The Lycoming County Commissioners are moving toward selling off portions of the White Deer Golf Course area but have recently discovered a governmental glitch. It seems that due to a condition that came with receiving federal funds for the purchase of the property decades ago prevents it from being used for anything but recreational use. This apparently has only now come to light, and it was the cause of some serious handwringing by the commissioners at their Thursday, February 13th Commissioners meeting.

Rest easy citizens, as all is not lost. Like all obstacles, this too will require some creative solutions but eventually will be overcome. Yet the delay will certainly add more fuel to the fire of those who believe that the county should get out of the golf business sooner than later.

Those who wish the demise of the golf course should remember the adage that before you take down a fence, you should ask why it was put up in the first place. When the county established the course back in 1965, golf was the ‘in’ thing. It had become increasingly popular with telecasts of major tournaments, and Pennsylvania laid claim to the first golf ‘superstar’ — Arnold Palmer. His dramatic style and highly competitive matches against Jack Nicolas and Gary Player were legendary. Like Tiger Woods today, Palmer drove a passionate horde of followers at each tournament that were nicknamed “Arnie’s Army.” Golf, especially in Pennsylvania, was all the rage.

Golf is entertaining and athletically healthy. It is a unique game that can be played by everyone; young, old, male, female. In the mid-60s, it was not nearly as expensive as it would later become, and in fact, relatively speaking, on a public course such as White Deer, it was considered a game for the middle-class. Its most positive attribute was that it was a very healthy, outdoor exercise, especially important for older individuals.

Through the decades, White Deer Golf Course served the community well. What has not been so great through those years has been management and oversight of the course. Four years ago, the Lycoming County Commissioners decided to address that problem by removing the course from the Recreation Authority and putting it into the hands of a management company, Billy Casper Golf.

The result is that the course now has arguably the best management team in its history. Unfortunately, that does not remove the decades of difficulties, and since history does not give us a do-over, what we have now is a time of transition that will take some wisdom to navigate.

Some grace should be shown to the Lycoming County Commissioners who have their hands full with a number of tricky problems, the golf course just one of these. But to their credit, they are looking at this with very sober eyes. Golf has declined, to be sure, but it is not like malls or video stores. Golf has been around for hundreds of years and will endure for hundreds more.

The positive aspects of a community recreational resource that is profitable, (which thanks to the management of Billy Casper, it now is), that promotes health, especially for senior citizens, that generates hundreds of thousands of dollars to local non-profit organizations in the form of tournaments, are not too lightly brushed aside.

The negative consequences of closing the course would also have to be considered. It is assumed that paying off the bond issue would come from sale of the land, but who will buy it? Is there a huge demand for property in Lycoming County for housing projects? Would farmers want to buy the land? If it cannot be sold for the bond debt, the difference will have to come out of tax dollars.

And what of the loss of the advantages noted above? Will organizations have to go to other counties to fund-raise, or will distance prevent them from hosting golf tournament events? What other activities will generate those kind of revenues, and what impact will that have to the general community if they must cut back on those services? Would government have to make up the difference for needs that had previously been met by volunteer organizations? Would it not be ironic that in an effort to save money by selling the golf course, it ends up costing more than keeping it going? Difficult issues such as the county golf course are best seen with an awareness of the past and a keen eye on the future. This board of county commissioners appear to be doing just that.