Four months after being scorched by a wildfire, the signs of destruction are evident at Robinson Ranch Golf Club in Santa Clarita. But so are signs of rebirth.
Acres of trees and turf burned black are intermingled with the planting of new trees and the freshly graded earth of a course gaining a new life and identity. The renovation at Robinson Ranch is more by circumstance than choice, but head golf professional Mark Kagaoan said the opportunity is one the club is embracing.
“It’s actually a blessing in disguise,” he said in late August on the day the clubhouse was getting a fresh coat of paint. “This is our opportunity do a complete rebranding and bring back the wow factor to Robinson Ranch.”
Kagaoan said ownership has supported that sentiment by reinvesting insurance money and providing new capital for work that will include the course, clubhouse, golf shop, restaurant and driving range. The restaurant had a targeted opening date of October, with end of the year the best estimate for the course, which will be converted from a parkland-style layout to a desert design similar to the look of other turf-reduced courses in Southern California.
Robinson Ranch, designed by Ted Robinson, opened as a 36-hole facility abutting Angeles National Forest in 1999. It closed the Mountain layout during the drought and is only reopening the Valley layout with the goal of giving the public one high-quality, 18-hole course, Kagaoan said.
The facility was near other wildfires in the past but had never been at the epicenter of one until July 22. A brush fire that started near the course’s driving range was moving from the course until the wind switched the next day and flames destroyed the course’s back nine, among other damage. The staff was evacuated and unable to access the property for days; when allowed back, the damage was shocking to all.
“You don’t comprehend how devastating those fires are until one hits you,” said Kagaoan, noting the soles of his shoes melted the first day he was back on property. Besides the turf and tree damage, soot covered the course and clubhouse, and for weeks, Kagaoan said, small ash tornadoes around the course stirred up whenever the wind was strong.
But the staff saw an opportunity and put a plan in place, with the clubhouse getting new carpeting and furniture in advance of opening a partially glass-enclosed restaurant on its patio. That restaurant will open first while construction crews work on the driving course and range, which will have solar panels over the hitting bays to shade golfers.
Always known as a tough track, the course conversion will change the playing experience but retain the challenge, Kagaoan said. The fire opened up previously tight and tree-lined fairways, but Kagaoan said that wasn’t the only thing that made the course difficult.
“It’s going to remain challenging, but we’re also going to make some aspects easier,” he said. “The slopes going into the habitat area, for example, are going to be leveled off. You can hit it and spray on the back nine now, but you’ll be in the waste area or desertscape.”
Kagaoan noted that the tee boxes, fairways, chipping areas and putting surfaces will remain green, and that area golfers are eager to play and support the renovation plan.
“The community needs this,” he said. “We’re the only championship public golf course in Santa Clarita.”
