GOLFERS are petitioning Government in a drive to keep a public golf course open.

In a shock announcement earlier this month, Premier Ewart Brown confirmed the St. George's Golf Course will shut down on July 30, claiming that the facility - one of only three public courses on the island - was losing money.

But enthusiasts of the sport are now voicing their anger by circulating a petition against the closure. They argue that the closure will leave just one course - Ocean View - open to the public. The third course, Port Royal in Southampton, is closed for the whole of 2008 while undergoing a redesign.The petition reads: "Due to the recent announcement of the closure of St. George's Golf Course on July 30th 2008; we, the undersigned, appeal to the Bermuda Government to consider allowing the course to remain open at least until the reopening of Port Royal Golf Course. After July 30, the golfing public, including visitors to the island, will lose the only public 18-hole golf course available in Bermuda."

The three courses used to come under the authority of the Ministry of Works & Engineering but were shifted to the Department of Tourism after Dr. Brown became Tourism Minister.

Yesterday Opposition United Bermuda Party leader Kim Swan also challenged Government to justify the closure.

He questioned how Dr. Brown could know the course was a money pit - pointing out that financial accounts for the island's three public courses have not been filed for several years.

And he also expressed concern that the shutdowns could be the start of a move to hand over the public lands to private hotel developers. Government is working with Carl Bazarian to redevelop the neighbouring Club Med resort into a luxury Park Hyatt hotel. The plans include a redesign of the course by former top UK golfer Nick Faldo, although the Premier said: "The new golf course will be open to the public and will not be private. Government policy will be that all Bermudians will be given a 50 percent discount to play on the course".

Mr. Swan, who said he did not organise the petition but does support it, said: "The reason we have these public facilities is to provide good quality, affordable golf that was accessible to all - anyone who was prepared to pay a daily fee for the facility.

"Bermuda, more than anywhere else, had taken a sport that at one stage was regarded as only being for the upper classes, and done something right so that it could be enjoyed by all classes.

He pointed out that the St. George's course was beginning to build its customer base back up after closing down for a revamp two years ago, adding that "these things take time".

And he declared that a lack of any financial statements from the course made a "mockery" of the Premier's claim that the course was haemorrhaging money.

Mr. Swan also suggested that, had financial statements and annual reports been properly filed in the House of Assembly, action could have been taken to stop the losses.

Continued on Page 2

"Government owes it to the people to guarantee that our public facilities remain intact," he said.

"To do away with our East End public facility would take Bermuda back to the 60s - when Bermuda only had a nine-hole public facility at Ocean View. Bermuda is unique where golf is enjoyed by the widest cross section of society. For the public to be without two public facilities sets the stage for a major shift away from affordable public golf towards the "elitism" we moved away from 40 years ago.

"Where else in the world can boast as diverse a golfing community as Bermuda - a community that needs affordable public facilities. Taxi drivers are golfers. Blue collar and white collar workers golf together. Police and firemen are golfers. Young and old are golfers in Bermuda as are all races and ethnic groups. Business and charitable organisations enjoy golf in Bermuda. Tourist also look for affordable golfing options.

"Section 12 (4) of the Accounts and Audit Act requires accounts to be audited annually. To my understanding the Government is behind in this area. Section (13) (2) of the act Annual Report states that the Minister shall cause a copy of every such report to be laid before each House of the Legislature within a reasonable time. This has not taken place for numerous years.

"Section (13) (3) outlines that the Board will report "on the exercise and and performance of functions assigned to it under the act during that year".

"The Minister of Tourism, who the golf courses now fall under, is derelict in his duty for not presenting annual reports to the House which would outline the reasons decisions were made and such details as fee structures and salaries."