Lions Municipal Golf Course has a date on the calendar again. Under a 2025 state law, the Save Historic Muny District has until May 31, 2027 to reach an agreement with the University of Texas to buy the land or preserve it. If there's no agreement by then, the district's board has to dissolve it. The deadline applies only to the district. UT doesn't have to do anything by May 2027, and the course you can book this weekend is running on the same short-term footing it has had for years.
The 2027 date applies to one party
HB 2421 changed the date in two places, from 2025 to 2027. The first change requires the district to sign, before May 31, 2027, a deal with "the owner of the land used for the historic Lions Municipal Golf Course" that either buys the land or preserves it "as a public golf course, publicly available parkland, or a combination of those uses." Only after a deal like that can the district contract with the city for utility-fee revenue. The second change is the dissolution clause, which uses May 31, 2027 as its date: no deal as of then, no district. The bill took effect September 1, 2025.
The deadline has moved before. When the district was created in 2019, its target was May 2021. Lawmakers extended it in 2021 and again in 2023, and then Rep. Donna Howard's 2025 bill pushed the dissolution date to May 2027. Community Impact reported in October 2025 that some lawmakers said this could be the district's final deadline, and that Austin and UT still had no deal on the site's future.
A district with no power to force a deal
The district dates to 2019, when the 86th Legislature passed SB 2553 to preserve the 141.35-acre Muny tract for public golf, parkland or both. That same law spells out what the district can't do:
- It can't impose taxes or assessments.
- It can't use eminent domain.
- It can't make anyone sell land or sign an agreement with it.
- It can't collect utility-fee revenue until there's a landowner agreement and district voters approve the contract.
What it can do is accept donations and carry out or contract for improvement projects and services. Five directors serve staggered four-year terms. The City of Austin appoints them from names the previous board recommends. The city lists the current board as Ken Tiemann (chair), Brian Greig (vice chair), Andrea McWilliams, Volma Overton III and Mary M. Arnold. All five attended the January 16, 2026 meeting.
So the district can bring money and a willing buyer to the table. It can't compel UT to come to that table. That's why the 2027 deadline doesn't force a decision.
Where UT stands
UT owns the land. The city has leased it for public recreation for decades and pays less than $500,000 a year, according to Community Impact's October 2025 report. The same report said the property is now appraised at more than $680 million and that UT has previously signaled plans to redevelop some or all of it. Put those two figures side by side and the rent is well under a tenth of one percent of the appraised value per year.
The land came to UT in an early-1900s gift that requires it to benefit the university. A UT spokesperson told Community Impact the university still sees the property as an asset for its students. "As with all gifts entrusted to us, we will continue to strive to be good stewards of the Brackenridge land for the benefit of the current and future generations of students we serve," Mike Rosen said.
The lease itself is short-term. KXAN reported in August 2024 that it renews month to month and takes five months' notice to cancel. The Legislature's 2025 analysis of HB 2421 also described the lease as monthly. We couldn't find any public reporting from 2026 that confirms the current terms, so treat that description as the most recent one on record, not a confirmed fact for this fall.
Preservation runs on history and money
Since the district can't force anything, the case for keeping Muny public rests on persuasion. A lot of that case is history. The Lions Club opened the course in 1924 as Austin's first public golf course. It started as nine holes on part of UT's Brackenridge Tract, grew to 18, and kept the Lions Municipal name after the city took over the lease in 1936. Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Sandra Haynie, Tom Kite and Ben Crenshaw all played there. It's on the Texas Registry of Historic Golf Courses and the National Register of Historic Places.
The National Register listing recognizes Muny as one of the first courses in the South to desegregate, before Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. In KXAN's account, Black men could work as caddies at Muny but weren't allowed to play. In late 1950, two Black caddies started playing the 18th hole. A course employee challenged them, and Mayor Taylor Glass let them finish after checking with council members. KXAN says the integration was peaceful and that the City Council publicly recognized it in April 1951.
The rest of the case is money. The fifth Imagine Muny Gala took place September 10, 2026, and Tribeza reported that it raised $1 million for preservation. That report also said The Muny Conservancy was still working with UT and the city on a permanent future. Tanya Tucker, Asleep at the Wheel, Jack Ingram and Wade Bowen were on the bill. Later in September, KXAN's Studio 512 ran features on Ray Benson and Tucker talking about why Muny matters to them.
In August, the Austin Business Journal ran a piece the Conservancy lists under the headline "53 Years of 'Save Muny.'" The summary reads:
"For over 50 years, Austin has wondered if the University of Texas will save the 'Muny' golf course or capitalize on its development potential. The question may finally be answered soon."
The full ABJ story is paywalled, and we couldn't check what's behind that "soon." As of mid-October 2026, we haven't found any reported sale, transfer or new lease.
The Conservancy has described what it would like to build if the course is secured. Its plan includes a new entrance on Lake Austin Boulevard, an entirely new clubhouse, a new driving range with covered teaching bays, a renovated existing clubhouse with public gathering space and a museum honoring the course's civil rights and golf history, green space for public events, and trails linking to the hike-and-bike trail. The plan doesn't list dates. It depends on a deal that doesn't exist yet.
Using the course this fall
Until there's an agreement, Muny is still a city course with city rules. Some of those rules changed recently. The city moved weekend booking online-only for tee times starting October 27, 2025, and left weekday booking as it was.
| What | How it works now |
|---|---|
| Weekend tee times | Online only, opening at 8 p.m. the Monday before. The pro shop starts taking calls Tuesday when it opens |
| Weekday tee times | Online at 9 a.m., seven days ahead. You can also book in person when the pro shop opens, or by phone at (512) 978-6869 starting 30 minutes before the first tee time |
| Online booking | You need a user account |
| Regular rates, effective Oct. 1, 2025 | $35 Monday through Thursday, $41 Friday, $44 weekends and holidays |
| Resident discount | A $5 annual resident card for City of Austin residents |
| Payment | Cards only, no cash |
| Regular closure | Every third Monday of the month, except holidays and major tournaments |
Evening and sunset tee times shift with the season, and the city posts a separate chart for them. The driving range closed for about four weeks starting May 11 for irrigation and resurfacing work. Before you plan a practice session around it, call the pro shop, since the city page doesn't say whether that work is done.
You don't have to golf to stop by. Cisco's Muny Cafe is in the clubhouse at 2901 Enfield Rd. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day and calls its owner "the man who brought Migas to Muny." In summer, the course hosts the Firecracker Open, Texas' oldest amateur tournament. The 2026 edition ran July 3 through 5.
The next date on the calendar is May 31, 2027. If the district doesn't have an agreement with UT in place by then, its board has to dissolve it.
When you live near a landmark whose future is still open, it makes sense to know what's actually decided and what's still being negotiated. If you'd like to talk through what Muny's next chapter could mean for your street, Propertysmith Realty is happy to walk through it with you. You can also request a personalized valuation of your home at any time.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
