When Tiger Woods announced that he would pursue a $30 million project in Chicago that included the renovation of Jackson Park and South Shore golf courses, it sounded like a great idea. Big Cat helping pump up some run-down public courses in Chicago and transform them into PGA Tour-level tracks, what could go wrong?
"This project can create incredible possibilities for the community on the South Side," Woods said in a statement at the time. "We want to design a course that everyone will enjoy."
That plan is still great, in theory, but on the grounds of Chicago it might not be as well received as some initially thought. Here is Julie Bosman reporting for the New York Times.
Regulars who play the Jackson Park golf courses on the South Side said they have warmed to the idea that a state-of-the-art course might be a boon for the neighborhood, in a part of the city that sorely needs economic development. But they also worry that residents of this mostly African-American side of town will lose a hidden treasure, a place with a low-key vibe and inexpensive greens fees that might vanish along with the current golf courses.
The debate is an interesting one. Locals want to keep it as is, but they would also appreciate what a nice golf course would bring to the table for their neighborhoods. That's a tough proposition with no great answer.
The two courses on Lake Michigan make for some incredibly inviting property on which to rebuild.
Officials who are designing, promoting and raising money for the new course are courting local golfers and vowing to keep it affordable. "There are some really loyal South Shore and Jackson Park golfers, and they deserve a better product," said the golf analyst Mark Rolfing, founder of the Chicago Parks Golf Alliance, the nonprofit group that is working with the city's park district on the project. "I would never be involved in an initiative that wasn't going to be affordable. That is imperative. When it's done, they are going to be so proud of the place."
The project will largely depend on private donors. The Chicago Parks Golf Alliance is hoping to raise roughly $30 million, of which $20 million will be spent on building the new course and $5 million for an endowment for maintenance and pricing discounts. (The other $5 million is for alliance operations and programming.)
When Woods' name is attached to something, you know it will eventually get done, despite the hefty $30 million price tag. I understand where Chicago golfers are coming from, though. My local muni is cheap and understated, and I love it.
But if Tiger blew through and said he was going to build a PGA Tour-level course and transform a few neighborhoods in the process, well, that's something I would have to give a lot of thought to. I imagine those near Jackson Park and South Shore are doing the same.
