End of an Era: Franklin Canyon Golf Course, Long a Favorite of Local Golfers, Plans to Close After More Than Half a Century
Part of the Hwy 4 course west of Martinez slated to become luxury RV resort, while John Muir Land Trust turns rest into open space abutting Fernandez Ranch; plus, northern lights show comes to town
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Franklin Canyon Golf Course covers 161.5 acres. Photo courtesy of Franklin Canyon Golf Course.
By Tom Lochner
A popular outdoor recreation venue located minutes from Martinez and enjoyed by three generations of Contra Costa County residents appears headed for demise, with the announced closing of the Franklin Canyon Golf Course, to be replaced by a luxury RV resort.
But when this is actually supposed to happen is unclear. What had originally been cast as a May 22 farewell charity golf tournament will proceed as scheduled but minus the farewell label.
The public golf course, which had proclaimed May 29 as its last day of golf and May 30 as its closing date, will now stay open throughout the summer, said Steve Harker, CEO of Touchstone Golf, which runs, but does not own, Franklin Canyon Golf; in a recent post on the course's website, General Manager Adam Eisner said no closure date has been set.
But whatever the timing ends up being, "a new day is on the horizon for Franklin Canyon," promises a promotional video produced by project applicant Madison MRH-Franklin 1, LLC, the owner and developer of the property, according to Managing Member Thomas Hix. That new day, under an initial plan submitted to the city in 2019, was supposed to feature a nine-hole golf course (the back nine of the current 18-hole course) alongside an RV resort with 160 RV spaces. But that plan has since morphed into an RV resort with no golf course – just a putting green and driving range.
The revised plan also calls for deeding some 70 acres that include the back nine holes to the Martinez-based John Muir Land Trust, and providing about 50 parking spaces to the general public for access to the land trust's adjacent Fernandez Ranch/Franklin Canyon open space area, which currently is accessible via Christie Road in Martinez.
Kale Alderson, board member and immediate past president of the Martinez Golf Association, described the Franklin Canyon Golf Course as "unique in its location," backing up to protected open spaces.
"A round of golf there is much like a walk in the woods instead of 'just a round of golf,’ " Alderson said in an email, adding that it is not unusual to see turkeys, cottontail rabbits, coyotes, deer, red-tailed hawks and Canada geese, and of course squirrels. "A respite from the course that meanders through a residential area with the potential of breaking a window or two.
"I find it difficult to see what another RV park brings aesthetically to this pristine area," Alderson said.
Franklin Canyon will be the latest 18-hole course to close in recent years. Photo courtesy of Franklin Canyon Golf Course.
In recent years, several 18-hole golf courses in the area have closed, Alderson noted, citing Roddy Ranch in Antioch in 2016 and Delta View in Pittsburg in 2018 as examples. Moreover, Martinez's nine-hole course, Pine Meadow, closed in 2015, setting off a multi-year political and legal battle over the fate of the land. Ultimately, a planned housing development was reduced in size to allow for a new city park.
"Diablo Creek (Concord), Boundary Oaks (Walnut Creek) and Franklin Canyon are the only courses in our immediate area," Alderson said. "Sometimes it is difficult to impossible to get a tee time seven days out. The closing of Franklin Canyon would only worsen the situation."
He added, "Another note about Franklin Canyon; it caters to a large, racially integrated population, drawing players from Pinole, Hercules, Crockett, Martinez, Concord and Pittsburg.
"Not many other courses can attest to that."
The closing of Franklin Canyon would come at a time of national resurgence of golf. The sport had been on the decline, until the COVID-19 pandemic sparked a renaissance.
"People rediscovered golf," Harker said. "You need a balance in life: work and play; family; recreating. One of the sports benefiting from that was golf."
Today, there are about 26 million golfers in the U.S., Harker said.
On Feb. 8, 2022, the Hercules City Council approved the RV resort plan with no golf course by a 4-1 vote, with Councilman (now Mayor) Dan Romero the lone dissenter.
"That course has been there for (more than) 50 years," Romero said, addressing the council before the vote. "It served the region – all members (of the community).
"What we're doing tonight is, we're limiting the use of that area to the rich people that own million-dollar RVs. … It's a disappointing time."
