Texas city swaps 266-acre golf ranch for 138 acres of undeveloped land

Temple’s 25-year-old golf ranch is set to change hands in an unusual land swap with Texas A&M University, Temple. The city traded the 266-acre property for 138 acres of undeveloped university land, with both sides valuing their holdings at roughly $2.5 million.

The Temple Golf Ranch opened in 2001 beside Lake Temple, a 600-acre reservoir that attracted boaters, anglers and weekend visitors. The city designed the property as more than an 18-hole course. It included event spaces for weddings, corporate gatherings and community functions, along with walking trails and open areas for festivals and other outdoor activities.

Temple had promoted the ranch as an economic development tool, hoping to attract visitors, support local businesses and give the city a distinctive recreational venue. But over the years, the facility faced aging infrastructure, costly repairs and upgrades, competition from newer courses, changing leisure habits, and continuing maintenance, staffing and utility expenses.

Texas A&M University, Temple had expanded its health science and professional programs nearby and needed room for future academic and research growth, particularly in health sciences, nursing and related fields. University leaders saw the golf ranch as a large, contiguous parcel that could become a modern campus hub. The exchange allowed the university to pursue that opportunity without buying land on the open market, while giving the city a different property for its own future plans.