Anybody who reads this column occasionally or knows me personally even a little bit knows I have been an avid golfer since baseball, football and basketball became too cumbersome to pursue. This occurred when I was a sophomore in college, about to turn 20 years of age, and had a roommate at Southwestern who was on the golf team.
For the life of me, I can't remember his name (I think it was Doug), but I do remember he shot a 59 at the old Galloway layout on Walnut Ridge Road during a high school match, although by the time he had been through two years of hard partying at Southwestern his golf game -- as well as his enrollment in school -- were approaching an end.
Anyway, this guy got me started on the game, and for that I will never forgive him.
Back to more current, more local situations.
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I personally have no idea why the city decided to build Thunder Bayou in the first place, about 10 years ago. But aside from the fact that lots and lots of rain causes problems and that the city has never seemed to have the money to run the place, I've got to say this ... Thunder Bayou is a beauty.
It's well-designed and well-maintained (considering the difficulty in getting the chemical and other maintenance bills paid by the city -- extremely well-maintained).
It's fun to play and of great benefit to any and all golfers in and around Blytheville and from all over the country as well.
A few statistics: In 2010, there were 14,425 rounds played, almost evenly split between members and greens fee players from here, there and everywhere. That was up more than 2,000 rounds over 2009, and about average for the life of the course (2009 was a real bad year for the economy and the golf course).
This brought in about $320,000 in revenue, which is a hunk of money.
Unfortunately for the city, even with a lot of scrimping, it costs more than $500,000 a year to keep the course open and running (although a lot of this expense is probably still on the books of some vendor somewhere).
These numbers I know because I've been on the Golf Course Facilities Board for several years.
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So let's say it costs the city $200,000 a year to keep the course open. That's 1.3 percent (roughly) of the overall city budget.
To me, 1.3 percent is a reasonable amount to devote to keeping such a good golf course viable.
To most non-golfers, and some relatively avid golfers, it's too great an expense.
I feel very strongly both ways.
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No, what I really feel is that the city should make an intelligent decision based on real numbers.
The city can't continue to pay its bills by failing to send in withholding taxes to the IRS, that's for sure.
Personally I'd be glad to add $5 a month to my water bill and keep it open, but I'm completely aware that this would not go down so well with the 90 percent of the people in town who don't play golf.
If the golf course has to go, it has to go.
But to me, it will be a shame.
But I have lived with shame before.
Anyway, it's not my decision. It's the City Council's.
Turn a $2.5 million golf course into a $500,000 bean field?
I guess I'm glad I don't have to decide.
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Managing editor Mark Brasfield's somewhat scathing column about the current city of Blytheville/IRS fiasco that was in Thursday's Courier News might get him in a little hot water with some publishers.
But not with me.
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It took My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife the best part of three days to get over her latest babysitting run to Columbia, Mo., mostly because she left Friday and came back Sunday, instead of her more usual Monday or Tuesday return trip from the every-other-week babysitting assignment.
It's a good thing she recovered that quickly, because she left Thursday afternoon with good friend Bess Ann for the Bon Jovi concert in Memphis, to be followed around mid-day Friday by a couple of doctor's appointments (one for her, one for BA).
It's my position that two (somewhat) old ladies with scheduled doctor appointments the next day don't really need to spend the previous evening boogying around to Bon Jovi music, but the two of them never did have good sense when they get together.
I think BA is going to make her appearance at the forum via wheelchair, since she's recovering from an operation or something, but I guess that will make it just that much more fun.
About half the females in the office are going to be there, for some reason.
Me, I don't get it.
But I don't get a lot of things.
Like why all these American girls want to go all the way to Memphis to listen to some Frenchman and his band.
I just don't get it.
dtennyson@blythevillecourier.com