Stewards of the Foothills

Pamela and Randy Dreyfuss take pride in making La Cañada Flintridge CC a showcase of sustainability, demonstrating the role golf can play in mitigating the climate emergency

The first thing you notice is the mountains. La Cañada Flintridge CC lies right at the gateway to the mighty San Gabriels, just where the Angeles Crest Highway begins its serpentine ascent into the range whose zenith is Mount Baldy. The mountains cast a powerful presence on the course and its facilities. Even the clubhouse roofline mirrors their sawtooth silhouette, and the shape of the pool follows the arc of the range’s footprint. On every hole, they either form a dramatic backdrop or they loom over your shoulder as you hit.

It’s a tableau that any golfer would treasure, and that certainly goes for the country club’s owners, Pamela and Randy Dreyfuss.

“We consider ourselves stewards of this land,” says Pamela. “It’s such a unique urban-wild intersection. It’s beyond beautiful.”

from the moment you walk through the clubhouse to the terrace that overlooks the putting green. Look up and you see the solar panels that supply about a quarter of the country club’s electricity. Look down and you see a modest garden skirting the perimeter of the terrace. Small signs identify the native plants: Dwarf monkeyflower. Showy penstemon.

Native plants are a bit of an obsession with Pamela.

“The incredible thing about them is that they evolved with native insects and animals,” she says. “They’re all interdependent. A lot of animals and insects rely on those plants. So when invasive plants take over or when you build out areas and pull up the natives, you’re taking away food and habitat from our native species. It’s really tragic.”

It’s no surprise, then, that out-of-play regions flourish with native chaparral and California oaks. Case in point: the deep, clear-it-or-lose-it ravine that separates tee box and green on the par-3 No. 7 hole. Near the 13th tee, a dense natural area harbors a hidden wildlife camera that captures candids of local fauna — not just common sights like coyotes and rabbits, but also bobcats and mountain lions.

“We had a whole mountain lion family show up to feast on a deer carcass,” Pamela recalls. Then she tops her own story by gesturing toward a drainage channel. “One time a bear came through that culvert, swam in the lake in full view of everyone, got out, shook off and went back through the culvert and up the hill.”

GREEN PATHWAYS

It’s also no surprise that areas in need of restoration get native-plant treatment, such as a large open area near the No. 5 tees that’s slated for native oaks, Torrey pines, two species of Mexican oaks, manzanita and California lilacs. Across the No. 5 fairway, Pamela is nursing baby oaks that she planted from acorns. They have also “planted” owl boxes to invite nature’s most adept rodent controllers.

“It’s all part of our Green Pathways sustainability initiative,” says Randy. The particulars of the initiative include a sponsor-a-tree program, in which members and the public are invited “to participate in a greener future for generations to come.”

“When you build out areas and pull up the natives, you’re taking away food and habitat from our native species. It’s really tragic.”

As you might surmise, Randy and Pamela are not run-of-the-mill country club owners. Pamela is a former film actress who handles marketing for the club. She also holds a certification as a California naturalist, and as a climate leader through the Climate Reality Project founded by Al Gore. She met Randy through their mutual passion for the arts. He’s a pianist and composer — and avid golfer — who runs the business side of the operation.

Pamela doesn’t play but appreciates the game and the importance of golf courses as vital green spaces. “Whenever droughts get bad, people cry out against golf courses,” she says. “But when you do that, all the benefits of green space go away. What will replace them? Ultimately, more development.”

Speaking of droughts and water, La Cañada Flintridge CC is fortunate to have a county wastewater treatment plant right behind the 14th green. The reclaimed water collects in a pond and is used to irrigate holes 12, 13 and 14. Randy also takes pride in a state-of-the-art irrigation system where every sprinkler has a computer-controlled sensor.

Pamela and Randy are well aware of their place in the community. They have worked closely with the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy, and they invite neighbors to support the club’s initiatives. “It’s all part of our responsibility as land stewards and business owners,” says Randy.

“Of course we’re doing it to reduce our share of carbon emissions, demonstrate how urgent the problem is to our 2,000-plus members and to influence other business owners,” adds Pamela. “But our motivation is from our love of life, hope for our children’s future and a love for our beautiful planet. We are in the final chance to address the emergency, and it’s not clear at all that the planet, and we, can survive — unless we move faster and with more purpose than ever before.”