Comments on: The Early Bird http://silverspringpenguin.com/2009/09/21/the-early-bird-42/ Your neighborhood news source Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:23:16 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Discovered http://silverspringpenguin.com/2009/09/21/the-early-bird-42/comment-page-1/#comment-56766 Discovered Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:24:31 +0000 http://silverspringpenguin.com/?p=4891#comment-56766 How could you miss this event for Wednesday? Did the plural offend you, or do they keep this kind of gathering secret until last minute? "Vice President Joe Biden listens to a question from the audience during a healthcare town hall meeting at Leisure World in Silver Springs, Maryland" http://www.whitehouse.gov/photogallery/Vice_President_Biden_Hosts_Healthcare_Town_Hall/ How could you miss this event for Wednesday?
Did the plural offend you, or do they keep this kind of gathering secret until last minute?

“Vice President Joe Biden listens to a question from the audience during a healthcare town hall meeting at Leisure World in Silver Springs, Maryland”
http://www.whitehouse.gov/photogallery/Vice_President_Biden_Hosts_Healthcare_Town_Hall/

]]> By: Bubba http://silverspringpenguin.com/2009/09/21/the-early-bird-42/comment-page-1/#comment-56607 Bubba Tue, 22 Sep 2009 02:15:46 +0000 http://silverspringpenguin.com/?p=4891#comment-56607 brh, I think you're a little off the mark with the statement that "courses aren’t especially great for the environment." Golf courses are an oasis for critters. Get there at dusk and just watch the deer come out. I've seen fox, hawks, eagles, racoons, and so on at Sligo. With that said, I suspect that they use a lot of chemicals to keep the course in condition. However, the pond that catches all that runoff seems to be very healthy with turtles, frogs, fish and geese. brh, I think you’re a little off the mark with the statement that “courses aren’t especially great for the environment.” Golf courses are an oasis for critters. Get there at dusk and just watch the deer come out. I’ve seen fox, hawks, eagles, racoons, and so on at Sligo.

With that said, I suspect that they use a lot of chemicals to keep the course in condition. However, the pond that catches all that runoff seems to be very healthy with turtles, frogs, fish and geese.

]]> By: rb http://silverspringpenguin.com/2009/09/21/the-early-bird-42/comment-page-1/#comment-56596 rb Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:49:47 +0000 http://silverspringpenguin.com/?p=4891#comment-56596 Keeping the course open is an issue of fairness and serving a diverse population. This golf course is used by the less experienced golfers (beginners and teens) and those who can't walk the 18 holes (older and disabled players) or pay for the higher priced courses. The options for the less wealthy, less experienced and less physically able golf enthusiasts will be much more limited without this course. It serves a more diverse population than the others. Someone wrote in the Gazette a couple weeks ago that the ...Golf Association said that attracting new golfers is necessary to maintaining the sport...this is a good course for beginners. It would be nice to have a "natural area" but that takes more money. Conversion and maintenance would cost more than keeping the current course open. The county has a lot of park land and it is very difficult to take care of and keep the alien invasive vines at bay. (Just look at Sligo Creek Park where Colesville Road crosses.) The invasive vines have taken over some parts of the county's parkland(They cover and eventually kill trees and shrubs as the vines cut out the light needed by the trees) and fighting them has been never ending. There are 400 volunteer "weed warriors" pulling weeds and cutting vines in the parks already, in addition to paid staff. So let's keep the course and let the down-county and less affluent folks continue to enjoy golf. The rest of us can enjoy the park across the street and, for gardens, go to Brookside. Keeping the course open is an issue of fairness and serving a diverse population. This golf course is used by the less experienced golfers (beginners and teens) and those who can’t walk the 18 holes (older and disabled players) or pay for the higher priced courses. The options for the less wealthy, less experienced and less physically able golf enthusiasts will be much more limited without this course. It serves a more diverse population than the others. Someone wrote in the Gazette a couple weeks ago that the …Golf Association said that attracting new golfers is necessary to maintaining the sport…this is a good course for beginners.

