Letters to the Editor: Golf Course Palm Trees

Let me get this straight. The ”Beautification of Holiday Harbor” (The Friday Flyer, January 23) – which, I agree, looks very, very nice – involves lots and lots of palm trees. Imported palm trees at that.

So can someone from the CLPOA please explain why they are cutting down palms by the score on the Golf Course? Are Golf Course palms not as “beautiful” as the ones at Holiday Harbor? Not to me.

Does it cost more to maintain palms on the Golf Course than it does at the park? That can’t be it. Trimming a palm is trimming a palm no matter where it is.

Is it a water/draught issue? Nope. These trees grow like weeds in the driest of conditions and require no special watering.

Do these palms interfere with play on the course? Rarely, unless you’re a hack. In fact they aid in play by marking yardage on some holes and, on approach shots, serve as targets when flag sticks are not easily visible. They also help with depth perception by defining exactly where the back of the green is.

Do they dangerously drop large limbs when the wind gets to blowing a bit? Hardly. They bend but rarely break.

Do they have no value? Really? Go buy a few to put around the pool in your back yard.

Or, does someone at the CLPOA or Green Committee just not like palm trees? If that’s the real answer – as I suspect it is – look out Holiday Harbor. If these masterminds get their way, your palms may very well be next.

I’m just sayin’

Bill Johnston