Protect city golf courses

While I don’t always agree with Joel Pett’s cartoons (although his Mitch McConnell caricatures are spot on), he nailed his assessment of local golf.

I grew up playing public courses for $1 a day greens fees and would spend all day playing when I wasn’t caddying. Lexington’s courses are jewels to be cherished with staffs dedicated to serving the public.

Rather than talk of privatizing, there should be discussion on how to expand use, like evening 9-hole tournaments, clinics, club donations or loaners for youth, expanding junior golf, even caddying, to build for the future.

There are life lessons to be learned and nature to be enjoyed on golf courses, and subsidies aren’t a waste of resources. Lexington really does have fine tracts and to close any or privatize even one would take away from the horse capital’s fine golf reputation.

This story was originally published March 17, 2017 at 7:32 PM with the headline "Protect city golf courses."