Golf as a redevelopmental riposte to "well intended organizations," or just plain mental?

This guest commentary in today's Tribune is credited to James Bledsoe. It's hard to argue that New Albany's moribund downtown country club stands well positioned to serve as a centerpiece of neighborhood revitalization, but some readers may differ with the details as proffered here. That's what makes it fun, right?

BLEDSOE: Can golf revitalize New Albany?

When I was overnighting in Atlanta as an airline pilot, I was fortunate to watch a special on a local station about the revitalization of East Lake Meadows, one of Atlanta’s worst public housing projects located just six miles from downtown ...

.. This transformation was able to happen when a philanthropist named Tom Cousins, a golfing enthusiast, felt that if character-building through the fundamentals and high standards associated with the game of golf were taught to young East Lake Meadow children, then the cycle of poverty could be broken. He purchased the bankrupt golf course and rehabilitated it and its country club into its former glory.