[Trey Kemp]

For all of those familiar with golf in Austin, TX this is an interesting website about Lions Municipal Golf Course.

www.savemuny.com

[Ed Oden]

I lived in Austin in the late 80s and played Lions many times.  Very short due to land constraints, but lots of fun.  I always liked the feel of the place.  Anyone know who originally designed it?  Has any restoration/renovation work been done recently?

[Jeff Spittel]

I played in the Save Muny tournament a few weeks back. It's a fun little course and we had a great time. Gentle Ben even made it out for the event.

[JLahrman]

Bringing this one back up to the top...

I just moved to Austin two months ago and played my first round here on Sunday at Lions.

I really enjoyed the place. It was only about 6100 yards from the back tees, but there were a lot of fun shots and tricky greens. I'm a long wild hitter, but despite the course's short length I was able to haul out the driver a half dozen times. Paid $24, got off at 7:15 and was done in three and a half hours.

It looks like the "Save Muny" website is still going strong, and there was a 5K back in March to help the cause (with a familiar face serving as the emcee).

Does anyone have the lowdown on the course's future? The guy I was paired with the other day made mention of the possibility that the course would be razed to build condos. I was hoping he was ill-informed, but it appears that the course's future is indeed very uncertain. Are there more details available (beyond what the website gives, and I still need to read through most of the site)? Homes in Austin are in short supply (as my wife and I just discovered) but it would be a shame to lose this place.

[JLahrman]

My understanding was that since Texas has decided not to play football anymore they want to get into the development business. Plans were for a large scale conference center, maybe some housing, and a Tom Kite high end course. In any event UT wanted to make better use of the land and develop it for their benefit. UT owns the land. It pits Kite against Crenshaw.

Sorry if I'm misunderstanding, but a conference center, housing, and a high end course...all on that current site??? Would the course only have four holes? Or would the Kite course be somewhere else?

It's in a great location in a beautiful neighborhood, there is no doubt about that. That is some valuable land.

I'll read up on the website when I have chance, it looks like the guy who runs it keeps it pretty current. And count me in for the 5K next year!

[JLahrman]

Given the exploding housing market here I'm sure the residential development is what they'd want. It's worth much more as housing than it would be as a course, even a "high end" course (which I think would be hard to squeeze onto the site).

[Bill_McBride]

So you moved from the SF Bay Area to Austin and you are startled by the prices in Austin?

I moved from SF to Dallas in 1978 and pretty much doubled my residence for the same price range!   But of course it's hard to compare Dallas and Austin.

[JMEvensky]

My understanding was that since Texas has decided not to play football anymore

Sad but true--and from a former Longhorn.

[JLahrman]

So you moved from the SF Bay Area to Austin and you are startled by the prices in Austin?

Negative sir. I was startled by the GROWTH in home prices, not the absolute value. Startled by the first derivative, not the function itself.

My wife and I bought a place already here in Austin. We were light years away from purchasing anything other than a parking spot in the Bay Area. However, we looked into several Austin neighborhoods but were more or less told by our agent "If you had moved here 18 months ago, I could have gotten you into that neighborhood within your budget. But now? Keep dreaming."

FWIW, my favorite shot at Lions was the approach to the sixth. I'd hit a good tee shot and only had a wedge in. Downhill lie, downhill shot, fairway blending seamlessly into the green, green running away from you. I love those shots. It's always a lot of fun to try to figure out how high and how far to hit it. If it were later in the day I probably could have putted it.

[Edward Moody]

I live 3 mi from Muny and I'm a Longhorn so I'm invested in this topic.  Lions was our "go to" while at UT.  Short drive from campus, cheap, fun, etc.  We'd load up the plastic bag full of cold ones and set off on our 5 hour + adventure.  The most interesting part of Lions is the guys or gals you get paired with.  I've seen it all!

UT owns the land and the city of Austin has a pretty nice lease.  It certainly isn't being used for its highest and best use (as the trust dictates).  I will be crushed when it closes and gets developed, but UT has to get more economic benefit out of that property.  Not that I'm for it, but I get it.

I play my golf elsewhere these days but have fond memories of Muny.  No 6 is one of the holes I think of when I think of Lions.  The green is severely pitched from back to front yet the putt uphill is faster than the putt downhill (the river effect).  And no 16 is brutal.  I think Hogan even referenced it at one point.

