Re “Topgolf project would put Port at financial risk” (July 24): I was a youth golfer on a nine-hole municipal course in a Midwest farm town, and spent an inordinate amount of time searching for my hooked golf balls in the longest fairway’s adjacent cornfield. In our tiny town, the clubhouse was a community center, and golf was available to everyone interested, unlike San Diego and other large cities where it’s too expensive for most. The Port’s proposed 10-acre Topgolf driving range for East Harbor Island, with 170-foot-high netting, is highly questionable for more than its environmental impacts. That the project has advanced this far speaks to short-sightedness by Port officials who are overlooking the value and purpose of public-use land. Golf participation does not span the population’s demographics. It’s a wonderful sport but too expensive for most. Although I understand the appeal to avid golfers, the acreage proposed for Topgolf should be designated for more community-inclusive purposes.
— Beth Givens, Linda Vista