|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Golf Anyone?
|
Something fishy is going on...
|
Golf and Safety Issues
|
|
|
Golf Issues...
The Audubon Golf Course, one of the oldest in the South, was established in 1898 when the Olmstedian central park meadow was leased to the private Audubon Golf Club to raise revenue for the park. They operated and maintained it as a public course until, in the 1990's, its operation was assumed by the Audubon Institute, which in turn rented space for a pro shop in the private club's clubhouse on Walnut Street.
Thus began the downward spiral in the condition of the course.
Even though the private club itself raised funds for upkeep, the Audubon Institute continued to withhold maintenance, allowing the slow but continuous decline of the course. It was also during this period that the park's greenhouse and conservatory were allowed to fall into disrepair.
In the late 1990's, the Audubon Institute began to consider redesigning (NOT "renovating") the course. Since the old course did not meet the safety guidelines of the USGA, an architect willing to assume the liability involved in retaining the current layout could not be found. However, to some degree these guidelines are arbitrary; it can be argued that, with some changes, the old layout could be safely retained (see Safety Issues below). The Audubon Institute hosted a series of meetings on the design with the private club and the park's immediate neighbors. The tenor of these meetings became increasingly antagonistic as the Institute was unwilling to compromise significantly on its plan. It insisted on constructing a new clubhouse, despite the offer of the private club to donate its building to the park.
Many objected to the proposed new location, for various reasons:- Currently public park areas would be appropriated unnecessarily.
- The site was in an already congested area of the park.
- Traffic problems on Magazine Street would be exacerbated.
The objections to the new course itself were:- It is a drastic reduction of the old layout (at least 1500 yds. shorter), consisting of 12 par threes, 4 very short par fours, and 2 very short par fives.
- The Hurst Walk is eliminated. This is nearly universally opposed by golfers and non-golfers alike.
- Although undeniably the new design will be highly manicured and well-engineered, complete with a network of concrete cart paths, it is contrary to the quasi-rural ambience of the old course. In short, it is NOT the old course, to which many are attached.
All of these objections remain.
Safety Issues...
The Audubon Institute has repeatedly played the 'safety' card. It uses the safety issue as a rationale for its vision of an "executive course". There are two separate issues here: the safety of the golfers themselves and the safety of the general park users.
The old course IS tight, particularly in the areas of the 1st, 2nd and 18th holes. The 4th to 10th holes are reasonably safe. The 11th hole is probably the most dangerous for non-golfers; its green lies close to the park road, and balls often overshoot it. But this hole is retained as the new 14th hole, and by being shortened in fact becomes more dangerous!
Similarly, the combining of the old 12th and 13th holes into the longer 15th greatly increases the likelihood of shots hitting the homes adjacent to the park. Thus, although the new design improves safety for the golfer, it further jeopardizes the safety of the non-golfing public.
No golf course can be made absolutely safe. People are hit by balls on golf courses all the time. Probably more people, however, are hit at the average PGA Tour event than are hit at Audubon in a year. We have not discovered any record of death or serious injury on this course.
The current course is not particularly unsafe, and the Institute's interest in redevelopment does not arise from concerns about safety at all, but from purely commercial considerations.
In any case, why single out the golf course on this issue? The real risk of injury in Aububon Park lies in the mixture of skaters, bikers, joggers, and baby carriages on the same narrow park road.
|
|
|
|
|
© 2001, SaveAudubonPark.org
|
|
All content is copyright and cannot be reproduced in whole or in part without twinges of guilt
|
|
|
|
