Longwood University Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Tim Pierson’s guest column, “Changing uses of the LU golf course,” which was published on Feb. 26, raised a serious issue. 

Pierson states that the course will close to the public on June 30. But, even though Longwood President W. Taylor Reveley IV had assured the Longwood community on Feb. 25 that Pierson would communicate the reasoning behind this decision, there remain more questions than answers.

Pierson writes that Longwood has determined the prudent use of the course, while ensuring that golf thrives in Farmville as a whole. But his very next sentence announces the closing of the Longwood course. Is this its prudent use?

It has been home to community leagues for years. It has been open to secondary school teams, welcomed countless individuals and served Longwood students for 80 years. Prudent to close it? Nonsense. Expedient perhaps, but not prudent.

Pierson writes, “we want to support (golf) and encourage students to play.” He then mentions an arrangement which will allow students, faculty and staff to play the Manor. He adds, “The arrangement also provides a strong home for our intercollegiate golf program.” How insulting to our course. For decades, it has been a strong home for our intercollegiate golf teams, five of which earned national championships.

It is not necessary for Longwood to subsidize the Manor. While it is true that our Division I status requires an 18-hole course for a team to host an intercollegiate competition, it says nothing about practice.

Furthermore, the location of the tournament does not have to be in the same town as the hosting university. The alleged amount that Longwood is paying the financially struggling Manor to provide a strong home for the golf teams casts a shadow over the current administration’s outreach to the community. 

Pierson’s guest column struggles to explain the closing, reassuring the employees who work there that the university will still employ them and that a portion of the course will remain open  for our golf teams, university classes and lessons. 

With platitudes to the local golfers who now find themselves without a home for their leagues, he simply says that they have great local options.

So all who love this old course continue to be puzzled. Although promised the reasoning behind the decision, that reasoning remains as elusive as the emperor’s new clothes. 

Perhaps we will never know.

Dr. Barbara B. Smith is a LPGA Master Life Professional, a professor emerita of physical education at Longwood University and is former coach of the Women’s Golf Team. Her email address is bbsmith310@kinex.net.