You made the right move by teeing off early.  Its one of those places...as soon as you can see a crack of light the first tee is open for play.

[JLahrman]

And if they don't, what happens to UT? What is the downside for them if it remains a golf course?

Isn't much of their endowment dependent on alumni and the oil and mineral rights under their land?

What economic benefit are they getting from their Mack Brown investment?

That's my question too...there is no doubt they could use the golf course land more profitably than they are right now, but if we are talking peanuts relative to other income sources (and I have no idea what the actual percentage is), and the university's overall financial health is solid, then why the rush to bulldoze the site?

[Edward Moody]

As I stated, I don't agree with the direction of the plan, but I understand their point of view.

The question may not be about the downside if the land remains a golf course, but the upside if the land is developed.

Yes - the UT system, which also benefits A&M, has huge assets and with the revitalization of the Permian Basin the pockets are getting fatter.

I would say the return on investment related to Mack Brown has been undeniably impressive.  This isn't a forward looking statement (we have serious issues with the health of our major men's programs) but looking back I would say we've done extremely well financially by investing in the football program just as the investment into Sumlin and his staff will surely pay dividends for TAMU.

I wish like hell the school would move on and leave Muny alone.  That's where I stand.

[JLahrman]

Separate question, is Lions just referred to locally as "Muny"? I don't want to sound like some lousy transplant. It took me several weeks to learn how to pronounce "Manchaca" and I'm still not sure I've got it right.

[Edward Moody]

lol!  funny story - whenever I used to type the word "muni" b/c it is a municipal course.  And I've never seen the term "muny bond".  But when the campaign started to save the course the bumper stickers and yard signs said "save muny".  I had a bumper sticker on my car for a couple of years and my mother in law saw it one day and said "save money - that's smart".  

I would say most refer to it as just Lions.

[Bill_McBride]

Joel, can you say "Chuy's?"   I hope so, good Tex-Mex there!

[JLahrman]

Joel, can you say "Chuy's?"   I hope so, good Tex-Mex there!

Yes, learned that one on Day 1.

[Lynn_Shackelford]

Texans have their own way of saying things.  In the other 49 states it would be muni.  As for return on investment, I wonder if the biggest returns were the amounts invested in Vince Young and Kevin Durrant?
UCLA is currently going to receive a fabulous return on their current QB.

If Texas falls behind this week against Mississippi, there might be a few boo birds among one of the most polite crowds in college sports.

[JLahrman]

Somebody change the title of the thread...Save Mack!

[Bill_McBride]

Somebody change the title of the thread...Save Mack!

As a Cal fan remembering 2004:  Don't save Mack, dump Mack!

[Bill_McBride]

Posted: 12:01 a.m. Monday, Sept. 16, 2013
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
A&M raises a record $740.6 million in donations
By Ralph K.M. Haurwitz

American-Statesman Staff

Texas A&M University raised more than $740 million in donations during the past year, a record for the College Station flagship fueled in part by what one official described as euphoria over the success of its football team following the move to the Southeastern Conference.

The $740.6 million tally for the budget year ending Aug. 31 exceeded by more than $300 million the university’s previous record for a 12-month period. And though fundraising totals are still being tallied across the country, making broad comparisons difficult, A&M’s total dwarfed the more than $400 million that the University of Texas raised in the most recent period.

The alums were that glad to get away from the Longhorns?   

[Brian Ross]

I'm moving to Austin next weekend. Sounds like I'll have to get over to Muny quick before it goes the way of the dodo!

[JLahrman]

I'm moving to Austin next weekend. Sounds like I'll have to get over to Muny quick before it goes the way of the dodo!

Let me know when you get here. I'll meet you there. I'm anxious to give it another go.

[Sam Morrow]

I'm moving to Austin next weekend. Sounds like I'll have to get over to Muny quick before it goes the way of the dodo!

Let me know when you get here. I'll meet you there. I'm anxious to give it another go.

I've never played it, let me know and I wouldn't mind coming up for the day.

[Brian Ross]

Joel and Sam,

I will let you know! We will get together out there soon.

[Sam Morrow]

Works for me, it's not quite a 3 hour drive.

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