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Just a few days past our � anks-giving holiday/celebration, there are simply a thousands things I am thankful for, such as family, friends, good health, the fact that Donald Combover is not our leader and my longtime passion for golf. One of the things I am not thank- ful for is the end to one of my favou- rite golfing venues, the Waterloo Golf Academy (WGA), on the bor- der of Waterloo and the township of Wilmot on Wilmot Line. Twenty-five years after being designed and built by Doug Black, the user-friendly facility -- which also featured a driving range, chip- ping and putting areas, and a stun- ning 18-hole up-and-down minia- ture-golf layout -- had its last day on Oct. 1. As the golf writer at the Record, I was there for the opening; and as a freelance scribbler for the 'Cronk,' I was there for the � nal day. By golf design standards, it was not considered a technical chal- lenge. � e par-31 featured four tee blocks of 2,073; 1,837; 1,615; and 1,422 yards for just four par-fours and � ve par-threes, but it had sand bunkers on many of the holes, a giant pond and some tricky putting surfaces. But, it was these features that made it a perfect place for young boys and girls, newcomers to the game and seniors of all ages to learn and/or enjoy the ol' pastime of hit- ting the ball and chasing it. It would be hard to estimate how many juniors honed their skills at the academy, but it would be safe to say it's thousands. Years ago, I did some research and learned that during the boom of the Eldrick era, the WGA summer camps for juniors were the largest in the country for two straight years. Early in my tenure in Waterloo Region, I played and enjoyed all of the wonderful tracks in this area, and to a much lesser degree, still do. However, as age crept up on me, I discovered that the handy WGA facility was where I could go quickly and play nine in anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes. � ere are just too many people I have met and played golf with over the past two decades to name them all, and that's the same case for the pros and employees in the shop at WGA; but, it was a terri� c quarter- century that I will never forget. Now, here are some things I would love to forget. I understand the growth of a city, but I will never understand why that expansion destroys green space or recreation areas. I was happy to be a part of the successful e� ort to have WGA live out its 25-year lease from the City of Waterloo when the city tried to end it � ve years ago. And so were the thousands of people who signed a petition asking for the same thing. I've suggested this before: Water- loo should have taken over opera- tion of the course where they could have made a nice little profit. It is my belief -- not proven -- that Waterloo will never get out from under the debt of the Grey Silo golf course bait-and-switch scandal a few years ago, no matter how much leaser GolfNorth pays in yearly rent. And here's one final tidbit. Every time a TV commercial for the Marineland tourist attraction in Niagara Falls plays -- and there are a lot in the summer -- I cringe in silent anger. Why, you ask? Because the developer built it on the old Oak- lands golf course, where I first started playing way back in 1949. It didn't stifle my golf game in the '60s, since I was already an honor- ary member of the classic Whirl- pool golf course. I understand busi- ness motivation, but in my mind, it should never come at the expense of green space and recreation areas. I can only hope there will be no TV ads for whatever winds up being built on the Waterloo Golf Academy property. And a tip of the golf cap to Fox- wood head pro/manager Ron Knight and GolfNorth for extend- ing playing rights to WGA members who had their status at WGA cut short before the normal Oct. 31 clos- ing. A nice gesture. ••• Bill (Skip) Johns retired from full-time sports writing in 2002 but has no short- age of opinions, good and bad. He can be reached at skipschips@golden.net. Th ursday, October 12, 2017 • WATERLOO CHRONICLE • 23Serving your community since 1856 SPORTS WATERLOO CHRONICLE Saying goodbye to the old girl Final sunset shines on Waterloo Golf Academy as course closes for good JIM MOISSE PHOTO Longtime golf writer/player Bill (Skip) Johns may look happy as he putts on the green on the third hole but he wasn't when the sun set for the � nal time on the 25-year-old Waterloo Golf Academy nine-hole course on Oct.1. Call 519-623-3050 ext. 232 GO "MULTI-MEDIA" with Metroland Starting aS low aS $299 • target geographically using IP addresses • target behaviourally using consumer habits • target "on-the-fly, but close-by" with our fully mobile programs for phones, tablets and other devices ADvErTIsE yOUr MEssAGE On-LInE! 20,000 to1.2 million views or more annually