Sullivan on Torrey Pines

The San Diego Union Tribune's Tim Sullivan looks at the snowballing situation at Torrey Pines, where the mayor is now joining the fight over course access and a new clubhouse.

“I would support a recall of the mayor,” Paul Spiegelman said yesterday. “I'm really troubled when a man talks about sunshine and hatches deals in back rooms. I'm very concerned that the process is being manipulated by some very wealthy people.”

Spiegelman, co-founder of the 1,200-member San Diego Municipal Golfers Alliance, says anyone who supports the five-year city golf plan Sanders put forward last week is “betraying the public.” He said his organization is considering recall petitions and weighing whether to request that the United States Golf Association revoke the 2008 U.S. Open from Torrey Pines South.

All this over tee times and greens fees and the machinations of millionaires. Torrey Pines might be the city's prettiest place, but it is also a political mine field.

 And...

Figuratively, at least, Torrey Pines is a spot that has long suffered from political neglect. Contracts have been signed in clear violation of legal settlements and, arguably, the city charter. Private interests have persistently encroached on public land. Plans have been formulated by a privileged few and implemented over the objections of the Average Joe. Cynicism runs rampant.

Among some of Torrey Pines' most frequent players, Sanders' plan is consistent with a pattern in which the little guy keeps getting squeezed for the sake of a grandiose vision advantageous for the adjoining hotels and the Century Club. Those interests, in turn, question the entitlement of entities such as the Torrey Pines Men's and Women's Clubs and, specifically, of Spiegelman, who averages almost three rounds per week.

Torrey Pines (Collateral)

Should you ever wonder if your city, county, state or federal government were acting in a peculiar manner, take heart, there's always the City of San Diego and its corruption woes to warm your heart.

It was one thing to try and push through a clubhouse redo for the 2008 even though the golfers don't care. But this, this is downright wacky:

City Attorney Michael Aguirre was stunned to find out this week that the North Course at the Torrey Pines golf complex was being used as collateral to pay off bonds. It turns out he was only scratching the surface.

Aguirre said yesterday he discovered in his review of city documents that the Torrey Pines South Course – the site of the 2008 U.S. Open – and Balboa Park Golf Course are also being used as collateral and could conceivably be lost should the financially troubled city default on the bonds or file for bankruptcy.

“All of the golf courses are at risk, and none of this was told to the public,” Aguirre said. “It's just incredible.”

Under the current terms, more than $42 million in debt needs to be paid before all three courses are clear of their obligation. The bond tied to the South Course was $18 million, as of the end of the fiscal year in June 2005, and the terms run through fiscal year 2011. The North Course bond was $15.7 million at the end of the last fiscal year and goes until 2009. Balboa Park is committed until 2022 on a debt of $9.5 million.

Torrey Clubhouse Saga, Vol. 59

Craig Gustafson writes about the golfers of San Diego widely rejecting a fee increase to help pay for improvements, including a new clubhouse that would be funded by suckers out of town guests paying exorbitant green fees.

Torrey Pine$

Tod Leonard reports on the looming fight over a huge green fee increase at Torrey Pines.

At the top of his list of concerns are the increase in green fees and the funding for a new clubhouse. City Golf Manager Mark Woodward is proposing hiking green fees for residents as much as 57 percent on the North Course by 2011 and 75 percent on the South. Woodward has said the increases will pay for the maintenance of the golf courses, while higher out-of-town rates will fund the new clubhouse. In the proposed budget, $1.2 million per year from the golf enterprise fund would go to paying off the new clubhouse complex.

“The only justification (in the report) for raising green fees is that they are benchmarking against other courses,” Zucchet said. “But let's be honest and say you want to fund a new clubhouse and make other capital improvements. We can disagree that that's a good thing or not, but that's why they're doing it. They want to be able to service a debt they intend to saddle the golf enterprise fund with.”

Zucchet said he is opposed to public funding of the clubhouse, citing the mostly private funding of the renovation of the clubhouse at Bethpage State Park in New York, which hosted the 2002 U.S. Open. He said he also doesn't see enough financial detail in the proposal that justifies that kind of expenditure.

“I'm not aware of any daily users clamoring for a new clubhouse,” Zucchet said. “It's sort of like the Chargers stadium. I would support them having a new stadium if they were paying for it. The people with the special interests at Torrey Pines should pay for the new clubhouse.” 

18 at Torrey Pines

Lanny Wadkins, during the round 3 Buick telecast, on so few players able to at the 18th at Torrey Pines: "It's almost more fun with there's a little more risk-reward."

You think?

With the current setup at at least 571 and featuring almost no landing area, they might as well play it as a par-4 now. Why wait until 2008?

And You Think Your City Is A Mess...

There's always San Diego to show you what bureacratic absurdity is really like. Tod Leonard writes in the San Diego Union Tribune:

For the second time in 15 days, City Councilwoman Donna Frye has put the brakes on talks regarding changes to the Torrey Pines golf courses.

After learning that the city's golf operations department was planning to go to the City Council on Monday and ask for approval to soon begin moving the North Course's 18th green to make room for a new clubhouse that has yet to be approved, Frye took action. She contacted Deputy City Manager Ellen Oppenheim, who agreed to attach a memo to the item with the understanding that no work would be done on the North until a clubhouse project is approved.

Torrey Tales

More shenanigans at Torrey Pines. Something tells me would not be going on if they were not hosting the U.S. Open.

Tod Leonard writes about the tee time and fee increase issues.

Thanks to reader Scott for this story on the trademarking of the Torrey Pines name, and the various hands trying to get their piece of the pie.