Letter: Golf courses are alive with activity

We golfers are doing the back stroke through red ink. Jones Golf Course is again being put out as the poster child for head scratching and the grinding of teeth.

The back nine again appears to be on the chopping block: hard to maintain, major rain events flood it, on and on. It is good to hear that the city has come to its senses in realizing that closing Jones entirely forever would be a 'throw the baby out with the bathwater” move.

It seems to me that one of the major goals of any city is to promote the fact that their city is the ideal place to move, work, play and raise a family.

I am a runner and spend lots of time on the streets and in the parks in the winter. There are all kinds of cross-country skiers, sledders, walkers, runners, eagle watchers, skaters, and people just hanging out.

Our city golf courses are alive with activity - wildlife watching in the winter is fantastic. Places like Gardner, Ellis, Twin Pines, and Jones hold so much potential for activities: Winter Olympics, bird and other animal watching activities, winter golf tournaments.

Be creative and think outside of the box as opposed to the have to get rid of - costs too much money attitude. Maybe it is a secret to the politicians, but all of these activities already occur on our city golf courses. They are city parks as far as I am concerned. I may be letting the cat out of the bag.

Jack Pilling

Cedar Rapids