Guy Cipriano
Looking to promote the value of golf to skeptical politicians and residents? Consider making it a quality-of-life discussion. Here’s how a pair of Lake Charles, Louisiana, leaders view what quality recreation means to a community.
The City of Lake Charles, which experienced a devastating stretch of natural disasters from August 2020 until May 2021, recently unveiled the new Mallard Golf Club to residents and visitors. Our February issues features the inspirational story of the course.
Mayor Nic Hunter: “Top-notch recreational facilities and programming represent critical components of quality of life for any growing and thriving city. Parks, community centers and sports venues provide opportunities for families to gather together in a safe location to play, learn and grow. Additionally, tourism business brings added economic impact for the community. A municipal golf course, with a unique style of play such as Mallard Golf Club, offers an affordable experience for players of all levels.”
City administrator John Cardone: “You can talk about economic development and diversity, but without quality of life, nothing else happens. You have to work hard at providing those amenities to your citizens. Whether it’s a golf course, rec centers, parks, it’s huge. When we had damage to the golf course, all of our rec centers were down, our civic center was down, everything was shut down. The quality of life, did it go down? Absolutely. Is it back up? Absolutely. We worked hard for that, because people need that. The golf course is a piece of that.”
