Will Immigration Reform Negatively Impact Golf in Arizona?

Tourism and golf bring hoards of vacationers to Arizona but, with tightened security measures being imposed in the form of the new S.B 1070 law, will boycotts leave Arizona golf in a hazard?

And, who will help maintain the golf courses if all of its 'illegals' are deported?

Many immigrants coming to America from Mexico are Hispanics seeking a better life for themselves and their families and will take jobs that no one even wants. In the case of Scottsdale, an upscale tourist community, "the city has relied on Mexican labor from its initial founding," states John Harner with the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies. "Somebody has to do the physical work."

On the other hand, as posted on the Laura Ingraham website, "Arizona's illegal immigrant population is costing the state's taxpayers even more than once thought -- a whopping $2.7 billion, according to researchers at the public interest group that helped write the state's new immigration law."

California, once a haven for illegals has also snubbed Arizona along with Texas and New Mexico and is also partly responsible for "forcing a shift in the flow of illegal immigrants that has now turned Arizona into the single biggest gateway for people sneaking into the country from Mexico."

The States may be collectively turning their backs on Arizona because, for most of them, this situation is not happening in their own backyard (NIMBY) but PLEASE let us not forget that this is still the UNITED States of America!

Adding insult to injury, boycotts against Arizona are now popping up from Seattle to Minnesota with organizations pledging to "hold no conventions, conferences, special events or major meetings involving significant travel to Arizona while law S.B. 1070 is in effect."

Ping has also been mentioned on the list of Arizona companies to "boycott".

Media, in the form of guys like John Farrell are also calling out Arizona. "There are lots of other places to play golf and plenty of scenery elsewhere as we wait for Arizona to come to its senses. The Grand Canyon is not going anywhere."

Much business is done on the golf course. Boycotts and government disillusionment will translate into millions of dollars of lost revenue for Arizona.

Golf-course owners are getting hit from all sides. "Tourism is down, fewer locals are playing, water and labor costs are up and too much competition has forced course owners to lower membership fees and greens fees,"  claimed Roger Garrett of Phoenix-based Insight Land & Investments.

It's time for local professional golfers living in Arizona to take a stand, change the climate and help get Arizona back on its feet.

Who can believe that Superstition Mountain, Wigwam and Quintero Golf and Country Club, a few of the finest Phoenix golf courses, have filed for bankruptcy protection?

On the flip side, immigration reform is not being chastised by everyone. Since 9-11, harsher measures in airport security and in NYC subway tunnels make citizens feel better protected. Is it too much to ask that citizens feel safe?

Scottsdale, Arizona need not worry as Scottsdale golf courses will be getting a boost from this citizen found on USMessageBoard.com:

In honor of the fact that Arizona has the balls to do right by their CITIZENS, the wife and I have decided to start looking for a vacation property near Scottsdale. Some great golf courses in that area, as well as some great dirt bike riding areas. My Pings and KTM 400 will get some serious usage. And the best part is, we'll be contributing to the local economy. Helping to keep our fellow LEGAL citizens employed. It's the american way!

Yes, the American Way is the ideal that anyone can improve their standard of living through determination and hard work. I think it's great that immigrants have an opportunity at the American Dream but how about doing it honestly and with integrity? Sneaking past borders in the middle of the night does not make this country any more safe and over the long term will probably do more harm than good. Also, paying for the rights and services to which Americans already contribute is fair for everyone.

With regards to safety I'm probably as safe on Arizona golf courses as I am anywhere else in this world, except when I hear, "FORE!"

When faced with bad publicity, what can Arizona do next? Rebrand its image!

"No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation." 
---General Douglas MacArthur

Addendum: Just found out that Dora the Explorer may be an illegal immigrant from this mug shot.

Too harsh a golf lesson for Yuko Mitsuka of the JLPGA?

I rarely play a round of golf on the weekends. I'm tired of the 'Sunday drivers' and slow players who search for their brand new, once-hit TaylorMade golf balls while laying tracks on freshly seeded fairways.

There usually is no penalty handed out by the rangers other than a stiff and formal "move it along" with a retort coming from the foursome something like, "it's the guys in front of us slowing down play." The golfers are probably right as the publinks often send out way too many golfers in an effort to collect as much seasonal income as possible. Either way, slow play makes it impossible to enjoy a day on the links.

In the case of Japanese golfer Yuko Mitsuka, there were no excuses given when the JLPGA invoked a two-stroke pace-of-play penalty last week at the World Ladies Championship.

Okay, so Yuko didn't at first bow and willingly accept her punishment.

When first hearing of her incurred two-stroke penalty, Mituska acted like any teed off golfer who just hit a grounder and angrily dropped her golf clubs and walked off the course.

Because Mitsuka quit halfway through the event, a fine imposed by the JLPGA of two million yen (about $21K US dollars) added insult to injury.

Realizing that her behavior was more befitting of John Daly than of a young lady from Japan, Mitsukla accepted the punishment and voluntarily withdrew from a total of eleven events as a sign of self-reproach.

Is this a smart move for Yuko or is she cutting her nose to spite her face, opting out of a few of the larger pursed tournaments to make a point?

On the PGA Tour, $20,000 fines called "The Prize", have also been "awarded" in the past for slow play but "nobody ever does anything about it," chides Rory Sabbatini.

Are "shot clocks" and "ready golf" the best way to move golf along at a more rapid pace or are stroke penalties and dollar assessments more effective for both betting foursomes and professionals?

Although Yuko Mitsuka took her medicine, was the JLPGA too strict in its punishment? Not from the JLPGA's standpoint!

"This will be a lesson to other golfers," said JLPGA chief Hisako Higuchi. "She has to take responsibility for her actions."

Higuchi may be right. How many women golfers in future JLPGA events will consider walking off the course because a penalty was placed on them?