"Sharp Park Golf Course on the chopping block?"

Thanks to reader Joe B. for this Marisa Lagos update on the possible future of Alister MacKenzie's Sharp Park. Doesn't sound so good.

Comments

[Chuck]

Monstrous, to think of shuttering a Mackenzie-heritage municipal golf course.

This is where somebody like Tiger Woods should use his Bully Pulpit. If he wanted to give back to the game, donate 1 mil. of his 1 bil. for seed money to preserve it.

Oh, and don't miss the Comments section of the linked article. The executive summary: "Death to the greedy capitalist enviro-enemy golfers. Long live the red-legged frog. And, let's just turn it into a Frisbee Golf course..."

[On Tour]

Tiger who? Tiger the kid from Long Beach looking inside from the outs??? He doesn't exist anymore! Nice thought though...

[Tommy Naccarato]

You can thank Forrest Richardson and the National Golf Foundation for their so-called report on the City of San Francisco's golf courses for allowing this door to be opened up and Sharp Park's existence to be put into jeopardy. Historic Lincoln Park as well.

The National Golf Foundation has no business writing these types of reports for profit--which they do. To think of the NGF and Forrest both being involved in San Francisco politics is hilarious.

[Chuck]

Tommy, I have never understood quite where the National Golf Foundation fits into anything. Your highlighting their involvement is a point well-taken.

[Tommy Naccarato]

Chuck,
What's worse is that they suggest architects, which I feel is a dangerous practice. Very dangerous and a conflict of interest. They have no business but to amass figures pertaining to the golf business and should do so in a not-for-profit sense other then costs. To suggest an architect, well, then the architect should go on record to dismiss himself from any regard to the work itself. Mr. Richardson is in an active pursuit to remodel Sharp Park under the guise of another not-for-profit called "Keep It Classic."

I know from personal experience that this is the furthest thing from his mind. They should rename it "Keep Me Funded."

I guess what it amounts to is that you should get to know someone at the NGF, buy them drinks and suddenly you got a partner at work for you inside the NGF. What does this say to other architects who are paying NGF-members? It's no different then telling an orange widget maker to take a count of orange widgets needed for the next upcoming years....The accuracy of the report, I totally question. This is not an accusation, but more a pretty good guess; Mr. Richardson intended to "restore" Sharp Park and make money off of it. I think the figures would reflect this IF someone inside the city were shown the the figures are more or less inaccurate to Mr. Richardson's benefit.

The entire process is about as even as a crooked stick, but more, their suggestions to the city to use Richardson & Associates one of the worse things that could have ever occurred for all of Golf in the San Francisco area. Mind you an area that by the NGF's own findings is STILL need of affordable public accessible golf.

Contradiction? Nahhhhhhh!