We are the Muny Conservancy, the evolution of 50 years of dedication and hard work by the dedicated Austinites that support the effort to save Lions Municipal Golf Course, established in 1924. 

The list, which includes golf professionals,  educators, preservationists, environmentalists, music and film icons, citizens advocates, neighbors, golf enthusiasts, sponsors, and other stakeholders from around the city is too long to list, but we couldn’t exist without their work and continued support. We are led by Austin native Ben Crenshaw, a two-time Masters Champion and renowned golf course architect who grew up playing Muny.

Our supporters include Angela and PGA Golfers Sergio Garcia and Jordan Spieth; actors Kyle Chandler, Luke Wilson; sportscaster Verne Lundquist; musicians Lukas and Willie Nelson, Ray Benson, Larry Gatlin and many other celebrities.   But it’s the players from every ethnicity and economic background that make up the heart of the Lions Muny.

Our Mission

Our mission is to continue to preserve, restore and protect this iconic, recreational green space for future generations, and to we pledge to keep Muny affordable and accessible to everyone. 

As Austin’s most beloved public golf course, Muny hosts over 60,000 rounds of golf each year, stages more charity tournaments than any other Austin golf course, and is the home course to a dozen middle and high school teams.  Lions annual hosts UIL State Tournaments, junior golf camps and tournaments and The Firecracker, one of the oldest and most prestigious amateur tournaments in Texas. 

Lions Municipal was the first municipal golf course in the South to be peacefully integrated, when two young black caddies played the course in the fall of 1950, and Mayor Taylor Glass said “Let them play!”  Until 1953 it remained the only municipal course in the south where black golfers were welcomed.  Only in ensuing years, did other municipalities in the south open their course to African American players.  

Lions sits on a water recharge zone is truly a wildlife sanctuary with some of the most beautiful and oldest heritage oaks in the city.   

Once Muny is saved, the Muny Conservancy will restore the historic course with world-renowned golf course architect Coore & Crenshaw, leading the work. 

In addition, we will expand the driving range and practice pavilion, add new public areas for community events, and most importantly, properly pay tribute to Muny’s history as a Civil Rights Landmark, with a museum and symposiums teaching the importance of what happened at Lions more than 70 years ago.