A PGA tournament at Morgan Hill’s American Institute of
Mathematics has a lot of potential for good for South Valley. But,
depending on how it’s handled, it also has potential to be a
negative experience for everyone. The difference is really up to
John Fry.
A PGA tournament at Morgan Hill’s American Institute of Mathematics has a lot of potential for good for South Valley. But, depending on how it’s handled, it also has potential to be a negative experience for everyone. The difference is really up to John Fry.
We encourage Fry, the electronics retailing mogul and the wealthy benefactor of AIM, to try a new approach with the community if he wants to hold a charity tournament at the institute’s, by all accounts, stunning golf course.
Instead of ignoring regulations and keeping the community and officials in the dark, which seemed to be his modus operandi when he developed the former Flying Lady property into AIM’s headquarters and golf course, Fry should be forthright with the community.
Fry should tell the South Valley community exactly what his vision for the tournament is, how it will benefit the community both in terms of cachet, charitable donations and economic stimulus, how he will comply with environmental and planning regulations, and how he will mitigate any negative effects.
Then, the community can evaluate AIM’s plans on their merits, can judge the man behind the idea, and, we predict, get enthusiastically behind hosting such a prestigious event.
As for naysayers who think the site is too environmentally sensitive, or the roads too rural to handle the event’s annual week-long traffic, we have six words: Hollister Independence Rally and Pebble Beach.
If Hollister can welcome more than 100,000 visitors over three days each July (at least until this year), so can Morgan Hill. If tiny, environmentally sensitive Pebble Beach can handle the traffic and environmental impacts, so can Morgan Hill.
Done right, this event has the potential to dwarf the hugely successful Gilroy Garlic Festival in terms of economic impact, charitable benefit, and visitor draw.
But so much depends on how Fry and AIM handle these early details.
Forthrightness, enthusiasm and playing by the rules are key to getting the community on board.
Let’s hope some lessons were learned from the experience of expanding the golf course.
