PGA Tour to take over Harding Park

The PGA Tour is positioning itself to take over operations of publicly owned Harding Park this summer and add the ’09 Presidents Cup course to the Tour’s Tournament Players Club network. The San Francisco Recreation & Park Department, which owns Harding Park, recently approved a proposal to hand over clubhouse and golf management to the PGA Tour but details still need to be negotiated. If the deal closes, the Tour won’t assume management until at least Aug. 22, when the city's existing agreement with KemperSports expires. The Tour has agreed to waive the standard management fee — KemperSports received $192,000 annually — and market the course as TPC Harding Park. Under the new arrangement, Recreation and Park spokesman Elton Pon said the city expects to save about $250K per year and still be the host site of the Champions Tour Schwab Cup.



This story appeared in the June 21 edition of Golf Business and Real Estate. To subscribe please call (800) 421-3483