California Wants to Improve Its Golf Game

The Leisure Sport’s Subpar Performance Prompts the State to Rethink How It Uses Its Greens

Your columnist is not an Olympic athlete. But last Friday I managed a serious athletic feat: playing 18 holes of golf in just 45 minutes, without using a cart or even lifting a golf club. And, no, this wasn’t miniature golf or a video game.

My secret? I was playing FootGolf, which involves kicking a soccer ball into extra-large holes placed on regulation golf courses. This new sport, spreading fast in California, is one of the more promising answers to a full-blown statewide challenge: what to do about our glut …

By Joe Mathews | May 12, 2016

Why We Need More Latinos to Hit the Trails

State and National Parks Won't Survive Unless a Diverse Cross Section of Americans Steps Up to Protect Them

By Richard Rojas, Sr. | March 2, 2016

During my more than 30-year career as a California state park ranger, I was known as the diversity guy because I was one of the few Latinos to wear the …

Do Beautiful Parks Strengthen Democracy?

To Frederick Law Olmsted, Designer of Many of America’s Most Iconic Landscapes, Common Spaces Are Key to Getting Beyond Our Own Narrow Individualism

By Garrett Dash Nelson | December 17, 2015

In 1846, shortly after his 24th birthday, Frederick Law Olmsted wrote to a friend, full of dismay about the prospect of finding a purpose in life. “I want to make …

Why the Santa Monica Airport Should Become a Park

The Facility's Closure Provides a Great Opportunity to Give Los Angeles a Giant New Playground

By Michael Feinstein | September 28, 2015

A new 150-plus-acre park on the Westside of Los Angeles might seem like a pipe dream—at approximately $200 a square foot just for the land, that’s almost $1.3 billion. That …

Parks are a Public Health Issue

In Cities Like Fresno, CA, the Lack of Green Space Threatens Residents' Well-Being

By Xavier Morales | July 8, 2015

Every year, the Trust for Public Land analyzes the 75 largest U.S. cities and gives them a score based on how well they are meeting the need for parks. This …

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