and our fantasies–rewards us when we do and treats us badly when we don’t. The game is a mighty teacher–never deviatin’ from its sacred [rules], always ready to lead us on. In all o’ that ‘tis a microcosm o’ the world, a good stage for the drama of our self-discovery.”

(Murphy, Michael. Golf in the Kingdom. Random House, 1972.)