Las Positas Golf Pro and Beeb's Owners May Get Shut Out

Dan Bieber, who grew up on a farm near Vasco Road, played football at before an injury sidelined him and he discovered a love of golf.

In a perfect union of work and play, Dan and his wife own , a casual restaurant that offers a gorgeous view from its more upscale banquet room of the municipal Livermore . It’s one of several golf course-based restaurants owned by the Biebers. 

He and Jeanne met waiting tables at the Danville Hotel and took over the operation of Beeb’s back when it was a coffee shop and before the renovation in 1994. 

Beeb’s is Dan and Jeanne’s life and livelihood.

Jeff DeBenedetti has worked at the golf course, now undergoing , for 20 years and is the golf pro there. He met his wife, Geanna, at the course, where she would go to relax after work. In 2005, they put in a bid to run the golf course and have been doing so since.

But despite all their hard work and commitment to the community, this could all come crashing down.

Recently, the two couples were told that the City of Livermore didn’t want individual contractors running the operations any longer. The Public Works director planned on getting City Council approval to put out a call for bids to corporations that could handle all three areas of operation.

Currently, the Petaluma-based CourseCo, which has been named as a top-20 course management company, handles the grounds maintenance. Sycamore Golf Management Co. runs the city’s other municipal golf course in Springtown.

Under the current plan, a company like CourseCo or Sycamore Golf Management Co. could take over all aspects of the operations, theoretically cutting costs and bringing more revenue to the city.

While it doesn’t seem as if a corporation could be more efficient than the current set-up, that’s apparently the thinking behind this move by Public Works.

Personally, I’d rather spend my money at a place locally owned and operated if at all possible.

Roots run deep in Livermore, and most folks appreciate doing business with people who are part of the community.

There’s something about walking into a place where everybody knows your name, and remembers when they went to school with you or maybe even your children. But in these tough economic times, it’s getting harder and harder for independent owners and operators to stay in business. 

And with all the budget cuts, you can understand why a city might have to go to a lower bidder offering a sweeter deal.

Yet it doesn’t quite seem right that the City of Livermore may force the locals running the Livermore golf course and its restaurant, Beeb’s, to pull up stakes after years of building up those businesses.

Of course, this still has to go through the City Council for approval, but unless a significant number of citizens are opposed, it seems certain the city will put the contracts out for one operator to cover all aspects including maintenance, golf shop and restaurant.

Which leaves the DeBenedettis and the Biebers out of the loop, because they cannot do it unless they form a single corporation that offers all three services. And even if they did, such a new venture – even though they have operated their individual interests for years – would likely not be awarded a contract.

So perhaps the City Council will look beyond just the possibility of saving a few coins – if this change could even guarantee that – and remember whatever decision it makes will have a direct impact on the lives of all the residents working at , especially the Biebers and DeBenedettis.

For more coverage on the Las Positas Golf Course, view this article.