To the Editor:
To blame the poor condition of our golf courses on El Nino is a gross oversimplification. Not all of the courses are in bad shape. How can the greens at Lopez, Glenview, Hacienda, and Tierra be in good shape while exposed to the same El Nino conditions as the other courses in bad shape? How can the greens on Laurel Valley at the Palmer course be in good shape while those on Riley Grove at the same Palmer course suffer? What other factors could result in the poor condition of so many courses? How about differences from course to course in maintenance procedures, quality of maintenance crews, the expertise of course management, money spent per course, etc? Why not bring in USGA or agronomy specialists to determine why some courses are in good shape and others are in such poor shape? Why not benchmark other courses in Central Florida that are in excellent condition and determine what they are doing differently to achieve that result? Have The Villages considered going back to overseeding fairways and greens in the winter? Last summer, the golfers had to suffer through three aerations on the championship greens to meet USGA guidelines regarding soil compaction. Where is the fruit of that effort? Have the greens fully recovered from the third aeration?
There are two good things about Wednesday’s article in the Daily Sun – it tells the readers who are the two leaders most responsible for the poor conditions and that The Villages must be hearing all the complaints. These leaders need to take a hard look at their efforts and realize what they are doing is nowhere near what needs to be done.
One way to motivate those in charge would be to implement a $10 discount per round on any course that does not meet minimal standards. This would create a financial incentive to get something done.
The bottom line is that The Villages may be a world-class community but its golfing situation is not world-class except for the number of available holes. These comments are directed to Rickey Craig and Mitch Leininger as recognition of a job not well done.
Daniel Meek
Bridgeport at Lake Sumter
