MIXT Industries presented a draft proposal to lease the Polson Bay Golf Course from the City of Polson during the Polson Commission’s Monday night meeting on Feb. 2. Simultaneously, the Polson Bay Golf Association has been discussing a management option with City Manager Ed Meece.  

The city will host a workshop on the MIXT draft proposal on Tuesday, Feb. 17. 

MIXT Industries is a founder-led business that invests in entrepreneurs and businesses, with Dallas Tanner as the managing partner. The company’s draft proposal includes a 99-year ground lease, a $500,000 upfront payment to the city, and annual payments of $50,000 for the next 10 years.  

The partnership proposal packet presented to the commissioners Monday stated that the goal is to close by June 1, 2026. MIXT would assume all operational responsibilities and risk while the city retains ownership of the land and its tax-exempt status.  

The MIXT draft stated that the city benefits by no longer bearing “all weather and economic risk” and by no longer managing multiple full-time employees with “$97,000 administrative overhead.”  

According to previous Lake County Leader reporting, the golf course enterprise fund generated just over $2.4 million during the 2025 fiscal year. However, with total expenses at nearly $2 million, the golf course generates only $438,028 in profit.  

The draft proposal suggests that proceeds given to the city could be put into its general fund. According to previous Leader reporting, current profits from the golf course remain in the enterprise fund for capital improvements.  

Tanner’s family has called Polson home since the early 1990s, and the draft stated, “this isn’t a distant investor looking at a spreadsheet, it’s a neighbor,” according to the document. The proposal also stated that MIXT has invested in the Sweetens Cove Golf Club in Tennessee and “transformed” it into “one of America’s most celebrated golf experiences.”  

Tanner is also the chief executive officer of Invitation Homes, which is a leasing company.   

The draft details a case study on how Sweetens Cove was changed from a “struggling financially and faced an uncertain future,” to becoming a national destination.  

The document also stated that they understand the course's value to the community and want public access to the course, existing programs, and existing partnerships to continue and be written into the lease agreement. This would mean the community programs, Bunkers Grill, and the pro shop partnerships would remain unchanged. 

The company has short-term and medium-term goals to improve the greens, invest in Bunkers and update the golf cart fleet, along with expanding the simulator program and building corporate outings and tournaments. 

The company has requested a workshop session with the commission. Meece discussed hosting meetings tentatively at noon and 5:30 p.m. Feb. 17 at the City Hall Council Chambers.  

Golf Association also pitches proposal 

Larry Ashcraft, a Polson Golf Board member and Jr. Golf Board member, also presented a proposal to Meece for the Polson Bay Golf Association to take over the “day-to-day operations” of the course while the city continues to own the land.  

“This proposal is guided by a simple principle: the golf course exists for the benefit of the public and the long-term health of a city-owned asset,” the proposal document stated. “The intent is responsible stewardship, community access and reinvestment into the course itself.”  

Ashcraft said the association has not previously managed the course. They initially broached managing Polson Bay in September 2023 and have continued negotiations with the city which include sending a lease proposal back and forth.  

According to the proposal, the city is currently “burdened with operating” the course and the current approach to management costs the city both time and money. The golf association’s document also contends that, like many municipal golf courses, Polson’s operates within “tight financial margins.”  

Through the association, they hope it might allow for greater operational flexibility and efficiency.  

“We did not invent this idea; we borrowed it from successful models, including Buffalo Hills in Kalispell and Whitefish Lake Golf Club in Whitefish,” the document explained. “Both Kalispell and Whitefish found years ago that its city-owned course was better off managed by a group of locals, organized as an association.”  

This proposal states that affordability will not change and that the youth and adult programs will remain. The document also mentions that the association obtained the lease from Buffalo Hills and modified it to fit Polson.  

“We are awaiting confirmation of interest from the City of Polson before working towards finalizing the lease and clarifying important issues,” it stated.  

The proposal also says that a full lease and operating agreement will be presented to the commission for review and approval.