VA won’t contract with UCLA over golf course

The West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs campus will not contract with UCLA to refurbish its nine-hole Heroes Golf Course — a decision that comes as a relief to some local veterans and regular patrons.

The VA said Wednesday that it has instead approved a deal with the nonprofit Bandini Foundation to restore the grounds and improve the course’s operations, as well as manage its day-to-day operations.

A second Los Angeles-based nonprofit, U.S. Veterans Initiative, will continue its involvement with the course but will no longer be responsible for hiring a pro to manage the course.

U.S. Vets earlier this year had proposed partnering with UCLA to help raise the projected $6 million needed for renovations and ongoing upkeep. UCLA had said it planned to offer golf clinics and coordinate seminars on golf course design and operations and club making.

Some veterans opposed that idea, however, saying they feared UCLA would give priority to student golfers and limit veterans’ access to the course. In response, U.S. Vets proposed that the Bandini Foundation get involved.

The foundation is headed by Ricardo Bandini, an heir to the landholders who donated the land that the 387-acre VA campus now occupies.

“Our goal is to improve the course physically and provide work therapy and a first-class course for veterans,” said U.S. Vets President Stephen Peck. “Bandini has the same goal.”

Scott Morey, the Bandini Foundation’s executive vice president, said the group planned to hold celebrity tournaments and other events to raise funds to cover portions of the planned renovation of the course, including the construction of a clubhouse.

martha.groves@latimes.com