News & Events

2022 Year-end Report and Request for Support

Nov 24, 2022by - San Francisco Public Golf Alliance

This holiday season we look forward to the New Year and give thanks. Thanks for our historic Bay Area public courses and municipal gems. Thanks for our loyal San Francisco Public Golf Alliance members. Thanks for all who contribute financial and moral support to our fight for public golf. And thanks for those working with us to preserve Alister MacKenzie’s diamond in the rough at Sharp Park.

As we approach the end of 2022, this is to report on our continuing advocacy for public golf in San Francisco, the Peninsula, and statewide. We thank you for your participation in these efforts. And we ask for your charitable support – which makes our work possible.

Defeating The Most Damaging Golf Legislation in a Generation

From April 2021 - May 2022, we played a key role defending California’s public courses against Assembly Bills 620 and 1910, The Golf Endangerment Act, an attempt by the powerful Housing Industry to convert golf courses to high-density housing. Working with the Northern and Southern California Golf Associations and other members of the California Alliance for Golf, we submitted legal arguments and 100’s of opposition letters, ultimately leading in May 2022 to defeat of the anti-golf legislation in the State Assembly.

Defending the Public Course - A Few Examples:

Sharp Park. At our urging, Pacifica’s 2022 Revised General Plan now recognizes both the golf course and clubhouse as historical resource properties. In 2021, we obtained San Francisco’s commitment to build a new electric cart barn. That hasn’t happened yet, but new gas carts are in service and we’re still on the case for the electric cart barn. In April 2022 the City approved a permanent Alister MacKenzie/Sharp Park photo history exhibit in the clubhouse foyer. We had to wait for repairs to damaged walls, and are hoping to install the exhibit by year-end. We never lose sight of our goal to restore Sharp Park, because "The fight over Sharp Park isn't just about saving one golf course, but muny golf overall". We have now completed a 3-D virtual restoration of Sharp Park, similar to the virtual resurrection of the long-lost Lido Course at Sand Valley, Wisconsin. You will hear more about this in 2023.
Lincoln Park. When plans were announced in 2021 to landmark the old City Cemetery burial grounds which predated the golf course at Lincoln Park, we led the golfers’ advocacy to maintain and improve the golf course. We are pleased to report that the City Cemetery Landmark Ordinance, signed by the Mayor in October 2022, provides for continued repair and maintenance of the golf course.
Mariners Point. We have been part of a broad community effort to preserve this great Midpeninsula night-lit golf practice center that serves the public and virtually all of the Peninsula’s high school teams, against a Foster City move to convert the property to housing. After 18 months of process, the prospects now look good for continued golf.

We are a non-profit, pro-bono, 501.c.3 charitable public benefit corporation, dependent upon your support to continue our work. And we ask for your generous tax-deductible year-end contribution.

You can donate via PayPal at our donation page: https://www.sfpublicgolf.org/donate

Or by check, payable to and addressed to:

San Francisco Public Golf Alliance,
1370 Masonic Ave.
San Francisco, CA. 94117

We can also accept donations of appreciated stock and/or RMD’s from retirement accounts. To discuss, e-mail us at info@sfpublicgolf.org.

Thanks for your support and very best wishes for the Holiday Season.