Can we use the property?
Yes! The public is welcome to enjoy the property for passive recreation. Get out for a walk with family, friends or neighbors, ride your bike on the paths, toss around a Frisbee. No horses at this time. Please respect the land, pick up your trash, and respect other users. Please clean up after your dog and keep them on a leash or otherwise under control. And note that Wild Iris Drive and Nicasio Road are private roads; please respect our neighbors and do not park there.
Is the property fire safe?
Yes! Fire safety is a central, guiding principle for the Reimagine San Geronimo visioning process and our day-to-day property management. We are closely following recommendations from the Marin County Fire Department to ensure that the property for fire safety, and serves as a staging area for first responders. Click here to read the Fire Department’s recommendations and here for more information on how the Fire Department views the property.
Are you maintaining the land?
Yes! While the property does look different now that it is not a golf course, we have a property manager named Craig Zellers maintaining the grounds – look for him the next time you are out enjoying the land and let him know if you see any hazards or other concerns. You may have noticed some downed trees on the property. We will be cleaning those up in the near future. For your safety, please avoid any trees marked with hazard tape
What happened to the golf course?
The prior owner of the former San Geronimo Golf Course put the property up for sale a couple of years ago and The Trust for Public Land purchased the property in January 2018. Marin County leased the property to continue golf operations in anticipation of the County eventually acquiring the property and convening a planning process for its future use. A lawsuit prevented this from happening and the County terminated the lease and golf operations in December 2018.
Are you considering bringing golf back?
The Trust for Public Land is no longer considering golf on the property. Golf is not central to The Trust for Public Land’s mission and we do not operate golf courses. In a few cases we have acquired private golf courses for conveyance to local governments seeking to turn them into municipal courses. There is no such public partner willing to acquire and operate the San Geronimo golf course. Nevertheless, in response to stakeholder interest, The Trust for Public Land met extensively over the last year with golf advocates, golf investors and other experts in the industry to explore the potential for on-going golf on the property. We could find no financially viable path for the short- or long term that would be sustainable, recover our investment in the property and deliver on our conservation mission.
What about a nine-hole course?
We explored the possibility of smaller golf course configurations on the property, including a 9-hole format, and discovered similar financial constraints as with a full 18-hole configuration. In some ways, the financial impediments grow more acute at smaller scales.
Isn’t there a ballot measure that would bring golf back?
The March 2020 ballot measure would not require that a private landowner operate a golf course on the property, and The Trust for Public Land is no longer considering golf. The measure would limit other uses that are under consideration, including a new fire station and revitalized clubhouse. Its passage would not bring golf back but would prevent the property from being improved or used in other ways. Its passage would leave the property in a largely fallow state.
What is floodplain restoration about?
Learn about floodplain restoration here.