News

Save Glendale Rally Set Saturday! Attendance Urged

Tommy Reese, professional at Glendale Golf Course for more than 40 years, will be one of several speakers at a special Rally to Preserve Glendale Golf Course this Saturday at 11 a.m. Golfers are urged to be there early to help generate rally enthusiasm.

The rally is being organized by regular playing members of the Glendale golf course and they are urging a large turnout and public support. The rally is being spearheaded by Tim Branigan, an assistant professional at the course. He’s an Irishman with his dander up!

Several weeks ago the Salt Lake City Council sent several recommendations to Mayor Ralph Becker regarding the management of Salt Lake City parks and golf courses and one of the recommendations was to change the use of Glendale Golf Course to a public park. It was a recommendation that Mayor Becker has not yet publicly responded to, but he has previously stated his desire to develop more multi-use parks and opened the door for converting Glendale from a golf course to a park.

If Mayor Becker approves the recommendation forwarded to him by the City Council the Glendale Golf Course would close at the end of next year’s golfing season.

Branigan, a long time professional in Utah, has been one of the many organizers of the tally. Branigan, who came to Utah for its skiing, was a ski instructor at Alta for 12 years before turning his interest to golf. He was the assistant pro at Park Meadows under three professionals and more recently at Glendale under Dave Carter. He is passionate about the importance of saving Glendale as a golf course.

“The community needs to rally around Glendale as a golf course,’ he says. “There aren’t enough people who know what is happening, and we need to educate and inform all the golfing public and if we don’t generate some attention to the issue we will wake up one day and find this valuable golf course closed to golf forever. It would be a travesty,” he said.

“The people making these decisions have no clue or interest in golf,” he said, “and we need to show them that there will be significant back lash if this course is closed.”

Reporters and photographers from the major news outlets in the valley have committed to reporting on the rally.

UGA Executive Director Bill Walker expressed his concern regarding the situation facing Glendale Golf Course.  “Golf is a very important recreational amenity for citizens of our cities and counties across Utah.  This is an important time for the golfing public to show their support and make their collective voices heard.”