San Francisco Public Golf Alliance

What San Francisco Public Golf Alliance does

San Francisco Public Golf Alliance (SFPGA) is a nonprofit advocacy coalition founded in 2011 to preserve affordable, historic public golf in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a primary focus on defending Sharp Park Golf Course in Pacifica, California — an Alister MacKenzie-designed 1932 seaside links ranked by Golfweek among the Top 50 municipal courses in America. The organization operates as a legal and community-organizing vehicle rather than a commercial enterprise: it has coordinated pro bono representation from Morrison & Foerster to defeat four consecutive anti-golf lawsuits (2011–2015) at the federal, state, and county levels, secured a unanimous California Coastal Commission permit in April 2015, and worked with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on a habitat recovery plan that coexists with the California red-legged frog and San Francisco garter snake.

The Alliance's "products" are advocacy campaigns, educational content, and fundraising events: a published coffee-table book (Alister MacKenzie's Legacy of Public Golf at Sharp Park), a "Save Sharp Park" merchandise line sold through State Apparel, the annual Alister MacKenzie Heritage Tournament (11th edition in October 2025), and an Alister MacKenzie Golf Auction. Its revenue model is donor- and community-supported: small-dollar donations via website and mail, free membership in exchange for email signup, merchandise and book sales, and tournament/auction proceeds. It does not set green fees (those are set by the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department) and does not publicly disclose its financials.

The organization's customers and stakeholders fall into four segments: Bay Area public golfers (the primary beneficiary), historic preservationists, environmental/conservation groups (now including the Alliance as a co-existence partner), and regional tourism/economic development stakeholders (who view San Francisco muni golf as an underleveraged tourism asset comparable to Bandon Dunes). Key institutional partners include Morrison & Foerster, the Alister MacKenzie Foundation, First Tee of San Francisco, the NCGA, and the San Francisco Women's Golf Council. The co-founders Richard Harris (President) and Bo Links lead the organization, supported by a small volunteer-driven structure headquartered at 826 Stanyan St., San Francisco.

Name

San Francisco Public Golf Alliance

Legal name

San Francisco Public Golf Alliance

Website

https://sfpublicgolf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

San Francisco Public Golf Alliance is a 501(c)-style nonprofit founded in 2011 that uses legal advocacy, community organizing, and fundraising to preserve affordable, historic public golf courses in the San Francisco Bay Area, primarily Sharp Park and Lincoln Park. It serves Bay Area golfers, preservationists, and environmental partners through donations, merchandise, a published book, and an annual tournament.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Golf Advocacy and Public Course Preservation

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Amateur & Grassroots Sport Associations (Community/Youth Governing Orgs) (MPAKAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Golf Courses & Golf Facilities (MPAKAEAD)

Keywords

• Public golf preservation
• Municipal golf advocacy
• Nonprofit golf coalition
• Historic golf conservation
• Golf course habitat coexistence

Headquarters

HQ city

South San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: The Alliance raises funds through donations from the golfing community and members. It collects donations via its website and mail, and offers free membership by signing up with name and email.
2. Merchandise Sales: The Alliance operates a 'Save Sharp Park' merchandise collection through State Apparel (online store), selling apparel and items to supporters.
3. Book Sales: The Alliance publishes and sells the coffee-table book 'Alister MacKenzie's Legacy of Public Golf at Sharp Park' through Blurb and Amazon. All proceeds fund Sharp Park preservation efforts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The San Francisco Public Golf Alliance is a nonprofit advocacy coalition that preserves and restores affordable, historic public golf in San Francisco. It defends the city's six municipal courses (Sharp Park, TPC Harding Park, Lincoln Park, Gleneagles, Golden Gate, and Fleming Nine) against closure and neglect through legal advocacy, community organizing, fundraising, and historic preservation. It also engages in habitat recovery efforts in coordination with environmental regulators to ensure golf coexists with endangered species.

