Liberty National: Trying To Hide Jersey's Trash Problem
by Ryan Ballengee on Aug 26, 2009 12:30 PM EDT
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As Homer Simpson so famously uttered when preparing to go into space, "The only danger is if they send us to that terrible planet of the apes. Wait a minute...Statue of Liberty... that was our planet! You maniacs! You blew it up! Damn you all to hell!"
I cannot help but think of that line whenever I see the view of the 18th green at Liberty National in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty. I think that's because Liberty National is basically a brownfields project turned into a golf course. The place used to be the dump of dumps. The whole property is contaminated land. A four foot layer of plastic and sand had to be laid out on the property before construction could actually begin on the course.
The end result is a golf course with about 100 members, a rumored half-million dollar initiation fee, and a PGA Tour stop. For one year. At a price tag of $150 million.
That's great if the east coast elite want to have memberships and homes on a golf course that sits on a buried layer of contamination. Still, it seems to kind of give off the wrong vibe. With membership fees so high, it seems like this course is destined to become a dollhouse for our nation's most rich and powerful. Just forget the decades of bureaucratic dishonesty and corporate payoffs to allow this kind of land contamination to happen. Plow over it with a ton of sand and clay so that the wealthiest 1% have a new playground. I know that's awfully cynical, but it is a view that is tough to shed.
Not having seen the course in person, I have to trust that Bob Cupp and Tom Kite did a solid job. We'll get more on that from the players this week. But when critics point to the lavish nature of the sport, one of the first places they can look is to Liberty National. In the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, it is emblematic of the laissez faire attitude toward land conservation of many governments and corporations.
Even if the golf is great, I cannot help but think of what lies beneath.
In fairness, here's a tour of the club done with the architects done for the NJ Star-Ledger.
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AAAYY - YOOOOO
yous better watch what yous is sayin’ about da joisey shore and the santitation engineering business – Rocko and Jimmy three fingers can be down in Maryland before yous know it ! oooo – hey boss, our bailout check just arrived for our part in global warming. :-)
don’t forget that the area was also used as a WWI ammo dump – careful calling those bunker shots “explosion” shots.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Liberty National doesn’t sit on a former trash dump.
It sits on a former wasteland that was a former ammo dump, and area that held decaying warehouses (that were also the headquarters of the Gambino crime family) and empty fields where cars, toxic waste, etc. was illegally dumped.
The land was rehabilitated, toxic waste removed and a golf course built on it.
I would call that land RECLAMATION, not something placed to cosmetically hide a problem. Would you prefer it had stayed in its former condition, Ryan? Would you have had it simply been an off limits (at the expense on one’s health)?
So what if it was wealthy people who purchased it for the use of wealthy people. They didn’t use much if any government money to remediate the site, and they damned sure didn’t soak the taxpayers to create, build and operate their club. What they DID do was add a nice, expensive parcel to the local property tax roles, create jobs not only for the construction of but also the continuing operation of their club.
Golf’s PR problem is its own problem. If anything it is uber-wealthy organizations like the USGA, R&A and PGA Tour that need to create low-cost public venues, because they became rich because of golf.
The land wasn’t rehabilitated. Tom Kite said they cannot even get within shouting distance to remove many land contaminants.
I personally don’t have a problem with what the rich do with their dollars, but LN’s vibe just doesn’t sit well with me.
Email me any comments or questions at ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com.
by Ryan Ballengee on Aug 26, 2009 1:11 PM EDT up reply actions
“uber-wealthy organizations like the USGA, R&A” ?? check your facts again – these are not “uber rich” organizations – they are non-profit. They have to pay staff, certainly, but they also publish, keep track of the rules, run tournaments MOST of which are amateur, not professional. They have never been in the golf course business, though they do help with research for grasses and conservation.
The USGA and R&A don’t go out building private country clubs.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
They have more than sufficient means to go out and build PUBLIC links in order to grow the game. They can certainly give grants to do so. Instead, they flit about in private jets and have a very high administration percentage.
by Charles Boyer on Aug 26, 2009 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions
And in fairness to the USGA, they do make a nominal number of grants:
http://2008senioram.com/about_usga/philanthropy/grants/faq/Grants-FAQs/
Facility Construction
While making up a small percentage of the requests we receive, the USGA does support the construction of courses and learning facilities that address the issues of affordability and accessibility, and foster an introduction to golf. Organizations applying with facility requests should note that we require construction bids from contractors and a business plan for both facility construction and on-going operations. In addition, a description of all programs to be operated at the facility also must be included in the application. For these types of projects, please request a Construction Project application when contacting the USGA.
