By MARGOT LIBERTY, President

You might be surprised to learn that the Los Alamos Golf Course is not JUST a golf course. It’s more than that, it’s much more than that. A golf course is a gathering place. It’s a place where family, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances come together to socialize and enjoy the beauty that surrounds this wonderful town. It’s also a place where every year hundreds of adorable children come to find that one magical Easter egg among friends. It’s a place that hosts high school cross country meets, and in the winter it’s a place where many utilize the open space for cross country skiing or sledding.

Your Los Alamos Golf Course, and yes I say your golf course because this is a place for every citizen of Los Alamos to enjoy, is in dire need of improvements to maintain its lure, its beauty, and its golfing appeal. This golf course is actually one of the oldest golf courses in the state of New Mexico and also plays host to one of the oldest match play tournaments every 4th of July known as the Atomic City Invitational.

The proposed recreational bond is an exciting opportunity to maintain its history and future sustainability. The current irrigation system is 30 years old and is well past its useful life by USGA standards. Not to mention, the current system doesn’t water efficiently and water is often wasted due to faulty sprinkler heads and broken water lines. Parts are often hard to come by and take days to arrive, exasperating the problem further. A new system would provide us the opportunity to conserve resources, water efficiently, and make repairs more manageable.

While the majority of the funds will be utilized for irrigation replacement, funds will also be used to improve tee boxes, fairways, and renovate existing bunkers. All of these will improve overall playing conditions and make your golf course more pleasing to outsiders looking for that pristine mountain golf experience.

Every season your golf course hosts approximately 40 events, most of which benefit charitable organizations that depend on the course for necessary funding.  Organizations such as; Special Olympics, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, the YMCA, the Elks, Knights of Columbus, the Los Alamos Chamber, Younglife, the Los Alamos High School Baseball and Softball teams, and finally scholarships provided by Zia Credit Union’s Scholarship fund just to name a few. These events often bring in out of towners that bring in out of town dollars, which eventually equates to increased GRT to the County. Improved playing conditions assures that these events continue into the future and they make the course more attractive for additional organizations to host events.

Finally, it is predicted that annual operating and maintenance costs will actually decrease making the bond a win, win for everyone. So let’s all join together to invest in the future of Los Alamos by voting YES!