Bacon's Rebellion

NVA Faces Critical Shortage of Golfers

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by

James A. Bacon
in

From the Washington Post comes this story of budget cutting and lay-offs at the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. They operate 19 parks and rely heavily on user fees.

Unfortunately for the Park Authority, there is heavy competition from a growing number of golf courses in the Washington, DC area. There are too many courses to sustain the stagnant number of golfers.

Other reasons cited for budget woes included the 2001 sniper panic and that traditonal bugaboo of outdoor activities–bad weather.

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  1. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    How about an MS-13 golf tournament? We could probably find some people who would pay the park authority to keep them off the streets.

  2. Chris Brancato Avatar
    Chris Brancato

    I strongly urge you to play the RTJ course at Lake Manassas.

    You won’t be sorry if you do. OK, well you might be…in the pocket book and your handicap…but it’s a beautiful course.

  3. Ray Hyde Avatar
    Ray Hyde

    Isn’t that the one where the entrance is right next to the auto junk yard?

    No shortage of players at the RTJ courses, of course, but Joe Sixpack who usually plays on the county course had to divert his greens fees into the property tax kitty this year.

  4. Chris Brancato Avatar
    Chris Brancato

    That’s the one…

  5. Bob Griendling Avatar
    Bob Griendling

    Fairfax County, bowing to the powerful political forces in South County, is building a golf course on the old Lorton prison grounds because, as stated in a background paper a couple of years ago, the county wants a golf course within 10 minutes of every citizen in the county.

    I kid you not.

  6. Ray Hyde Avatar
    Ray Hyde

    There you go, it’s a perfect example of ow screwed up we are and why our taxes are out of control.

    We have a (private) RTJ golf course, but you have to drive through Famous Al’s Junk yard to get there.

    In Fairfax, ten minutes won’t even get you through the first traffic light, let alone to the golf course.

    But, for a tax rate of $1.00 a hundred they provide a lot of amenities, and the assessed value of my property has been going up 20% year over year. Within a couple miles of my house there are a dozen parks, of various types, a rec center with pool,requetball, and squash, a couple fire stations and a rescue squad and library. Not too shabby.

    In Fauquier, my tax rate will be $1.17 next year, and may property increases in value 3 to 5% a year, so far. That might change next year. If we compare on the basis of area, my home in Fauquier is worth around one 200th of the value of my property in Fairfax.

    On the other hand, I can go out in the front yard and drive golf balls all day long, and I would probably never see them again. I could take my annual quota of deer and never leave the front porch. The satire about Middleburg in the other thread is not far wrong.

    The dollar amount I pay each county is roughly the same, so which county is giving me a better deal?

    In terms of dollar per amenity, dollar per public official, or dollar per increase in wealth, Fairfax wins hands down. Ed Risse is right, we should build more of this.

    The question is, where shall we do it?

    If Fairfax had Fauquier’s zoning, you would have a million people living in 10% of the area, and the rest would be golf courses.

  7. Scott Avatar
    Scott

    Golf is a wasteful, lame sport. I do not understand why taxpayers are forced to subsidize it. We shuold be taxing the hell out of it.

  8. John K. Avatar
    John K.

    Golf is a wonderful sport; it teaches discipline, confidence and self-control (among other things). Why tax golf? Do you want to make it more expensive? Wouldn’t that put the sport even further out of reach for the middle class? You might as well tax liquor and beer and make people buy a license to fish or watch cable television!

    Isn’t there anything we can enjoy that isn’t seen by someone as a source of public revenue?

    Fore….

  9. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    “Golf is a good way to ruin a perfectly nice walk.” – Mark Twain

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