Fore! The Sun-Times reported yesterday that plans
for bringing a PGA tournament-worthy golf course to the Chicago lakefront
haven’t attracted a whole lot of private-sector donations. Of course not. Business people aren’t stupid. They prefer to make money off the public’s
dime. Private-sector involvement depends
on treating the idea like a stadium project, the more public funding the better. Build a course for others to run, and
business folk will knock down city hall’s door.
The neighboring
courses in Jackson Park and the old South Shore Country Club aren’t broke, so
there’s no reason to change them other than that some guy thinks it’s a cool
idea. Comiskey Park wasn’t broken,
either, or the Stadium. But new times
demand new venues in professional sports.
Personally, I hope to lead a very long life, every day of which will be
in protest of that need for things new and expensive paid for by the likes of
me meant for the likes of the well-heeled.
If Mayor Rahm
Emanuel wants to get this idea off the ground, he should go to his old boss, ex-president
Barack Obama, and ask for an endorsement of it, along with a pledge to do a
little fundraising to make the greens just right. Otherwise, forget it.
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