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Sports Watch

By Bill Kwon

Thursday, October 5, 2000

Don’t change Ala Wai
into tacky park

HAUNANI was right. Although, I won't go so far as to wave a sign to show my displeasure at Ben Cayetano's attempt to turn the Ala Wai Golf Course into another tacky Waikiki.

Besides, there's no letter "F" in the Hawaiian language.

The governor talks about turning the venerable golf course into a "meaningful park" for Honolulu.

"Every great city has a significant, meaningful park," said Cayetano, listing New York, Vancouver and San Francisco as examples.

Ah, don't we already have Kapiolani Park and Ala Moana Park right in the area?

True, residents and tourists alike already fear for their safety when strolling through those parks at night. In fact, we're warned not to go there after hours, least we get mugged or molested. Even stabbed.

I assume Ala Wai Park Plaza, or whatever the place will be called if it's ever built, will be safe unlike the others. But I wouldn't bet on it.

The golf course at Ala Wai isn't just for a privileged few. Some 176,000 rounds of golf played there yearly can hardly be called a "few." And the city's golf computers have 90,000 names registered.

Besides, Ala Wai also provides an aesthetic green belt of open space that keeps the Waikiki jungle at bay.

Cayetano isn't the first politician to cast covetous eyes at Ala Wai's 150 acres. Former Mayor Frank Fasi wanted to build Honolulu's version of Central Park there.

Then, there was that campaign to build the State Convention Center at Ala Wai, which fortunately failed.

And don't get me started on the convention center, still the most expensive and least utilized facility ever foisted on Hawaii's tax payers.

That was supposed to bring in a lot more conventions and tourists. Never happened.

Now, we want to take away from local residents, the state's most popular and busiest golf course, in order to build a "meaningful park" for tourists.

You can just see them, can't you, strolling through the Ala Wai Park. You think they'd come all the way to Hawaii to do that instead of beach-combing the Waikiki shoreline?

Get real. Ben's idea isn't visionary. It's tunnel vision.

Here's hoping the Legislature vetoes his idea for a park project at Ala Wai if he ever issues an executive order to take back the land from the city.

YOU want visionary, I'll give you visionary.

One of these years, the Waialae Country Club will be too confining a site to host a PGA Tour event. There has been talk of looking for a site for a world-class golf course on Oahu.

With purse prizes escalating -- the Sony Open will play for $4 million next January with a year left on the PGA contract -- tour officials may start looking elsewhere, leaving Oahu without a tour event.

Guess where a first-class golf course -- with stadium-styled seating -- could be built?

Why, at Ala Wai, of course.

It would be just across the canal from Waikiki and all of its hotels. And, being right in the city, public transportation would make it readily accessible to tens of thousands.

Making it the best of all possible worlds for golfers, the world-class golf course would be available for local and tourist play when it isn't being utilized for local major golf events, as well as for a PGA, Senior PGA or LPGA tournament.

That's getting the most bang for the bucks and still preserving a golf course at Ala Wai to keep the local residents happy.

Sure beats the idea of using the Ala Wai for a "meaningful" park, as far as I'm concerned.

You retain the open greenery, generate income and provide a world-class golf course that Oahu will eventually need.