HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/3/2026 Item 7a, Smith, D.
Dave Smith <davelsmith@mac.com>
Sent:Sunday, January
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Laguna Lake Golf Course Study Session - February 3, 2026 - Agenda Item #7
Hello City Council members,
I wanted to offer my thoughts regarding the upcoming study session as a San Luis Obispo City resident
and golfer. I hope you find them helpful.
I first started playing golf at Laguna Lake Golf Course around 2007 and played there weekly for years. My
wife Phyllis started playing golf there with me in 2016 and continues to play there regularly with either me
or a lady friend of hers.
Laguna Lake Golf Course’s appeal is in being like a hybrid City park and open space. Other players I know
agree the course is affordable, convenient, scenic, moderately challenging, easy to walk and a great way
to exercise outdoors while socializing with others. Health benefits are balance, coordination, cognitive
skills, social interaction, endurance, aerobic fitness, enjoying nature, getting sunshine and fresh air.
As Phyllis and I age, the rounds we play at Laguna Lake Golf Course will increase. Of all the sport options
there are when anyone is 70+, golf is one sport that can potentially be played indefinitely. Because
Laguna is a 9 hole course on relatively level terrain, using electric bag carts we can continue to enjoy the
benefits of walking instead of riding in a golf cart.
I know City recreation facilities like Laguna are subsidized but losing any existing recreation facility in
SLO would be counter-productive and an unrecoverable property loss. It seems fair to say that the last
thing most people want to see is Laguna Lake Golf Course converted into a housing track and/or a
commercial development. Rather than eliminate the course to the detriment of its users and neighbors,
it is preferable that any study session not only include evaluation of fees to increase revenue but also
explore adding more activities to make it a multi-use recreation facility. My opinion is that everyone
would be best served if the land remains as a recreation use area and hope that any repurposing options
explored do not exclude the golf course.
Thank you,
Dave Smith
(805) 431-7170
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