Golfers who play at Lake Redding Golf Course will soon find the facility under new management.
Long-time operators Jim and Linell Smith will retire at the end of summer, according to an announcement issued Thursday by the property owner, the McConnell Foundation.
At that time, California Sporting Company, co-owned by Chad New and Nancy Cardoso, will take over, the announcement said.
The Redding-based sporting event organizing company was founded in 2017. Since then, New and Cardoso helped organize popular North State events including the Mount Shasta Tinman Triathlon and Duathlon, according to the foundation.
The course opened in 1959 and has been operated by the Smiths for the past 15 years.
The Smiths lease the land from the McConnell Foundation, which is now seeking proposals from individuals or groups who want to take over operations of Lake Redding after the Smiths retire.
“The goal was to find an operator willing to grow (the golf course) into the future,” the foundation’s announcement said. “We believe California Sporting Company is that entity,” said Janice Cunningham of Cox Real Estate Consultants, which manages the foundation’s properties.
New ― who is also the general manager of the California Soccer Park on Old Oregon Trail in Redding ― didn’t want to reveal specifics, but said changes to the golf course were “in the works.”
Jim and Linell Smith, who operated Lake Redding Golf Course since 2010, plan to retire on Aug. 31, Linell Smith said. The couple leases the land from the McConnell Foundation.
She isn’t sure if the current Lake Redding Golf Course staff will stay on, Smith said, but there will likely be some changes come the end of summer.
When asked why they chose this time to retire, Smith said, “We’re old.”
Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. Follow her on Twitter@RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook.