SalemNews.com, Salem, MA

Opinion

March 19, 2010

Our view: Patience required as BG&T seeks comeback

Those looking forward to another season on the links at the Beverly Golf & Tennis Club were no doubt relieved to learn that, finally, there's a new manager in place. This one, Golf Facilities Management Inc., has extensive experience running municipal golf courses in Lynn (Gannon) and North Reading (Hillview). The former, besides being an outstanding 18-hole track, also boasts a bar and restaurant that is one of the most popular gathering spots in the city during the season.

Gannon reminds some of what Beverly Golf & Tennis was in its heyday when the hilly course was regarded as one of the best public layouts in the state and there was a long waiting list for membership.

Councilors were wise to go along with Mayor Bill Scanlon's proposal to give the new management firm a five-year contract, since it will take time — and money — to bring the course and clubhouse back to their former glory. The smaller amount GFMI is promising the city — a little over half the $600,000 a year the former operator guaranteed — represents a more realistic appraisal of the club's revenue potential and increases the chances of it being a successful operation.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Opinion

Nelson Benton Twitter Updates
Follow me on Twitter
Salem News Opinion Poll
AP Video
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion' 5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La. Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal $25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Comments Tracker
Roll Call
Helium debate
Helium