Back in the day, I grew up learning how to play golf @ Palo Verde (then called Christ Town Golf). I was once an avid golfer (averaged a round a day back in the 80's) and played Maryvale close to a hundred times. These golf courses are VITAL to younger golfers who can't afford the big fees you pay at the large golf resorts.
We received this from Councilman Danny Valenzuela:
The Phoenix Golf Course Study, which will include a discussion of Maryvale and Palo Verde golf courses, is scheduled for
"This" Wednesday,
February 6th
at
2 p.m.
Phoenix City Hall,
200 W. Washington
in the subcommittee room on the 1st Floor.
Please contact my office for further information at 602-262-7446.
Daniel T. Valenzuela
Phoenix City Council
District 5 Councilman
Home of The Washington Activity Center
602.262.7446 (o)
602.495.0628 (f)
District 5
Call or email Councilman Valenzuela's office if you can't make the meeting .
Let him know you support keeping our golf courses...
leave your name with his staff..
Palo Verde is a nice neighborhood course many enjoy.........
This is not a "Luxury course nor is Maryvale" but,
they are appreciated by"everyday" local residents & their families
who enjoy the game of golf!
Please Pass this on to others !
Danny is ADVOCATING for all of us! Thanks Councilman Valenzuela!
One of my close friends who plays both courses sent me this:
It makes sense for our City to maintain the Maryvale & Palo Verde Golf Courses.
The greater Phoenix area will be experiencing significant population growth in people age 60 and older over the next ten years; increasing from 462,000 people to more than 700,000 by 2020 according to the Maricopa Association of Governments and The MetLife Foundation City Leaders Institute.
Baby Boomers are relocating in Phoenix because of the Climate, quality of life, cost of living, public transportation, medical facilities, Military facilities for retirees,shopping, theaters, professional sports, recreation and much more!
Many retirees are "Golfers" and they look for affordable courses in their own community. Phoenix is a very desirable, prosperous city for retirees and is attracting many to re-locate here. Everything is available within minutes...
The City of Phoenix was selected as one of five cities in the country to participate in the MetLife Foundation City Leaders Institute on Aging.
Golf is one of the biggest attractions in Phoenix as evidenced by the annual Phoenix Open! It attracts several hundred thousand spectators and has a national TV viewing Audience.
So, let's look for ways to encourage the City Council to keep Maryvale and Palo Verde Golf courses open. Palo Verde offers a "Driving Range" and putting green, it is a family oriented course enjoyed by all ages. It attracts folks from the surrounding neighborhood in Central Phoenix, just North of Bethany Home Road, on the corner of 15th Ave and Rose Lane. This is a great little course to teach young children and teenagers golf...and you will see them on the course even in the summer heat!
One suggestion to make it more cost effective might be...consider eliminating the "Expensive fee for an Armored Truck ,to pick up the daily receipts from the course". Perhaps we could use a Police pick up....and use the police on their beat to drop by and deliver the money to wherever it goes. We are not talking about thousands of dollars daily in these two courses! The police provide many community services such as time for block watch, school programs and perhaps they could schedule time to offer a secure pick-up of money generated at the golf course. This would eliminate paying a private contractor.
We privatized one major 18 hole course and they raised the rates! Many of us stopped going to Papago as a result.
The City of Phoenix does an outstanding job of staffing and maintaining our golf courses...the private sector is only interested in making a profit and will raise the rates... we have already been there and seen the results!
Popular courses are Encanto, Cave Creek, Palo Verde ( For a short game) and Maryvale ....everyday local residents enjoy these courses because they are close-by, affordable and user friendly. We need to keep them!
Perhaps we should stop providing $80K pay raises, and eliminate funding projects like the "Frank Lloyd Right" house that nobody cares about or heard of! Golf they all know and prefer! I'm sure the "City Council " can FIND the funds and a good solution other than "Privatize or close it down"...
Golf is offered in High School, Community Colleges and Universities and recommended by Medical Professionals as a healthy way to exercise... so we need to look at what is "Real and benefits a community". Golf brings in revenue to this community from small businesses who sell golf clothing, shoes and supplies. We have a world Class golf manufacturer just up the street from the Palo Verde Golf Course... "PING"...
Kudos to Councilman Valenzuela for his support to keep these golf courses and advocacy of local West Side neighborhood participation.
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