EP Climbing — Alpenglow Park
- Facility Name: Alplenglow Park
- City, State: Bend, Ore.
- % of reader vote: 42.77%
Alpenglow Park in Bend, Ore., installed climbing boulders by EP Climbing that include natural routes and routes with handholds. Routes vary in difficulty to open opportunities for all ages and abilities. EP integrated accessible routes for climbers with disabilities, expanding this recreational opportunity to all in this rapidly growing sport.
JLG Architects — New Lenox Crossroads Sports Complex
- Facility Name: New Lenox Crossroads Sports Complex
- City, State: New Lenox, Ill.
This is phase one of a 100-acre, outdoor sports complex, including 29 baseball and softball fields, 12 soccer and multi-use fields, and 10 acres reserved for hospitality and retail amenities.
In the spring of 2024, the Village of New Lenox, Ill., celebrated the groundbreaking of the New Lenox Crossroads Sports Complex, a $70 million, 29-field complex designed by JLG Architects, with Sports Facilities Companies and Northern Builders. The new Sports Complex will be located at the crossroads of Interstates 355 and 80, next to Silver Cross Hospital, 45 minutes southwest of Chicago. Expected to open by May 2025, the 100-acre outdoor sports complex will include a welcome center, 29 youth baseball and softball fields, 12 soccer or multi-use fields, two full-service concession stands, a beer garden, a playground, and 10 batting cages. Fenced-in fields will be adjustable to accommodate athletes of all ages, and an extensive drainage system will allow the turf fields to be ready for play just minutes after heavy rain.
At the completion of phase one, New Lenox will begin planning for a second phase consisting of a 122,000-square-foot field house that will host basketball and volleyball courts. The second phase will be designed to accommodate regional tournaments for multiple other sports, including wrestling and pickleball. As part of the development, over 10 acres of prime real estate will be dedicated to restaurant, retail, and/or hotel use. An additional 68 acres will be available for further development in the area just north of Silver Cross, with a proposed 500-home subdivision east of I-355. With the capability to host regional athletic tournaments on the horizon, the Sports Complex is projected to have a $12-million economic impact in its first year, and a $20-million impact by the third year. Once all phases are complete, the Complex is expected to draw in over 600,000 visitors annually from a multi-state region, with an expected annual economic impact of over $30 million.
Adventure Golf & Sports — Four Oaks Mini Golf Course
- Facility Name: Four Oaks Mini Golf Course
- City, State: Pittsburg, Kan.
- Type of Facility: Modular Advantage Miniature Golf Course
- Design by (Architectural Firm): Adventure Golf & Sports (AGS)
- Lead Designer (Architect Name): Eric Schoolmaster
- Status: Complete
- Square Footage: 4,100 = mini-golf hole playing surface, 994 = walkways, 16,833 = overall area, including mini-golf holes, walkways, landscaped areas, putting green/practice area, etc.
- Number of Floors: 1
The Four Oaks Golf Course at Lincoln Park in the City of Pittsburg, Kan., installed a new 18-hole, ADA-compliant miniature golf course designed and built by Adventure Golf & Sports (AGS) in 2024, using the company’s Modular Advantage® Mini Golf System. It replaced a traditional-style concrete course that had been rebuilt in 1996 but had poor drainage.
To prepare for the new course build, the City of Pittsburg removed the existing concrete course. The system AGS used to build the course consists of interlocking, flexible, patented panels that provide the look and feel of a concrete course, can be shaped to resemble a variety of topographies, and are 100% permeable for water drainage so water doesn’t pool on the playing surface.
AGS created a natural-looking, challenging mini-golf course with some par-3 and 4 holes with slopes and contours. Obstacles on the course were created using different types of synthetic turf including “rough” turf and faux sand traps. Only a cannon and a gorilla statue (a nod to local college athletic teams) were borrowed from the old course and reused.