A golfer practices at the Franklin Canyon Golf Course driving range. Photo by Tom Lochner
Located in the easternmost corner of the city of Hercules, with access from the south side of Highway 4, the current 18-hole, 161.5-acre Franklin Canyon Golf Course opened in 1967 or 1968, according to different accounts. "The 6,594-yard championship course designed by legendary golf course architect Robert Muir Graves features many fun and challenging holes highlighted by: two ponds, several tight doglegs, and large, undulating greens that encourage precise tee shots to keep your score low and test your golf skills," reads a description on the golf course website.
But there are serious infrastructure and irrigation issues that have worsened with time, said Harker, noting that Franklin Canyon uses about 50 million gallons of water per year, all of it potable; the planned RV resort, according to the city website, would use about 7.3 million gallons.
But of a dozen or so golfers interviewed at Franklin Canyon one day recently, some of whom were aware of the infrastructure and water problems, none thought the course is no longer viable.
And all expressed dismay over its announced closing.
"Seems like the place is prospering," said Thomas, a Martinez resident who identified himself by his first name only and who golfed at Franklin Canyon for the first time in 2003. "Always a lot of people. It's a cool spot. It's affordable."
He said he will probably go to Diablo Creek once Franklin Canyon closes.
A woman from Walnut Creek, who used to live in Hercules and was golfing at Franklin Canyon with a companion, said, "We're sad," and added: "Being from the Bay Area, an RV park (at the golf course site) just doesn't make sense."
Harker, the Touchstone CEO, who also is a Class A member of the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) of America, said in a telephone interview: "Franklin Canyon is one of my favorite courses; it's really a well-designed course," even as he acknowledged that "the infrastructure is in bad shape" and "the irrigation system is limited."
The initial plan, contained in an April 1, 2019 "Application for Zoning Clearance Development Permit, Franklin Canyon RV Resort and Golf Course Project," envisioned "the redevelopment of the existing 18-hole Franklin Canyon Golf Course into a nine-hole golf course and recreational vehicle resort" with 160 spaces, and sought a determination by the city that the project is consistent with Measure M, a 2004 voter-approved initiative that serves as the General Plan and zoning regulation for the area.
On June 26, 2019, the city made that determination administratively, via a decision by its Planning Division. Romero, speaking at the Feb. 8, 2022, City Council meeting, said it was "alarming" that the zoning matter did not go before the council for a vote.
Under the initial plan, the RV resort was supposed to be located on the front nine holes of the 18-hole course, while the remaining nine holes would be renovated and continue as a public golf course and venue for tournaments. But by the time the applicant applied for a design review, lot line adjustment and environmental review in June 2020, the project had morphed to eliminate the nine-hole course, with John Muir Land Trust (JMLT) agreeing "to accept the donation of this approximate 70 acres for use as open space (hiking, biking and equestrian trails) and additional access to the existing Franklin Canyon/Fernandez Ranch."
In response to an email seeking comment, JMLT's executive director, Linus Eukel, referred this reporter to the city of Hercules website, adding, "At this point, we at JMLT don't have anything to add to what's in the public record."
Hix, the Madison MRH-Franklin-1 managing member, said in an email: "When we looked at the cost of the renovation of the back nine and the fact that the project has no reclaimed water and is reliant on East Bay MUD (Municipal Utility District) potable water for the course, it just did not make financial sense. John Muir (Land Trust) owns all the property on the south side of the property, so it made sense to donate the land to them. No other plan changes are anticipated at this time."
In its latest incarnation, the Franklin Canyon RV Resort Project envisions 158 RV spaces; 22 walk-in campsites with tent bungalows; a driving range and a new practice putting green; a new 10,500-square-foot clubhouse with dining and lounge facilities and a fitness and wellness center; an outdoor swimming pool with a poolside shower and changing room and grill/snack shop; a playground, a dog park, pickleball courts and a horseshoe pit; and covered storage for 24 recreational vehicles.
The dining facility, driving range and putting green are to be open to the public as well as to the people staying at the RV resort.
The city of Hercules' project summary page is at https://www.herculesca.gov/government/community-development/development-projects/franklin-canyon/golf-course-rv-resort .