I still think that they could do more than they do, however. First Tee certainly seems to put more effort into matters than the USGA.
by Charles Boyer on Aug 26, 2009 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions
First Tee is only secondarily about golf. They use the game to keep kids out of trouble and in school actually learning.
Should the USGA and R&A tell you how to spend your money ?
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
They are not a member of me, however, I am a member of them…and yes, both organizations.
by Charles Boyer on Aug 26, 2009 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions
^ Wow is that poorly written. First Tee and USGA, obviously.
Still the point holds. As a long-time USGA member, I do think I have some right to an opinion of how they should reduce their administrative costs and put more of their green into the grass.
by Charles Boyer on Aug 26, 2009 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions
no – it’s not – you think that just because you voluntarily send them $10 a year, you have some sort of voting rights.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
An opinion is far different from voting rights.
Try a better straw man argument, Court. Your a lot better than that. :-)
by Charles Boyer on Aug 26, 2009 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions
They removed a lot of soil, then covered the entire site with a liner to protect the clay and sand that was put atop it in order to build the course and make it safe for usage. Yes, there is still contamination, but there is a little problem with going below sea level there, and the fact that one cannot go but so far because of that. This I know because I know some of the engineers that worked on the site and they told me so.
That is part of the issue, certainly.
Email me any comments or questions at ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com.
by Ryan Ballengee on Aug 26, 2009 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions
We have a county muni here that was pretty much just built on top of a landfill. When it rains – you still know it used to be a landfill. Once, I jumped over a small stream and sank almost knee deep in soft….something. Pulled out a grey leg, sock, and shoe. (mine, of course, not someone elses) :-)
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
I’m all for converting waste land (literally) to good use. But this wasn’t really a landfill.
Email me any comments or questions at ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com.
by Ryan Ballengee on Aug 26, 2009 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions
What would you have done with the land, Ryan…and for bonus points, not using any tax money to do it.
by Charles Boyer on Aug 26, 2009 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Probably would’ve combined private capital in conjunction with New Markets Tax Credits for brownfields to build some kind of mixed use or commercial facility.
Email me any comments or questions at ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com.
by Ryan Ballengee on Aug 26, 2009 2:12 PM EDT up reply actions
What’s the difference between a private club (ultimately a commercial facility) and the homes they plan to build there, which would meet the mixed use requirement? Seems like they built and are continuing to build almost exactly what you briefly described.
I would think that LN may actually spur more development nearby, a la Hoboken’s revitalization some time back. Hoboken used to be a specimen of urban blight, but now it is some of the pricier real estate not in the city itself.
by Charles Boyer on Aug 26, 2009 2:16 PM EDT up reply actions
The liberal in me says that it would better to have this kind of land with that kind of view more accessible to the public. I get what you’re saying about tax rolls, etc.
Curious that you bring up Hoboken. Have a friend there. It still faces significant issues, but certainly is better than it was. The real estate value does seem to have quite a bit to do with the last bubble/bust cycle, though.
Email me any comments or questions at ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com.
by Ryan Ballengee on Aug 26, 2009 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions
RB – you’re forgetting a few things. Commercial or multi-use construction has a ton of legal restrictions because they are being built as places for people to live and work. Putting a golf course on the land – with the ground covering – is a lot safer than houses and businesses.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
You do realize that LN bisects two public parks, right? It’s not like they are keeping the public from having nearby facilities. Cavern Point and Liberty State Park are right there.
by Charles Boyer on Aug 26, 2009 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm getting the distinct impression...
…that RB really wanted the area covered in concrete and not diggable dirt…hmmmm…..interesting…. :-D
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Just saying that I received a trash bag full of unmarked bills for my concrete supply business.
Email me any comments or questions at ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com.
by Ryan Ballengee on Aug 26, 2009 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Wonder if Jimmy Hoffa turned up during the construction phase of LN?
Interesting about the rich and golf. Here’s a related article: http://golfstinks.blogspot.com/2009/08/golf-only-for-rich-come-on.html
The PGA Tour put out a piece on their own site patting themselves on the back for coming to Liberty National – because of the environmental win that the course is.
http://www.pgatour.com/2009/tournaments/r027/08/25/mcallister_column/index.html
Email me any comments or questions at ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com.
yep – that’s quite a marketing piece…and notice, not a single name ending in a vowel mentioned in the article. OOOHHhhh – Eeyy ! :-)
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Hahaha!
This week is just a big pat on golf’s own back for creating an expensive barrier between toxic land and a golf course. Kite is so proud of the fact that nothing at LN is naturally occurring. That bothers me to no end.
Email me any comments or questions at ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com.
by Ryan Ballengee on Aug 27, 2009 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions
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