Recreational opportunities are increasing on the eastern end of Fiscalini Ranch in Cambria—including a disc golf course that's part of a development some residents have been waiting almost 20 years for.

"It's an understatement to say Cambria is lacking in infrastructure to a certain degree, especially regarding recreational activities," Juli Amodei told New Times. "We have had this almost 300-acre piece of land sitting there for years waiting for something to be developed, so we felt now was the right time to begin movement on that operation."

• Photo By Whirlwind Disc Golf
• LAY IT OUT Cambria has several recreation projects in the works on the eastern Fiscalini Ranch property—including a dog park. Another project in process is a disc golf course.

The Cambria community member serves on the ad hoc Parks and Recreation Open Space Board, which recently moved forward with planning a new nine-hole disc golf course after a private donor provided funding to develop around 40 acres of land for the project.

Those 40 acres of land are just part of the larger 300 acres that were given to the town of Cambria 20 years ago by San Luis Obispo County with the intent that recreational sports facilities—like a soccer or baseball field—would be built on the property, but as time went on it, Amodei explained, it became unclear who those facilities would serve.

"When you have a huge block of land like this you do start to look at it and go, 'Where are the things for kids to do?'" she said. "We see this disc golf course as a great example of something that will bring every aspect of recreation, outdoor living, low-impact, and environmentally conscious recreation to the people of Cambria."

According to Amodei, the parks and rec board was formed by the Cambria Community Services District (CCSD) to survey residents and tourists on potential projects that could bring low-impact activity to the eastern side of Fiscalini, ultimately finding disc golf to be the perfect activity to complement the already planned skate park, bathrooms, and dog park projects.

"It's what's trending; we can see tangible evidence that the activity is only going to continue to grow," she said. "Not only is it something that the construction of wouldn't require us to roll in bulldozers, but a private donor has already paid for it, meaning residents won't see their tax dollars funding the construction."

The board brought in disc golf aficionado Leonard Muise, who owns and runs Whirlwind Disc Golf in Hayward, to help lay out the potential course.

"Disc golf is a wonderful sport because it's not only a low-impact sport that doesn't require too much constant activity and can be enjoyed by all but also because it makes use of the beautiful surroundings of the land it's on," Muise told New Times. "I'm super passionate about bringing it to Cambria because I think it can grow the sport for a more casual audience."

Steve Kniffen, chairman of parks and rec board, said the low-impact nature of disc golf is one of the biggest reasons for Cambria to give the course a try.

"After so many years, we are trying something new to get people out there, and this is just a great low-risk way to open up that area," Kniffen told New Times. "I believe bringing disc golf to Cambria will make the city a healthier, well-rounded place for people to live in and visit."

Amodei echoed that sentiment, telling New Times that the growth potential of disc golf is also appealing because it opens up new avenues for tourism revenue, which in turn could allow for more development of recreation activities on the property.

"Tourism is a critical component to the economic viability of our community, so any type of recreation we bring needs to be exciting to potential tourists, while also being respectful to our locals," she said. "Our goal is to make that course as interesting as possible for all levels of play."

One thing that might help make the course more interesting according to Amodei, is the talks the city plans to have with San Luis Obispo County regarding how much of the property the city can use for the course—something that will determine when the project can break ground.

"What we want to do is ask the county to reconsider what was set in place 20 years ago—when the land was initially sold to the city—and see if we can open it up more to expand what we do with the course," she said. "The terrain we currently have is limited, so if the county can expand it, we can use it to make the course far more exciting and potentially begin exploring even more options for recreational activity on the property." Δ