Why does The Hound have the sneaking suspicion that all the complaints over the Waukegan Park District razing Orchard Hills Golf Course in favor of a soccer complex have more to do with who plays soccer and who plays golf.
Who plays soccer in Waukegan: Mainly Hispanic youth with a smattering of Eastern Europeans who drive souped-up Hondas and Mazdas. Who plays golf in Waukegan: Old white guys who drive Buicks. OK, that might be too simple. Old white guys don't all drive Buicks.
But on the surface, there is more than just the displeasure that another golf course gets wrecked. Look who might be taking over the turf: Hispanics. And, they could be illegal!
If park district commissioners go ahead as planned, at least this golf course won't have houses on it and it will still be open space, albeit open space and a parking lot for 2,000 cars. Yikes, that's a lot of low riders edging toward Wadsworth!
It's not like Waukegan doesn't have golf courses. They have three. Two public, one private. Here's an idea: Take the old Manville asbestos-ridden lakefront site and turn it into the Pebble Beach of the Midwest --- after megatons of top soil are put on top of the old factory grounds.
Perhaps The Hound is biased because he doesn't play golf. He's taken a few golf balls apart to see what was inside --- a bunch of rubber bands surrounding a Super Ball. But he has been known to wear plus fours. On the the other hand, The Hound has watched his share of World Cup matches and has known a few soccer hooligans.
As part of the park district's sports complex, perhaps they could toss The Hound a bone and build a croquet pitch. Nothing like a good wicket of full contact croquet. Puts Australian rules football to shame. Truly.
Leave a comment