The RV resort promotional video is at /www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcPVZnabwVw , and also accessible on Hercules' project summary page.
The Franklin Canyon Golf Course website is at https://www.franklincanyongolf.com
The Application for Zoning Clearance Development Permit, Franklin Canyon RV Resort and Golf Course Project is at www.herculesca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/12883/636904857387000000 .
Martinez Golf Association, a men's and women's Northern California Golf Association (NCGA) Associate Club, describes itself as a traveling club based in Martinez on its website at https://www.martinezgolfassociation.org
"We play monthly tournaments throughout the East Bay and beyond. If you are looking for a 'no pressure,' great group of folks to spend a day on the greens with, look no further. Welcome to the MGA!"
Touchstone Golf, headquartered in Austin, Texas, runs 40 golf courses nationwide, 24 of them in California, according to its website at www.touchstonegolf.com Other Touchstone-run courses in or near the Bay Area include Bennett Valley in Santa Rosa; Blue Rock Springs (Vallejo); Coyote Creek (Morgan Hill); Lake Chabot (Oakland); Mill Valley; Paradise Valley (Fairfield); Presidio (San Francisco); Pruneridge (Santa Clara); Rancho Solano (Fairfield); Redwood Canyon (Castro Valley); Shoreline Golf Links (Mountain View); and Tilden Park (Berkeley).
MRH-Franklin 1, LLC does not currently have a website but will create a project website soon, said Hix.
The following items were written by Craig Lazzeretti
Northern lights come to town
Martinez residents were among many others across the Bay Area who got a rare chance this weekend to savor a glimpse of the northern lights (or the aurora borealis)l, which were made visible thanks to a solar storm.
Amy Scott-Slovick captured these images from her Martinez backyard:
Martinez residents Rebecca Faith Barrett and Jonathan Taylor Bash drove to a rural spot outside the county on Friday evening to avoid light pollution, and took these photos.
Wednesday City Council preview
The Martinez City Council on Wednesday will discuss crafting an ordinance that would prohibit “encampments at and near critical infrastructure locations and regulating conduct at the Martinez Intermodal Facility,” according to a staff report. The complete staff report, prepared by police Chief Andrew White, that discusses the rationale for the proposed ordinance can be found at the following link: https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/2613034/SR_-_Critical_Infrastructure_and_Transit_Ordinance_Discussion.pdf
According to the report:
Encampments raise significant concerns regarding public health and safety, particularly around critical infrastructure locations as well as locations frequented by minors, including schools, playgrounds, and community centers.
As mentioned in Friday’s post, the council also will hold a special study session at 5:30 p.m. (before the regularly scheduled meeting at 7 p.m.) to discuss creating a new commission “focusing on community initiatives that promote diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.” The staff report for that meeting, prepared by Assistant City Manager Lauren Sugayan, can be found at the following link: https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/2615336/Staff_Report_-_DEIB_Commission.pdf
The complete agendas for both meetings, including how to participate via Zoom or in person, can be found at https://www.cityofmartinez.org/government/meetings-and-agendas
And finally…
Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers and mother figures in Martinez. Thanks for all you do to not only support your families but our community.
For those who missed it last year, here’s the link to my 2023 Mother’s Day post about Louisa “Louie” Muir, wife of John Muir.
For those who want to know more about the history of Mother’s (or Mothers’) Day, historian Heather Cox Richardson has an interesting new post in her Substack newsletter, “Letters from an American,” on the topic. Here’s a snippet:
If you google the history of Mother’s Day, the internet will tell you that Mother’s Day began in 1908 when Anna Jarvis decided to honor her mother. But “Mothers’ Day”—with the apostrophe not in the singular spot, but in the plural—actually started in the 1870s, when the sheer enormity of the death caused by the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War convinced writer and reformer Julia Ward Howe that women must take control of politics from the men who had permitted such carnage. Mothers’ Day was not designed to encourage people to be nice to their mothers. It was part of women’s effort to gain power to change society.
You can also read my own tribute to mothers on my personal Substack newsletter, which includes one of the greatest mother film scenes ever (in my opinion) where Angela Bassett lays down in no uncertain terms what mothers have been doing since the beginning of time.
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