At Monday’s city council meeting, the golf fund by far sparked the most questions and commentary from councilors. Through a lot of bluster and political dancing-around points, I could see a clear and hopeful future for the land that is currently Beaver Meadow Golf Course peering through. That future wouldn’t involve golf at all, but a recreational area that is for people of all walks of life.
Some myths that need to be dispelled: 1) The golf course doesn’t make a profit. It almost broke even this year, but is still expected to be $100,000 in the hole for the next budget cycle. The money required for the new clubhouse offsets that close-to-profit number because we still have to pay for that $6 million new building. 2) The land is set aside for recreational use, not just golf. The golf course could be converted to other recreational uses such as hiking, biking or nature education if we wanted to do that. 3) Unlike the Douglas Everett Arena, the golf course’s restaurant is run by an outside contractor and they get all the profits from the food and drink sales. 4) Concord citizens pay taxes to fund the golf course and we also have to pay $50 to $65 per day to use it and bring our own clubs or rent them.
If you look at statistics of who golfs, golfers in the U.S. are 77% male and 80% white, and golf industry workers are 90% male and 89% white, according to Ebony Magazine. In terms of income level, golf attracts the wealthiest citizens. Golf players have the second highest median household income, placing them between skiing and ice hockey, according to the National Sporting Goods Association. Contrary to what several council members said at the meeting tonight, golf is not a sport for people from “all walks of life.” Statistically speaking, golf is for rich white men. And if that is what our city is choosing to subsidize and fund, that is who our city is going to attract.
I don’t want to delve too much into the arguments on why diversity is important in a community. I personally believe that to be resilient and to sustain a true, rich and healthy life, we need to welcome and support all people. And right now, we are supporting golfers really well. However, they do not need the most immediate support, which is why the golf course needs to be defunded.
We have an unhoused population that is growing. We have young people looking for jobs. We have middle-aged people wanting to start families. We have immigrants looking for support. All these things need to be supported before we focus on luxuries such as golf or the airport (that is a whole other subject for another time). Converting the golf course to a public park, similar to how it operates in the winter with the free cross country ski trails, would allow all people to access the land and enjoy it. We need to do this as soon as possible. Please contact your city councilor today and let them know what you think.
Bethany Clarke lives in Concord.