DINUBA – On par with the Dinuba City Council’s goal to increase use of the city-owned Ridge Creek Golf Club and Event Center, the city is planning to take a big swing and add two new amenities to the golf course. Council members and city staff believe the additions are sure to be a hole-in-one for golf pros and novices alike.
Representatives from KemperSports, which manages the golf course, visited the Dinuba City Council on May 27 to present their proposal for adding both a miniature golf course to Ridge Creek and a driving range equipped with Toptracer technology. These additions would come together to form a new concept that KemperSports Vice President of Operations Monica Davis said they have coined “The Social.”
“By integrating Toptracer technology and a mini golf course, Ridge Creek can transform into a comprehensive golf entertainment destination,” Davis said. “These additions can attract diverse demographics, from families, beginners (and) seasoned golfers, enhancing the club’s community presence and financial performance.”
Toptracer is ball-tracing technology that, while used in the professional golf world to trace shots made in a game, can also help “gamify” the game of golf, Davis said. Much like a golf simulation game, players hit golf balls as they would on a driving range, except they would be accompanied by a monitor where they can track the distance and speed of their shots, aim for targets in the range and compete against others.
Players would hit the balls from a covered hitting bay structure that could have garage-like walls or stationary walls, depending on the company that Dinuba chooses to work with. The structure would also have the potential to include dividers between each hitting station, have heaters and fans for climate control and have chairs and bar tables for social activities.
Dinuba city staff showed the council a video of Swing Time at Dairy Creek Golf Course in San Luis Obispo, which they said they are hoping to model the Toptracer driving range at Ridge Creek after. According to the video, the amenity is like a mix between a driving range, a sports bar, a pinball machine and a bowling alley.
Davis said that all of these elements tied together can make the addition fun for both kids and families, as well as be a segue into the wider game of golf for individuals who want to try out the game on a more relaxed level.
The proposed mini golf course would have the same purpose, Davis said. Instead of being “hokey” and including windmills and clowns, Davis said the course would maintain the same natural aesthetic as the rest of Ridge Creek, just brought down to a smaller size.
“We believe that Ridge Creek is an area of prestige,” Davis said. “We believe that the engagement needs to continue to be at a high level and not take it backward.”
Together, adding the Toptracer range and the mini golf course would cost between $1.6 million and $1.7 million, according to financial projections prepared by KemperSports. Davis said KemperSports projects a return on investment within just a few years.
Construction of both amenities may require some permitting but would otherwise be straightforward and relatively simple, City Manager Luis Patlan said. With that, the main aspect that needs to be worked out is financing for the project, Patlan said. Once that is more settled, the council would be able to work on selecting the specific companies and designs they want to work with for the amenities.
“I think the vision here is to take an asset and take advantage of the growing demand for non-golf entertainment style activities that are really growing exponentially across the United States,” Patlan said. “We really want to take advantage of that and take full advantage of this facility and the property, so we’ve got our work cut out in terms of financing.”
Patlan said he’d bring financing options back to the council once the city gets that more formalized, and then they would “hopefully get started soon.”
KemperSports contract
Unrelated to the proposal, the Dinuba City Council also unanimously approved, via the consent calendar, a contract extension with KemperSports for their management of Ridge Creek. Although the council did not remove the item from the consent calendar to discuss it, Councilmember Benjamin Prado told Davis at the end of her presentation that he appreciated the work she has done for Dinuba.
“I just want to say that I would have probably pushed hard to at least look at alternatives, but since you’ve taken over, I see a lot better track, a lot more leadership, so I thank you for that,” Prado said.
KemperSports has worked with the city since 2005, according to a city staff report. The contract was set to expire on June 30, 2025, and was extended for an additional 10 years through June 30, 2035.
As many golf-loving Dinubans know, the management of the golf course has significantly turned around over the last few years following complaints from the community. The staff report notes that city staff have been working with KemperSports for several years to discuss and address operational challenges, and KemperSports has improved service, quality of food and after-hours events.
The restaurant was remodeled and rebranded with higher-quality options, and landscaping improvements have been made throughout the golf course. Further, Dinuba and KemperSports have worked together since 2019 to host the city’s Independence Day celebrations at the course, and most recently the city announced the inaugural “Night on the Range” concert featuring country music from George Birge on Sept. 6.
