On Saturday, June 7, my golfing partner and I were standing on the tee box at the ninth hole of Lester Park Golf Course. The view was as spectacular as ever: the yawning fairway below us, the Aerial Lift Bridge, our bustling city, the indescribably lovely lake.
My companion had just remarked at seeing a bald eagle lazily crossing the horizon in front of us when he interrupted himself and said, “What’s that?” I looked up at what he was pointing at, expecting maybe another eagle, heron or pileated woodpecker. We regularly see all of these during our summer rounds at Lester Park. Instead, it was a swallow-tailed kite, a bird rarely, if ever, seen this far north.
It occurred to me long before news of the city’s suggested closing of Lester Park Golf Course (“City ponders golf course changes, including possible sale of Lester Park,” June 11) that rare things happen at this incredibly rare and beautiful gem of a golf course.
Every golfer who has ever played the course could tell a story of a rare and memorable experience, whether it was a hole-in-one, a lucky bounce, a discovery like ours on June 7, or even just a spectacular view on a spectacular day during a spectacular round: Small wonders happen regularly at Lester Park Golf Course. Occasionally, even breathtaking rarities happen.
Closing this golf course would mean much more than easing the financial drain to the city of Duluth. Life in this city is not always just about the money. Or is it? We are less than one week from winning best-town recognition by Outside magazine because of our spectacular outdoor resources. Not one of these resources should ever be compromised just because it happens not to be a money-maker.
Phil Fitzpatrick
Duluth
SUBSCRIBE NOW!