Product overview

The San Francisco Public Golf Alliance is a nonprofit advocacy organization (not a technology product company) that focuses on preserving affordable, eco-friendly public golf in San Francisco. The organization's offerings include: advocacy campaigns to save Sharp Park and Lincoln Park golf courses, educational publications (the Alister MacKenzie's Legacy of Public Golf at Sharp Park book), and organizing the annual Alister MacKenzie Heritage Tournament fundraiser. They serve as a resource hub providing historical, cultural, recreational, financial and community data about San Francisco's municipal golf courses to the public, media, and decision-makers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Alister MacKenzie's Legacy of Public Golf at Sharp Park (Book) A coffee-table book documenting Sharp Park's unique beauty, charm and mystique, co-authored by Alliance founders Richard Harris and Bo Links and photographer Brad Knipstein. All proceeds fund the campaign to preserve and restore MacKenzie's Sharp Park for future generations. Sold through Blurb and Amazon.
• Sharp Park Golf Course Preservation Campaign Advocacy campaign to preserve and restore the historic 1932 Alister MacKenzie-designed seaside public links course in Pacifica, CA, ranked by Golfweek as one of the 50 greatest municipal courses in America.
• Lincoln Park Golf Course Advocacy Campaign to protect scenic Lincoln Park Golf Course against commercial development, located at the northwest corner of San Francisco on cliffs overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.
• Alister MacKenzie Heritage Tournament Annual golf tournament held at Sharp Park to raise funds for preserving and restoring MacKenzie's vision. The 11th edition was scheduled for October 10, 2025.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sharp Park Golf Course was successfully defended against four consecutive anti-golf lawsuits (2011–2015), with all challenges dismissed at U.S. District Court, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, San Francisco Superior Court, and San Mateo Superior Court.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Morrison & FoerstercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMorrison & Foerster is a San Francisco-based law firm that has provided pro bono legal representation to the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance since 2011. The firm has defended the Alliance and San Francisco against multiple lawsuits aimed at closing Sharp Park Golf Course, achieving victories at the U.S. District Court, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, San Francisco Superior Court, and San Mateo Superior Court.
• Alister MacKenzie FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Alister MacKenzie Foundation works with the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance to raise philanthropic funds for the restoration of Sharp Park Golf Course. Both organizations share a mission to preserve Alister MacKenzie's golfing legacy.
• First Tee of San FranciscocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA nonprofit affiliate of First Tee took over operation of Golden Gate Golf Course in 2014. First Tee of San Francisco managed a $2.5 million golf course renovation completed in 2024, in partnership with SF Rec & Park. First Tee's affiliation with the Alliance is based on shared goals of promoting youth access to golf.
• Northern California District Council of LaborersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Northern California District Council of Laborers partnered with Gleneagles Golf Course operator Tom Hsieh to establish a Laborers Union pre-apprentice job-training academy at Gleneagles, providing entry-level job training for at-risk San Francisco youth while simultaneously improving course conditions.
• NCGA (National Golf Course Owners Association)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a related link on the Alliance website, NCGA is a golf industry organization that has featured coverage of San Francisco's public courses in NCGA Golf Magazine.
• San Francisco Women's Golf CouncilminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a related link on the Alliance website; Lyn Nelson serves as Chair of the Council and participates in Alliance events.
• First Tee of San Francisco (listed again for completeness)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a related link on the Alliance website; First Tee of San Francisco operates youth golf programs at city courses.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Others

• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit that works to protect public lands and create parks, including urban recreation spaces. Adjacent comparable: same nonprofit/community-advocacy model applied to preserving public recreational assets, though broader than golf-specific preservation.
• Audubon Society: National environmental nonprofit engaged in habitat conservation, including for the California red-legged frog — the same endangered species at the center of Sharp Park litigation. Adjacent comparable on the environmental-coexistence dimension that defines SFPGA's regulatory strategy.
• The Fried Egg Golf: Independent golf media outlet that produces guides, podcasts, and editorial coverage championing municipal and historic golf courses, including recent features on SF's munis. Thematically aligned with SFPGA's preservation narrative though operating as a media business rather than a nonprofit.
• Municipal Art Society of New York: Nonprofit advocacy organization that protects New York's urban heritage and public spaces through legal action, community organizing, and policy advocacy. Operationally analogous to SFPGA's community-led advocacy model, though focused on architecture and urban planning rather than golf.
• National Trust for Historic Preservation: National nonprofit focused on historic preservation across architecture, landscapes, and cultural sites. Adjacent comparable: shares the advocacy/community-coalition playbook SFPGA uses, applied at scale to historic assets including, potentially, MacKenzie-designed courses.

Broad incumbents

• United States Golf Association (USGA): National governing body for golf in the U.S., with a museum, foundation, and award programs (including the Herbert Warren Wind Book Award recently given to an SFPGA-network author). Operates broadly across golf governance, preservation, and amateur development — overlapping with SFPGA's preservation and amateur-golf mission at a national scale.

Direct peers

• National Links Trust: Nonprofit dedicated to restoring and reinvesting in municipal golf in Washington, D.C. The most directly comparable peer to SFPGA: both are nonprofit coalitions advocating for the preservation and improvement of historic public/municipal golf courses, often in partnership with city agencies and against development or closure pressures.
• Alister MacKenzie Foundation: Nonprofit that raises philanthropic funds to preserve and restore Alister MacKenzie-designed golf courses. A direct strategic partner of SFPGA with an overlapping mission focused specifically on MacKenzie's architectural legacy, including Sharp Park.

Emerging players

• First Tee: National nonprofit that introduces youth to golf, often through partnerships at municipal courses. First Tee of San Francisco operates Golden Gate Golf Course and partners directly with SFPGA on youth access and course renovation.

Regional players

• Northern California Golf Association (NCGA): Regional golf association serving Northern California, featured in SFPGA's related links and coverage of SF muni courses. Comparable as a regional membership-based golf organization with overlapping audience and advocacy-adjacent interests, though focused on amateur competition rather than course preservation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/SFPublicGolf
• Facebookfacebook.com/SFPGA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/san-francisco-public-golf-alliance
• Instagraminstagram.com/sfpga

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about San Francisco Public Golf Alliance