[SF_Cardinal_Fan]

I know conservatives like nothing better than to rag on SF, but my read of that wikipedia page doesn't seem like the experience was all that crazy. One Supervisor opposed turning the course over to a private management company and publicized the possibility that rising fee schedules would cut out public access to the course. Later, a few neighborhood advocacy groups opposed the use of grant money on the golf course instead of on other recreational facilities. From my experience living in several other cities, this is pretty much, pardon the pun, par for the course - any time a large amount of city money and land is at stake.

For example, read about NYC's experience attempting to erect the Westway on the west side of Manhattan and Harding Park's experience was a walk in the park by comparison.

That Wiki article is not detailed enough.
For example, the business of  Harding Park's operations, , like all other SF golf courses, has traditionally been been leased to private entities.
However, the maintenance of SF's courses has always, and continues to this day, to be controlled by the powerful Laborers union Local 261.
Therein has lay the fundamental problem with the maintenance of SF's golf courses and parks. I am sure the late Hoover Insititute member Milton Friedman would agree, but that is a separate subject.
To ensure a standard of excellence at Harding,  Sandy Tatum and Charles Schwab orchestrated a commitment of the PGA Tour to host 5 events over a 15 year period. This meant that the Laborers union, rather than neglect the golf course as they had done for decades, would be consistently  pressed to maintain the course up to PGA Tour and the  PGA of America's highest  standards. This has worked well and Harding Park was recently rewarded in the form of two major event commitments, including the 2020 PGA Championship and 2025 President's Cup .
Sandy Tatum, with assistance from Charles Schwab, made this happen. Without their efforts Harding park would have continued on its downward spiral and never become the jewel (for both the world of golf and the city of SF) that it is today.

[SF_Cardinal_Fan]

I know conservatives like nothing better than to rag on SF, but my read of that wikipedia page doesn't seem like the experience was all that crazy. One Supervisor opposed turning the course over to a private management company and publicized the possibility that rising fee schedules would cut out public access to the course. Later, a few neighborhood advocacy groups opposed the use of grant money on the golf course instead of on other recreational facilities. From my experience living in several other cities, this is pretty much, pardon the pun, par for the course - any time a large amount of city money and land is at stake.

For example, read about NYC's experience attempting to erect the Westway on the west side of Manhattan and Harding Park's experience was a walk in the park by comparison.

That Wiki article is not detailed enough.
For example, the business of  Harding Park's operations, , like all other SF golf courses, has traditionally been been leased to private entities.
However, the maintenance of SF's courses has always, and continues to this day, to be controlled by the powerful Laborers union Local 261.
Therein has lay the fundamental problem with the maintenance of SF's golf courses and parks. I am sure the late Hoover Insititute member Milton Friedman would agree, but that is a separate subject.
To ensure a standard of excellence at Harding,  Sandy Tatum and Charles Schwab orchestrated a commitment of the PGA Tour to host 5 events over a 15 year period. This meant that the Laborers union, rather than neglect the golf course as they had done for decades, would be consistently  pressed to maintain the course up to PGA Tour and the  PGA of America's highest  standards. This has worked well and Harding Park was recently rewarded in the form of two major event commitments, including the 2020 PGA Championship and 2025 President's Cup .
Sandy Tatum, with assistance from Charles Schwab, made this happen. Without their efforts Harding park would have continued on its downward spiral and never become the jewel (for both the world of golf and the city of SF) that it is today.