A Professional Golfers Association tournament in South Valley at
the American Institute of Mathematics has a lot of potential for
good for our area.
A Professional Golfers Association tournament in South Valley at the American Institute of Mathematics has a lot of potential for good for our area.
The news that it might happen at John Fry’s unpermitted, controversial, 7,900-yard sparkling golf course in our city’s eastern foothills should be cause for celebration. That it’s not is mostly John Fry’s fault. And it’s too bad.
Fry, the electronics retailing mogul and the wealthy benefactor of AIM, needs to come out from behind the curtain, show himself and tell the community about his plans. This is not the Land of Oz, and choosing not to speak about his plans comes off badly, and it’s so unnecessary.
By all accounts the golf course is stunning. All the dirt pushing to get it that way, and who authorized what, is murky and disputed. And Fry’s refusal to openly discuss his plans is frightfully reminiscent of past sins at the course.
But to a certain extent, what’s done is done. The point now is to move forward. The only way to do that is to rectify past issues and mend the torn relationship with the community.
A major PGA golf tournament with its charitable coattails could be just the ticket.
It’s a shame – but inevitable – that the news about the tournament leaked out.
Rumors had been circulating for months about Fry flying in professional golfers to test the course in order to convert them into advocates for an event.
It would have been much better if Fry had been working with people in the community to make his vision a reality.
Our advice: Drive it straight down the middle with a forthright interview that the community can absorb.
Answer the questions on people’s minds. What is his vision for the tournament? How will it benefit the community both in terms of cachet, charitable donations and economic stimulus? How does he plan to comply with environmental and planning regulations?
Let the community evaluate the plans. Clearly, there’s a risk. People will judge the man behind the idea, too.
But honestly, if there’s a grand plan – and we believe Fry has one – the only way to make it happen is to get residents and officials to climb aboard.
And who wouldn’t enthusiastically welcome a well-planned prestigious event that helps local organizations?
As for naysayers who think the site is too environmentally sensitive, or the roads too rural to handle the event’s annual week-long traffic, we have six words: Gilroy Garlic Festival and Pebble Beach.
If Gilroy can welcome more than 100,000 visitors over three days each August, we can too. If tiny, environmentally sensitive Pebble Beach can handle the traffic and environmental impacts, so can Morgan Hill.
Much depends on how Fry handles the helm from here on out.
Forthrightness, enthusiasm and playing by the rules are key to getting the community on board.
The time for John Fry to trust the community is now.
