When it comes to golf and rumors, I have been involved in several, and I’m proud to say I have never once been convicted of criminal damage to property. (Best golf tip I ever received: Never use a monogrammed golf ball.) So, I thought I should do my part to clear up a rumor floating around about Alvamar Golf & Country Club. A sale is not imminent, and neither is a plan that would eliminate nine holes of the 36-hole complex in West Lawrence.

“There is a lot of speculation about what people think they could do with Alvamar and some infill development,” said Bob Johnson, chairman of the board of directors of Alvamar Inc. “But I know there are not plans to do away with even one of the 36 holes of golf that we have out there.”

Johnson said rumors that a local developer is close to purchasing the country club and golf course also aren’t true. When asked whether such a deal had been put on the back burner, Johnson said, “it is not even in the kitchen.”

But it is no secret that the course and club have been available for purchase, by the right buyer. Johnson said that is still the case, mainly because the approximately 100 shareholders of Alvamar Inc. are generally in retirement age and believe a transition needs to be made.

“We are interested in selling, but we are equally interested in making sure the new ownership is committed to the community and the university,” Johnson said.

Alvamar’s country club course is home base for KU’s golf program.

Johnson didn’t provide any insight into why speculation about Alvamar’s future has increased lately. For what it is worth, the speculation I had heard was connected to the talk going around town about convention centers and potential partnerships with Kansas University.

“I can tell you that we’re not any closer or any more active on the sale front than we have been in the last year or so,” Johnson said. “Nobody is close to buying it.”

Johnson also made a point to note that Alvamar Inc., which in addition to owning the country club also owns significant amounts of raw ground in West Lawrence, doesn’t need to sell the course for financial reasons. Johnson said the market for development ground is clearly rebounding in Lawrence, and Alvamar Inc.’s financial position is strong.

In other news and notes from around town:

• With KU ready to play its first Big 12 tourney game today, we are officially in March Madness. While the games are just getting started, the planning for the ultimate madness — if KU reaches the Final Four — is well underway. As they have in past years, city commissioners have approved an ordinance creating special rules for glass bottles and containers in the downtown area during the Elite Eight and Final Four time periods of the NCAA tournament.

From Saturday, March 29 to Monday March 31, anyone caught with a glass bottle or other glass container on downtown streets or sidewalks will be subject to a $100 fine. That’s the weekend teams will play in the Elite Eight and punch their ticket to the Final Four with a victory. Such victories by the Jayhawks have been known to cause thousands of people to flood downtown for a massive street party. The same regulations will be in place the following week from Saturday April 5 to Tuesday April 8, which is when the Final Four and National Championship game will be held.

Walking around with a beer bottle on Massachusetts Street generally subjects you to a possible open container violation. But honestly, during Final Four celebrations, the open container violations often are too many to keep up with. But city officials do work hard to limit glass containers because of the safety hazards they can create. Many bars and restaurants often help out by serving even bottled beer in plastic cups during the time period.

The other March Madness preparation that happens around this time is that T-shirt companies start staking out their location for tents that will sell KU Final Four t-shirts. Lawrence-based Sun Creation has filed permits for 2300 Louisiana, which is the parking lot of Checkers, and 601 Kasold Drive, which is the Westlake Hardware parking lot. More will follow, if KU’s fortunes are good.

Now, all we need is some vendor who is selling magic Joel Embid Back Cream. We’ll let you set up anywhere you want.

• After you get done watching KU vs Oklahoma State, which tips off at 2 p.m. today, come over for a fun evening of the Lawrence City Commission and rental licensing discussions. You don’t even need to take off your Crimson and Blue face paint, your Beak ‘Em Hawks house slippers, and that giant Jayhawk tail feather. (I assume we’re all wearing that again this year.) Commissioners will host a pubic information session from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Lawrence High School cafeteria, 1901 Louisiana.

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