Hole-in-1 for Palmer

Golf may reward sub-par players, but the game can pay big dividends by scoring high for a municipality. Here, the Palmer Golf Course is in its 20th season, but took some time Sunday to finalize a few overdue scorecards.

Friends of Palmer Golf Course held its inaugural Hall of Fame induction ceremony, enshrining six original committee members and supporters who helped bring a golf course to the city.

David Soulak.

Jess Lee.

Robert “Red” Henderson.

George Crowther.

Lea and Rex Ehrhart.

No one on this list will be remembered for their Tiger Woods-like ability with a golf club, although we know Lee was a six handicap in his time and Crowther, at age 85, is still a regular on the links. But their contributions to the sport in Palmer and the Valley paved the way for a gem of a facility that has become a profitable and important cog in Palmer’s economy. The course has been named the state’s best numerous times by Golf Digest magazine.

As a former longtime Palmer city manager, it was Soulak’s drive and vision that made the golf course more than a pipe dream discussion at local coffee shops. He helped find funding for the facility and spearhead a campaign to pass a $2 million bond issue to build the course. As anyone who’s lived in the Valley for any length of time knows, passing a bond is never an easy task.

We’re pleased to see Friends of Palmer Golf Course add to the legacy of this wonderful community asset by establishing a hall of fame. Although there are many more deserving of inclusion, this first class is a fitting tribute to their hard work and passion, and to the continuing success of the course.

Although it’s been two decades since it first opened, the golf course still has much to contribute to Palmer and the local economy. An effort is under way to capitalize on the course’s close proximity to the Palmer Airport, encouraging golfers to take advantage of special fly-in packages.

As important as the course’s role as an economic draw for the city is its contribution to our quality of life. By maintaining the links at such an exceptional level, director of golf George Collum and staff continue to augment the quality of life for Valley golfers and also provide a venue for fund-raising by local organizations.

In accepting his framed hall-of-fame certificate, Lee became emotional. He teared up at the honor and said he’s just “a nostalgic, sentimental old fool.”

That’s OK. We’ll grant you, and all the hall-of-famers, a mulligan on that one.

Schools page returns

Milk may advertise it “does a body good,” but local milk is even better.

Valley-based Matanuska Creamery has entered into an agreement with the Mat-Su Borough School District to supply all the milk served to area students. It’s a good win-win story and the centerpiece of our first Schools page of fall.

The popular weekly section of school news, features and photographs returns today (page A8) and will run each Tuesday throughout the rest of the school year. Back is Chalk Talk, a rotating column penned by local educators, including Emily Forstner’s piece today. Palmer High School senior Tim Rockey will also be a frequent contributor and has a story on Temple Christiansen, wife of PHS football coach Rod Christiansen.

Check it out, you may even learn something.