As a golfer, I have enjoyed many days on the golf course, putting green and practice range at Highland Lake. As a father, I have had the enrichment of sharing many of those times with my son. As a husband, I have witnessed my non-golfing wife's joy from sinking a ball on the putting green. Golf is a quiet game for all ages and all types. The Highland Lake course is used by area residents and visitors, which spend money for hotel/motel rooms, tickets at The Flat Rock Playhouse, purchases in local stores, meals in restaurants, and annual property taxes on homes.
It would be great if the golf course could remain a golf course. Why not make the county's oldest course a municipal golf course? If others had known the land was for sale, a group of private investors could have purchased it to manage or donate with a land conservation easement. The practice range is always busy and must generate a sizable amount of money. The golf shop could be altered to house a small restaurant which would bring non-golfers for lunch to enjoy a peaceful view of the course.
Henderson County should consider and analize every idea. More importantly, the residents which live closet (within a mile) to the golf course should be able to have input into the future planning if the county buys the golf course, for it is their quality of life that is in question.
If a park is created, why not create it with native trees and plants, with open land versus destroying some existing trees to make room for a new road and parking lot for cars?
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
"Why not make the county's oldest course a municipal golf course?"
A letter sent to the editor from Joe Johnson:
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I know it's a wild tangent, but the original plan for the Fletcher park was another 9-hole disc golf course to "finish" the course if there was a link to the 9-hole course at Fletcher Community Park.
ReplyDeleteBigger point is Fletcher had many meetings on planning what to put at the site. They WANTED the soccer complex. Not so sure they want to rebuild bridges with HCSA after this.
The whole thing has been completely mismanaged.
I am 100% behind Joe Johnson's idea to keep the course open.
ReplyDeleteHighland Lake Golf Course embodies everything that golf SHOULD BE about. It is:
- accessible
- inclusive
- inexpensive
- fun (i.e., not too difficult)
- not overly maintained
- and has great practice facilities
Highland Lake Golf Course is a place that families can come to together for a fun and inexpensive afternoon, beginners can come to learn the game, experts and beginners alike really like to hit balls on their driving range.
Did I mention it's the best driving range anywhere nearby? And that includes the private clubs! (sorry HCC)
I believe the future of golf in the area will be severely compromised if Highland Lake Golf Course closes. Many many people who would otherwise take up the game, a game for life, will not do so if this course closes.
Please let me know how I can help keep this course open.
PS -- my uncle raised a great point to us the other day, we will see a dramatic increase in speeding in the area if a soccer complex is put into place as people rush to games they are late for.
Versus rushing to make tee times?
ReplyDeleteAnon, if you've ever spent any time around the Highland Lake Golf Course you would know that "rushing to make tee times" is a complete non issue. Nothing is rushed at Highland Lake, other than a few backswings that is!
ReplyDeleteExcellent points - I too am in favor of Highland staying a golf course. Why not? If the county's intent was truly to preserve that tract of land for the resident's enjoyable use, it's a done deal.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do not think our county officials nor the consenting officials in Flat Rock have such altruistic goals for this tract of land for their constituents.
I won't rewrite points of fact which have already been clearly written by many Flat Rock, Hendersonville and Fletcher residents outlining the reasons why a soccer complex is such a bad choice in that location (or the fact that it cannot sustain itself), but I will write that this whole thing does not simply feel like a deal to build one of the largest soccer fields in the state, especially into a residential area of Flat Rock with a much lesser population of young people than Hendersonville and Fletcher. Does that concept make any sense to anyone?
My answer was no, which begged the question - what could be the larger picture/vision, long term reason to have the taxpayer's make this purchase now under a cloak of making a grand gesture toward the soccer youth of other towns and their adult players. If this was truly a grand gesture for the greater public good, I bet there are more golfer's in Henderson County than soccer players, and very few public courses for them to play on. So again, why the hard covert push now to purchase this land for a large soccer complex.
Many native plants and trees will be taken out to make the fields - what is the count now, between 8-12 fields. That's a lot of clearing & leveling... Gosh, a person could find themself envisioning a construction site for a future residential development. A quick sale on a failed soccer complex by county officials... But I digress.
Does anyone remember what the Commissioner's Chairman said at the end of all public comments at the Nov. 7th County Board meeting to a fellow Board member who ask an inaudible question presumably about postponing something on the agenda regarding the soccer complex... Mr. Edney's response was, "We don't need to postpone anything, this deal is going through."
Now that's a man on a mission. I just keep wondering, what is the long term mission for this tract of land...
My family of different ages has played golf on HL as long as it has been there. It once was more like a cow pasture but still offered nice experiences. There have been many fun times casually putting on a quiet afternoon with family and visiting guest. A few years ago, the Course Doctors redid the greens and fairways that kept golfers away due to the conditions being unfavorable. Then there was the winter with extreme snows. Could it the course be run by the village or county keep ing the land a golf course? I strongly believe so. Money is generated from the Practice range which is one of the best in the area. The group that currently owns it may haven maxed out their depreciation, making it in their best interest to sell. I question why we haven not heard any comment by the owners. Just a Golfer at heart plus a Soccer Dad
ReplyDeleteHCC is the oldest course in the county, followed by Etowah, Crooked Creek and Cummings Cove. Highland Lake (formerly Lost Diamond) was constructed in mid-70s.
ReplyDelete