THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 25, 1996 TAG: 9604250009
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A16 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 32 lines
The city of Portsmouth has a valuable and much-needed resource that has been turned into ruin. The resource is (or was) Bide-a-Wee Golf Course. This place looks like the aftermath of another Hurricane Hugo. I was there very recently, and standing water was worse that it was a month or so earlier. Has anyone even looked to see why the water won't drain or taken steps to make the water drain?
The cities of Norfolk and Virginia Beach recognize the value in golf courses and have hired private consultants who have concluded that there is a need for at least eight more courses in the area. These cities are improving their existing courses and are even planning to expand them where possible. Maybe one of them would like to acquire Bide-a-Wee.
As stated in Marketing 101, if you have a good product it will sell, and if you don't, good luck! Most golfers would not enjoy playing Bide-a-Wee in its current condition, and therefore a substantial loss in much-needed revenue exists. Bide-a-Wee used to be a high-quality, championship golf course; with proper care and management it could reach those heights again.
TOM DAVIS
Chesapeake, April 16, 1996 by CNB