David Sams has spent more than 50 years in the municipal golf sector, beginning with the City of Pasadena’s 36-hole Brookside Golf Club at the Rose Bowl. He led Brookside’s transition from a city-run facility to a long-term lease with a major golf management company, generating more than $85 million in rent and capital improvements, along with tens of millions in revenue from non-golf-related events.
In 1996, as Director of Golf Services for the City of San Leandro, David led a similar transition that included the redesign, financing, and $8.5 million construction of the 27-hole Monarch Bay Golf Club—then the largest public-private golf partnership of its kind. That project has generated more than $25 million over the past 30 years.
Today, David advises government agencies on golf course operations, RFP development, lease negotiations, and capital improvement planning. His work has supported more than $40 million in improvements across public golf facilities. He also promotes community-focused, non-golf events at municipal courses—such as music festivals, car shows, charity walks, and cross-country meets—broadening public engagement and enhancing revenue opportunities.