Liberty National Loses Bid To Add Three New Island Holes, First Tee

Terence McDonald reports that Liberty National Golf Club is giving up on hopes to leasing 20-acres to add what would have been three incredibly-situated holes. The concept was to free up space for a First Tee facility.

 The area in question sits in the small bay to the right of the 2017 Presidents Cup host's 18th hole and is essentially a bird sanctuary. 

The club, which hosts the PGA Tour's Northern Trust in 2019 and 2022, had wanted 20 acres but was rejected by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and is now apparently abandoning the ambitious plan.

Chidley's letter to Liberty National says the DEP rejected the golf course's bid as "nonresponsive" because it does not include a number of required items. Liberty National failed to demonstrate how its proposed rent — $10,000 annually or a one-time payment of $200,000 — was equal to the market value of the proposed use, the letter says. The bid also failed to specify the tangible public benefit of leasing the portion of the park to Liberty National, according to the letter.

It's not clear whether Liberty National will make a second attempt to lease the land. A request for comment from the golf course's spokesman was not returned.