When Sally Haydon looks west on her property at San Felipe Road
north of Hollister, she doesn’t see a field full of hay. She sees
much much more.
When Sally Haydon looks west on her property at San Felipe Road north of Hollister, she doesn’t see a field full of hay. She sees much much more.
The San Benito County Planning Commission recently approved the use permits that she requested for a par 3 nine-hole golf course, a five-acre paintball course and a new recreation room at the Family Golf Park. She also plans to have a two-way driving range.
“It feels great to be here,” Haydon said. “I wanted to build a nine-hole golf course from day one. When I looked over the field I didn’t see a field. I saw it completed.”
Haydon said she hopes to begin construction in a couple months and would like to have the 5,500 yard course completed by July of 2005.
It has been a long road for the park which opened in 1997. There were no trees or landscaping when she bought the property in 1989 – just wide open farm land. The park is located on 54 acres at the Highway 156 intersection and is bordered on the north side by Santa Ana Creek.
Haydon, who developed the park with the help of her four kids, has had to be creative to maintain the course. Because of the limited population in the area, she has had to operate on a small budget.
One of her creative solutions includes an old washer machine to clean the balls. Another was a combination ball scooper, fertilizer and mower that she made.
Although Haydon, who has lived in Hollister for 30 years, doesn’t golf herself, both her parents were avid golfers. Her mother still golfs at the age of 85.
Haydon tries to keep everything natural. There are poppies and other native vegetation throughout the park. Many of the plants have been donated. Some of the gravel has also been donated.
Haydon plans to keep the same native look with the new golf course. The fairways will be the traditional Bent and Bermuda grass, but the rough areas will be seeded with oak and barley.
There will be two tee boxes so 18 holes can be played, and plans are to throw in a par 4 in the middle.
Haydon enjoys California history and plans to incorporate items from the gold rush and the railroad era into the golf course. She wants to start a program with elementary school kids to get them into golf at an early age.
“A lot of times golf is a generational sport,” Haydon said. “I want them to be able to learn the ethics, how to hold the club and how to hit a ball.”
Her goal is to have something for everyone – a place where teens can hang out and sing karaoke, a place where parents can play golf with their kids or play with adult friends.
In addition to karaoke, she hopes to have an indoor putting green and driving range so people can have something to do in the winter.
One of her priorities is to find ways for people to use all five senses.
“We wanted to get away from the mechanical and get back to the natural,” Haydon said. “We want to try to create a synergy here like going shopping. We want people to come out because there is so much to do.”
