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MARCH 23, 2022
www.wintertexantimes.com GOLF
From pg. 1
Champion Lakes (previously Palm View) Golf Course - First Place Upper Valley Golf Course
Valley) Champion Lakes (formerly Palm View Golf Course) was named the Upper Valley Favorite, Tierra Santa earned the Mid-Valley Favorite, and River Bend secured the Lower
Valley Favorite. Cheryl, who is from Sault Ste. Marie in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, said that the people at Long Island Village Golf Course are what makes the difference. She remem-
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bers her first year at the park, getting involved with other activities such as painting and stained-glass. Then she decided to take up golf. “I told one lady the next year I came that I would like to learn to play,” she said. “We would go out with a group of ladies every morning, walking the course and they would help me out. You don’t get better unless you play so I would go out every day practicing. I took it serious and am always trying to better myself.” Fitzgerald says she can see that the course is getting busier all the time, adding that since the COVID-19 scare has lessened, there are more new golfers who probably took up the sport as a way to get exercise and get out of the house. She also said that golf is more than just an activity at Long Island Village, but a way to support others in need. The course recently had a night-golf event that raised thousands of dollars for St. Jude Hospital, she said. “When there’s need, people
WINTER TEXAN TIMES
come forth here,” she said. “It’s one of those communities that you just want to keep coming back.” The course is an 18-hole par-3 but can play as long as the more traditional golf courses with a merciless wind that seems to always be in your face. Club selection is critical here and you may need to go up or down a club or two based on pin placement, strength of wind – and its direction. UPPER VALLEY Champion Lakes – First Place A few years back, when the Winter Texan numbers were shrinking, City of McAllen Golf Director Carlos Espinosa went in search of, “Why.” His reaching out to golfers has made a huge difference and Espinosa said it was important to see what the golfers wanted and what he and his staff could do to appeal to the Winter visitors. It has worked. Champion Lakes continues to be a favorite among all golfers – even the new ones who took up the sport due to COVID-19. “People don’t often realize the
