Editorial: Isn't it time downtown had a golf course?

[thelakelander]

Downtown needs a lot of things but I never thought of a golf course as being one of the missing elements:

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/opinion/2021/03/14/editorial-isnt-time-downtown-had-golf-course/4649990001/

[marcuscnelson]

I find it very telling that whoever wrote this wasn't willing to put their name to it. I wonder where that person lives, because I seriously doubt it's downtown. Seeing as golf courses across the country have been collapsing because way too few people are willing to pay the cost of playing golf to justify the amount of infrastructure it requires, not to mention the immense waste of land and water (how are acres of grass supposed to help with carbon sequestration as opposed to trees?), this is an insulting premise.

More, importantly, Brentwood Golf Course is right there. To fit something about the same size downtown, you'd need the entirety of the Shipyards and Metro Park, or most of Hogan's Creek parks. Either this person has no idea how much space 9 holes of golf actually takes up, or... honestly I'm not sure what else it could be.

What a joke.

[Charles Hunter]

No. Downtown does not need a golf course. Absurd.

[fieldafm]

This isn't a new idea.

The River City Renaissance plan initially wanted to level LaVilla for a golf course.

If we are bringing up dumb plans from the past, let's also revive the plans to put floating nuclear plants in the river and finally build that river bridge through Ortega and San Jose.

[jcjohnpaint]

I remember somebody telling me a story when I moved here about a city leader who wanted to build one over LaVilla.  So funny and so scary. Anyone remember this?

[Steve]

The late Jack Diamond tried to sell a few of us on this one. None of us were buying.

[Wacca Pilatka]

An indoor golf simulator of some sort might be a fun feature for people to enjoy downtown; there used to be one in the 1960 Barnett building at Laura and Adams.  But a full golf course...no further elaboration needed on why that idea is bonkers.

[Tacachale]

I find it very telling that whoever wrote this wasn't willing to put their name to it. I wonder where that person lives, because I seriously doubt it's downtown. Seeing as golf courses across the country have been collapsing because way too few people are willing to pay the cost of playing golf to justify the amount of infrastructure it requires, not to mention the immense waste of land and water (how are acres of grass supposed to help with carbon sequestration as opposed to trees?), this is an insulting premise.

More, importantly, Brentwood Golf Course is right there. To fit something about the same size downtown, you'd need the entirety of the Shipyards and Metro Park, or most of Hogan's Creek parks. Either this person has no idea how much space 9 holes of golf actually takes up, or... honestly I'm not sure what else it could be.

What a joke.

This isn't anonymous. It's the Times-Union editorial board.

[marcuscnelson]

Size-wise, we could replace the Fairgrounds with a Topgolf. I'm not sure there's anywhere else large and rectangular enough to fit one.

But that's still assuming that golf really is in such demand that anyone besides the author of this article is looking to build one. And again, Brentwood is right there.

This isn't anonymous. It's the Times-Union editorial board.

I'm not entirely sure I buy that the entire editorial board decided to put this article together and send it out.

[jaxjags]

Too early for April Fools?

[thelakelander]

Size-wise, we could replace the Fairgrounds with a Topgolf. I'm not sure there's anywhere else large and rectangular enough to fit one.

But that's still assuming that golf really is in such demand that anyone besides the author of this article is looking to build one. And again, Brentwood is right there.

This isn't anonymous. It's the Times-Union editorial board.

I'm not entirely sure I buy that the entire editorial board decided to put this article together and send it out.

I can't imagine that golf is in demand for downtown or even logical. Especially when looking at the on-going demographic shift in Duval County. I wonder how this idea could make it far enough for the editorial board to publish it?

[landfall]

Theres already a topgolf in the southside.

One of the major problems with this city is people constantly trying to swing for the fences with "game changing" ideas. Journalists, developers, politicians, residents. A golf course ha! Heard it all now.

What the city needs is realistic achievable mixed use projects. More Laura Street Trio, Barnett Bank, Independent Life and the Ford on Bay or Berkman Plaza if they don't die a death. Less fucking golf courses and four seasons hotels.

[thelakelander]

What the city needs is realistic achievable mixed use projects. More Laura Street Trio, Barnett Bank, Independent Life and the Ford on Bay or Berkman Plaza if they don't die a death. Less fucking golf courses and four seasons hotels.

^Yes, all the non sexy, non headline catching things. Keep clustering the realistic achievable mixed use projects and the rest will literally take care of itself.

[itsfantastic1]

What the city needs is realistic achievable mixed use projects. More Laura Street Trio, Barnett Bank, Independent Life and the Ford on Bay or Berkman Plaza if they don't die a death. Less fucking golf courses and four seasons hotels.

^Yes, all the non sexy, non headline catching things. Keep clustering the realistic achievable mixed use projects and the rest will literally take care of itself.

#Make Clustering Sexy Again...

[edjax]

The one time a week the editorial is actually local and this is what they come up with??!!!  I guess perhaps getting the editorials in our paper Fromm Daytona, Gainesville and Palm Beach maybe is the route they should continue with at this point.