A letter to Sutton Creek

Dear Bernie and Debbie Aliberti,

It saddened me so much today to read the front page of the Windsor Star for many reasons.

After the Amateur event was held at Sutton Creek, I had one non-golfing friend express to me her positive impression of Sutton Creek. Today alone, I’ve heard several people comment negatively on the preference to kill geese on your course rather than utilize a more humane option.

To some, the most offensive aspect would be that this occurred during a women’s league. I personally don’t care when the hunting occurred, I feel that is shouldn’t have happened at all. If I witnessed the hunt, it would have disturbed me beyond imagine.

My opinion is that a very enjoyable facet of the game is to simply be outdoors, surrounded by nature and beauty. This is one of the many reasons that inspired us to join Sutton Creek. So many members love, and go out of their way to see the owls, geese, cranes, deer, turtles, etc.

If nature and beauty doesn’t enhance the experience of golf, I would expect courses to not plant flowers, grow trees, or water grass. We could all play at ‘On The Green’ and enjoy the sterile surroundings and manufactured air.

Although I have golfed on your course almost exclusively with women, who tend to be slightly more compassionate towards animals, I have never heard anyone complain about the geese or their excrement. Of course golfers are wary of approaching their ball when in the vicinity of geese, but they always move. It was great seeing the little goslings swimming, staggering about and growing up.

I’m not so naive to believe that feces are the only problem with the geese population on your course, but there are other proven ways to deal with the geese.

I wholeheartedly volunteer to bring my hound and my mom’s Labs to the course once a week in the early morning, or late evening to help with the geese predicament. I am a huge animal and nature lover and this would provide me with as much joy as it would the dogs, and hopefully aid in your current quandary.

Ultimately, I believe it is your educated assessment that decides if there are too many geese on your course, but I don’t believe that it is you who should determine whether geese should live or die. That ought to be concluded by appropriate wildlife authorities and taken care of at a more suitable venue.

Thank you for your time,

Liz Grady
CC: Dan McCaffrey, Dave Deluzio