A private management firm may take over operation of State Parks golf courses in Utah, notably the popular Wasatch Mountain in Midway, following a bid process over the next four weeks,the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
The State of Utah’s Division of Parks and Recreation has posted a request for proposals (RFP) for a 10-year lease agreement to operate four courses: the 36-hole Wasatch Mountain and the 36-hole Soldier Hollow in Midway, the 18-hole Palisdade near Manti and the nine-hole Green River. Interested groups are required to make formal site visits Oct. 17-19 and submit proposals by Nov. 7. Officials expect to decide by mid-December whether or not a contract will be awarded, and then make their choice of firms.
The Golf Alliance for Utah, an organization that brings together governing bodies of the sport, is not generally opposed to privatizing, said Scott Whittaker, the GAU chair. Yet in the case of the State Parks venues, the GAU would worry about an outside firm’s commitment to all four courses. Whittaker wonders if the lure of running the highly successful Wasatch Mountain would drive firms’ interest in obtaining the contract, and if they would be as interested in funding improvements to the other courses.
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