After 50 years of fighting, Austin may secure Muny’s 141 acres while UT develops 190 acres nearby

For more than half a century, Austin residents have fought to protect the historic Lions Municipal Golf Course from being taken over by property developers. Now, a proposed agreement between the City of Austin and The University of Texas at Austin (UT) would transfer full ownership of the 141-acre golf course to the city, protecting the historic green space for the future. Under the deal, the university would receive updated rules for developing about 190 acres of nearby land it owns along Lake Austin Boulevard. The agreement could end a long-running dispute over the future of the course, known affectionately to locals as Muny. It sits on valuable waterfront land near downtown Austin.Transferring ownership of a civil rights landmarkMuny opened in 1924 on land owned by the university system along Lady Bird Lake. The City of Austin took over the lease in 1937 and has run the course as a public golf facility ever since. The course is popular with local golfers, but it also holds an important place in history. In 1950, Muny became the first public golf course in the southern United States to integrate. It allowed African American players to use the course before courts ordered desegreg...