Bringing Harding Up to Par
4 firms bidding to revamp S.F. course to PGA specs

ON GOLF Pat Sullivan
Friday, November 12, 1999

A YEAR FROM now, barring unforeseen circumstances, Harding Park, San Francisco's 75- year-old, workhorse municipal course on the shores of Lake Merced, will be the scene of a major reconstruction project.

The big question remains: Who will be doing the reconstructing?

Four golf-course management firms are in the running for the lucrative multimillion dollar project, which would bring the course up to a standard necessary for hosting the PGA Tour Championship every three years, beginning in 2002.

American Golf, Arnold Palmer Golf Management, Kemper Sports Management and BSL Co. will present their cases at a special Recreation and Park Commission hearing on Tuesday at 1 p.m., Room 408, City Hall. The hearing is being billed as a ``public workshop.'' Questions from the public will be heard after the four presentations are completed, a Recreation and Park spokeswomen said.

Out at Harding, daily play continues as it has for years, a constant flow of golfers of every description to and from the first tee and the antiquated practice range against the background of nostalgic old-timers who can tell you in no uncertain terms exactly when the good old days started and ended around the place.

That's because everyone who plays Harding comes away with an opinion of the experience. In that regard, On Golf was fortunate to uncover a golfer who had never played Harding, until this week. Here is that player's feedback, verbatim: ``The greens were lumpy and bumpy. The tee boxes weren't worth it. The fairways were OK. The place is beautiful, but it needs work.''

Sound familiar?

Meanwhile, plans are moving forward for the S.F. City Championship in March and the S.F. Open in May. Pro shop staffers have been told that no construction work will take place until next fall.