USGA Executive Director David Fay Replies to SDMGA Open Letter - April 24, 2006
USGA Executive Director David Fay replied to the SDMGA open letter sent to the USGA on April 24, 2006. Mr. Fay's reply was very informative giving us a better perspective and understanding of their position.
Director Fay's letter is presented below.
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Dear Messrs. Beaver, Burwell and Spiegelman:
I received your e-mail on behalf of the San Diego Municipal Golfers Alliance (SDMGA), dated April 24, 2006. Thank you for taking the time to express your thoughts concerning Torrey Pines and the 2008 U.S. Open Championship. As you can imagine, we are excited about the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines South. There is a sense of enthusiasm in connection with the 2008 Open and it is our hope that the events that have dominated the local Torrey Pines landscape as of late do not negatively affect or dampen that spirit.
We are well aware of the fact that with a public facility comes public participation, debate and pride of community ownership. Those are but a few of the benefits of bringing our Nation’s championship to true public access facilities such as Torrey Pines in 2008 and a return visit to the site of the 2002 U.S. Open Championship, Bethpage State Park (Farmingdale, NY), in 2009. As to the particular matters currently confronting Torrey Pines (many of which were cited in your letter), it is our opinion that they are predominantly local in nature and should be dealt with as such taking into account the value of Torrey Pines as a premier golf location, the City’s financial situation and the varied concerns and viewpoints of all involved parties, including the SDMGA.
You correctly mentioned in your letter that I have referred to the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage State Park as “The People’s Open.” It’s my hope and expectation that I will be referring to the 2008 Open in a similar manner. As it relates to the public nature of the facility and the USGA’s participation in preserving that fundamental municipal essence of the site, please note that we have substantially similar provisions in the Torrey Pines agreement as we did in the Bethpage State Park agreement, including, but not limited to, certain multi-year green fee escalation limitations which are triggered in the timeframe immediately surrounding the Championship. Please also note that the USGA was able to assert more direct control over the operations surrounding Bethpage State Park preceding the 2002 Open because we, as an organization, actively courted the location. In regard to Torrey Pines, we were invited to the site and, as such, are well aware of our status as a guest of the City of San Diego and its citizens. Although we can and will control and operate the 2008 U.S. Open Championship with the help, support and cooperation of the City of San Diego, local community groups and its residents, we do not, cannot and should not control, unduly influence or interfere with the inner workings of the City’s government nor the City’s and its residents’ long term goals as they relate to Torrey Pines.
I would like to address your statement that you speak “on behalf of over 1,200 municipal golfers in San Diego.” Our experience with the City of San Diego, its residents and its golfers has been overwhelmingly positive from the moment the 2008 U.S. Open was announced. My staff and I have received almost constant positive feedback concerning the immediate impact of the Championship on the surrounding area and upon the location in particular. I can only hope that we can all agree that each of us has different viewpoints, priorities and sensitivities. There is no avoiding that very human truism. As such, it is our goal as a golf organization to conduct a first-rate Championship on a truly public and open venue knowing that such conduct on a site so many varied people call their home brings along with it the refreshing and resounding sounds of public debate. We welcome that and we are cognizant of our place as a golf organization and as a guest in San Diego. Therefore, as the governing body of golf, we shall not, to borrow from your letter, play the role of Pontius Pilate; however, for very similar reasons we must also refuse to adopt the role of town crier for a rather small segment of a very diverse populace.
I will not suggest that we are best equipped to determine or influence the future strategy related to the operation of Torrey Pines. We must leave that to your elected leaders and, if you and others truly disagree with them, for the quintessentially American effects of representation by and for the people. We do understand that as with many large cities, there is a host of financial and social issues confronting San Diego and clearly Torrey Pines plays a role in that. Golf is a wonderful game. We do all that we can within reason to preserve it and it is our hope that conducting the National Open on an outstanding municipally-owned venue shall serve as a testament to our support of public and municipal golf. I can assure you that we will do all that we can to make the 2008 Open an unqualified success for the City of San Diego, its residents, the USGA and, in the broadest sense, the game of golf. However, as mentioned above, I do not believe it is the role of the USGA to assert influence over a City and its elected leaders in connection with their decision to step back and look at ways to maximize the potential of a prized asset for the potential betterment of all of its residents, golfer and non-golfer alike.
The 2008 U.S. Open will be a “People’s Open” – but as with Bethpage in 2002, that means ALL people. We cannot focus on just the golfer who has the ability, means and privilege to play Torrey Pines numerous times each year. A “People’s Open” must include the avid golfer and the occasional player, the large number of residents who have never played the game but nonetheless will be lured to Torrey Pines to see the U.S. Open, the parent introducing the game to his or her young child, the fan, both young and old, and all residents who arrive at Torrey Pines to visit the Championship for that week in June 2008. If we can open the doors of golf and the U.S. Open to all of those individuals, we will have succeeded in conducting a “People’s Open.”
Very Truly Yours,
David B. Fay
USGA Executive Director