Soccer scored a big victory over golf Nov. 6, as Miami voters approved plans for a professional soccer stadium at the site of the International Links Melreese Country Club.
The Miami Herald reported that roughly 60 percent of voters abandoned the city's only municipal course in favor of Miami Freedom Park, a stadium, park and commercial development backed by David Beckham and his business associates. The 73-acre redevelopment would include a 25,000-seat Major League Soccer stadium, at least 750 hotel rooms and roughly one million square feet of office, retail and commercial dwellings. Funding a 58-acre park was also part of the deal. All the land will be leased from the city.
Melreese - where LPGA star Cristie Kerr learned the game and current Web.com Tour pro Erik Compton practices - isn't dead yet. Four of five votes are required from the city council before it can move forward. At least two commissioners have gone on record against the proposal.
"It's a bad deal," Commissioner Willy Gort told the Herald. "It's a real estate deal, and they're using the stadium as a hook."
Soccer supporters couldn't have been more enthusiastic about the news. MLS Commissioner Don Garber told the Herald that Tuesday was a "historic day for the sport in our country, and another building block in our vision to become a soccer nation."
Beckham added: "The hurdles are not over. We still have things to clear up over these next few years, but I think we're in a good place."
Could your local muni be on the line next?
If you don't live or play golf in Miami, this vote doesn't affect you, right? Wrong. As land values in big cities rise - and the perception that golf is floundering endures - your municipal golf course could be the next to be targeted for redevelopment. It's a fight that could be coming to a downtown golf course near you.
For now, play will continue at Melreese, a 7,173-yard, par-71 course where Tiger Woods once held a clinic for a grand reopening after renovation work in the 1990s. Melreese is home to the First Tee Miami youth golf program, the University of Miami women's golf team, as well as the men's teams from Barry University and Johnson and Wales University.
Carlos Rodriguez, an executive board member of the First Tee Miami, said the vote didn't come as a surprise, but it was "disappointing".
"We have a $2-million-dollar center that's only six years from a ribbon cutting," he said. "It's a shame we have to recreate that somewhere else."
Melreese, a Dick Wilson design dating to 1961, features five lakes that come into play on 14 holes. The course has nearly as many one-star reviews (five) as four-star reviews (six) on Golf Advisor, but many of those complaints are for slow play or minor operational issues. For those who catch it on a good day, they tend to love the experience, which gets a steady five stars from most players.
The latest review from user Stourma dished out five stars, writing: "Great course! Fairways were immaculate and the greens should match in a couple of weeks. Pace of play was a bit slow, but weather played a part, so understandable. The 19th hole was great and service was friendly. Wish I would have found this gem sooner."
Chime in: If you lived in Miami, how would you have voted? Do you have a muni near you under siege? Let us know in the comments below.
Operation Support Military Golf, Inc fully agrees with your efforts on behalf of Muni Golf Courses, as we are on a similar mission to enhance and upgrade the 147 Military Golf Courses. Please see our website at operationsupportmilitarygolf.org and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Respectfully,
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OSMG Board Treasurer
This really is too bad, because when Melreese is in top shape, which is most of the time, it's one of the nicest public courses you could play. But it's also pricey, so I've only played it a handful of times. Looks like I'll be adding it to my growing list of courses I've played that no longer exist. But hey, "soccer nation," right? Pardon my skepticism on that one.
Are you kidding me ? Where has the PGA, USGA and other concerned organizations of Golf been for the last 15 years. We have lost at least 3 open to the public courses in the Raleigh, NC area in 2003 to 2008 time frame. Courses that people learning the game, could actually afford to play, over and over again. Just look at Myrtle Beach over the last 20 years and the amount of courses that have closed at the Golf Capital of the East Coast. I marvel at these organizations increasing purses to outrageous levels and forgetting those who really make the game grow and places that could attract new young players. Grow the Game, yeah, for those most fortunate to belong to semi or private course.
Tiger should use some of his influence and get something done.. I'm sure he started on a similar type of course.
I live in a small town in Southwestern Ontario, Canada.
Lived here all my life.
As I grew up there was a locally owned 9 hole golf coarse in town...one you could ride your bike to.
It's now a Wal-Mart shopping center and the nearest course is ten miles away...too far for a kid to bike.
The whole town wishes we could have it back, but it's gone forever.
Such a shame.
Houston city wants to redo the Classic Memorial Park course so that tour pros ( PGA) can play. They want the tour stop in the city to make more money for the city. Course would close for two years and the thousands of city tax paying golfers would be out of luck. It is a shame!
Green space in any City should be preserved.
Near an International Airport; even more important.
Slow play is caused by LOCALS enjoying the facility.
Mr Beckham and Your Fake Majesty Victoria,
You know all about Rain and Water: Do a Deal with the Seminole Indians and build your Stadium out near their Casino in SW Miami.
It’s a developing area with a massive Mexican and Italian population.
They must be soccer fans?
They might even sell you their Vegetable Farms at a fair price?
Via the superb new Miami Dade roads in the area, access to Miami & Ft Lauderdale Airports is easy.
It is not just a golf course we will be losing it is precious open land ,a botanical garden ,a refuge for birds and wildlife
this is a very nice course w e dont need another white elephant in this city move the soccer to overtown where you wanted it in the first place.
I've played the course several times. It's a gem, for a public course. Challenging but fair and well maintained. Regular slow play occurs because a lot of people use it and enjoy it. This would be a major loss to the community if the proposed plans happen.