Sharp Park golfers win a round

Sunday afternoon, the clubhouse at Sharp Park golf course was typical: Football on the television, beers on the counter, and the uncertain future of the course on the nervous minds of patrons and golfers.

Monday evening, Mayor Ed Lee settled those nerves by vetoing legislation from the Board of Supervisors that could have led to the shuttering of the 80-year-old course. The Board voted 6-5 two weeks ago to offer Sharp Park to the National Park Service, which would have likely meant no more chipping, putting or driving.

Golf continues at the Alister MacKenzie-designed course for now, though a trial still looms over a federal lawsuit from environmentalists to protect threatened and endangered species in Sharp Park.

Judge Susan Ilston recently denied an injunction to halt pumping and mowing at the park, which may (or may not) signal her doubt over the case’s merits. We won’t find out for sure until after the June trial.

The Bay Citizen reports The City is in talks to transfer Sharp Park to San Mateo County, which would continue to operate the golf course. Opponents say the course loses hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for The City, in addition to threatening indigenous species.

Jesse Garnier

Jesse Garnier is the editor and founder of SFBay. A Mission District native, he also teaches journalism as associate professor at San Francisco State University.