AUSTIN, Texas — Featuring a giant Peter Pan, a T-Rex and a number of other larger-than-life figures, the nostalgic Peter Pan Mini-Golf course has been around since 1948.
But the mini golf course and the lot next door to it are caught up in a sword fight with "real estate dealings of a large state agency," according to a report from the Austin Business Journal (ABJ).
According to the ABJ, the golf course is up against its lease, which is set to end in April 2024. In 1999, the golf course signed a 20-year lease between the company and the Texas Youth Commission, which was later replaced by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD).
When the TJJD took over, the golf course signed a new lease in 2019, but only for five years. Between those two leases, the monthly rental prices increased from $575 to $5,500, according to the ABJ.
The golf course will soon be up for lease negotiations again. However, those negotiations will be with a new "trustee who will be appointed to oversee family trusts that control the land in question," the ABJ reports. This appointed trustee, along with an advisory committee, would help with the management of the properties at 1207 and 1209 Barton Springs Road.
These properties have leases through the Parrie Haynes and John C. Wende trusts. The TJJD board is currently serving as trustee for both.
Peter Pan Mini-Golf's website states that it has has two 18-hole golf courses, the East Course and the West Course. As it stands right now, its owners, Julio Massad and Margaret Dismukes Massad, told the ABJ they plan to continue business as normal and plan to renew their lease on the property.
While Peter Pan Mini-Golf remains in limbo, the McDonald's located next door was already been demolished earlier this year after a permit was submitted in December 2022. The lease for McDonald's was set to expire on April 2024.
To learn more, read the ABJ's full report.
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