It would be nice to have a “natural area” but that takes more money. Conversion and maintenance would cost more than keeping the current course open. The county has a lot of park land and it is very difficult to take care of and keep the alien invasive vines at bay. (Just look at Sligo Creek Park where Colesville Road crosses.) The invasive vines have taken over some parts of the county’s parkland(They cover and eventually kill trees and shrubs as the vines cut out the light needed by the trees) and fighting them has been never ending. There are 400 volunteer “weed warriors” pulling weeds and cutting vines in the parks already, in addition to paid staff.
So let’s keep the course and let the down-county and less affluent folks continue to enjoy golf. The rest of us can enjoy the park across the street and, for gardens, go to Brookside.

]]> By: brh http://silverspringpenguin.com/2009/09/21/the-early-bird-42/comment-page-1/#comment-56591 brh Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:04:47 +0000 http://silverspringpenguin.com/?p=4891#comment-56591 I'd really rather the golf course become a garden or some other, friendlier application of park land… Golf courses aren't especially great for the environment, nor are they of any interest to non-golfers - a very specific sort of park for a very specific chunk of the population. Yet Bubba says it's busy. If there's really that much demand for it, then I suppose they should try to make it work. We have plenty of other, 'open' parks in the meantime. So, I guess I'd be rather excited if something else came of the golf course, but I'm not going to push against it. Meh. I’d really rather the golf course become a garden or some other, friendlier application of park land… Golf courses aren’t especially great for the environment, nor are they of any interest to non-golfers – a very specific sort of park for a very specific chunk of the population.

Yet Bubba says it’s busy. If there’s really that much demand for it, then I suppose they should try to make it work. We have plenty of other, ‘open’ parks in the meantime.

So, I guess I’d be rather excited if something else came of the golf course, but I’m not going to push against it. Meh.

]]> By: Bubba http://silverspringpenguin.com/2009/09/21/the-early-bird-42/comment-page-1/#comment-56580 Bubba Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:17:20 +0000 http://silverspringpenguin.com/?p=4891#comment-56580 I golf there, maybe, one a year. I used to golf there more frequently years ago. Yes, it is busy. Probably, not better or worse than any other public course. But, it is only 9 holes and it takes a long time to complete the course because of traffic jams on the course. I wouldn't be worried about developers taking over the land. Acquring public park land gets pretty complicated. I golf there, maybe, one a year. I used to golf there more frequently years ago. Yes, it is busy. Probably, not better or worse than any other public course. But, it is only 9 holes and it takes a long time to complete the course because of traffic jams on the course.

I wouldn’t be worried about developers taking over the land. Acquring public park land gets pretty complicated.

]]> By: Jennifer Deseo http://silverspringpenguin.com/2009/09/21/the-early-bird-42/comment-page-1/#comment-56573 Jennifer Deseo Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:06:04 +0000 http://silverspringpenguin.com/?p=4891#comment-56573 I don't know what kind of traffic the golf course gets. Speaking as a person who has no idea what's going on, I think the argument to save the golf course is twofold. First, some want to keep the golf course open for -- what else? -- golfing. But I think others worry that if the golf course closes, developers will acquire the land and build homes on it. I don’t know what kind of traffic the golf course gets.

Speaking as a person who has no idea what’s going on, I think the argument to save the golf course is twofold. First, some want to keep the golf course open for — what else? — golfing. But I think others worry that if the golf course closes, developers will acquire the land and build homes on it.

]]> By: Terry in Silver Spring http://silverspringpenguin.com/2009/09/21/the-early-bird-42/comment-page-1/#comment-56570 Terry in Silver Spring Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:12:06 +0000 http://silverspringpenguin.com/?p=4891#comment-56570 Is the golf course used a lot? I'm not a golfer either, but wonder if we are subsidizing the hobby of a few people. Could the area be better used either as a natural area or something that would be used by more people? Is the golf course used a lot? I’m not a golfer either, but wonder if we are subsidizing the hobby of a few people. Could the area be better used either as a natural area or something that would be used by more people?

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