Reaction to Sen. John Thrashser’s and State Rep. Patrick Rooney’s plan to turn our state parks into golf courses (as we first reported Monday) has been so overwhelmingly negative that you’d need a whole bag of clubs to tee off on all the reasons this idea is flawed.
But allow me to now add another voice to the growing chorus of critics — one that’s pretty well-versed in the values of golf: Arnold Palmer.
I contacted Palmer’s company because it struck me that, in addition to the many flawed aspects of this plan (building hotels and bars in state parks, taxpayers underwriting competition for private courses that are already struggling, etc.) another bone-headed provision is Thrasher’s insistence that only Jack Nicklaus be allowed to develop these new courses.
What about our hometown hero, The King?
Well, Palmer’s course-design company responded with a statement just a few minutes ago saying that, while Arnold Palmer Design Company, “is a fan of golf as a tool for tourism … we do feel that there are alternative options than using our state parks for ‘new’ golf course development.”
What’s more: “We also would hope that all the well respected golf course architects who call Florida home are given an opportunity to bid on design and remodel work, particularly when this trail will extend to five different regions in the state.”
Indeed, senator. Whatever happened to all those free-market principles you and Gov. Rick Scott (who also met with Nicklaus) so often espouse? A no-bid, taxpayer-subsidized plan to help one — and only one — course designer hardly fits the bill.
Look for a full column on this topic in Sunday’s paper. In the meantime: my thanks to the King.
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