Golf brings Benton Harbor to fore

The camera crew from CBS took its position. Four sporting legends took their places at the first tee. The gallery grew as still as the mid-August morning air, and nearly as heavy with anticipation for an answer to the unspoken question of whether a golf course can save a city.

Or at least contribute to its survival.

That was the scene Aug. 10 at The Golf Club at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor. The 18-hole, $18 million course designed by sports legend Jack Nicklaus opened in early July but was officially christened with the Harbor Shores Champions for Change Golf Challenge which also included Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Johnny Miller.

“I consider Arnold, Tom and Johnny among my closest friends in golf," Nicklaus said prior to teeing off for a "skins" game in which he teamed with Palmer. However, Nicklaus observed the day's importance to economic redevelopment in the area.

“The Harbor Shores Champions for Change event is a great opportunity to highlight how golf is being used as a vehicle for social and economic revitalization, particularly in the Benton Harbor community,” he said.

In the mid-80s, the cities of Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, once thriving shipping and manufacturing communities, were devastated by the closing of several factories. More than 5,000 jobs were lost over a period of 18 months. Since that time, St. Joseph has evolved into a thriving Midwest tourist destination as it is conveniently located just 90 minutes east of Chicago. On the other hand, Benton Harbor, adjacent to St. Joseph to the northeast, has struggled to find a new identity and a new source of economic stability. Over the past few decades, Benton Harbor has become one of the most poverty-stricken cities in the state of Michigan – and the country -- where more than 60% of the children live below the poverty line.

With the vision to revitalize Benton Harbor, local non-profits, Whirlpool Foundation, Cornerstone Alliance and the Consortium for Community Development, came together to work towards broad-based community revitalization efforts that include virtually every other non-profit organization in the area. Organizations like Harbor Habitat for Humanity, The Boys & Girls Club of Benton Harbor, The First Tee, Michigan Works and many others are in partnership to drive revitalization in both economic development as well as a human capacity building, designed to address the needs of citizens of all ages and stages of life.

The signature component of years of redevelopment work is Harbor Shores, a 530-acre beach and golf resort community designed to serve as a major economic enabler for Benton Harbor’s transformation. With a unique non-profit ownership structure and a true public/private partnership, it is believed that Harbor Shores will continue revitalization efforts by creating several hundred permanent new jobs, increasing the tax base, stimulating new consumer spending and focusing on creating new opportunities for the local citizens.

The cornerstone and central amenity of Harbor Shores is The Golf Club at Harbor Shores, the Nicklaus Signature Golf Course along the shores of Lake Michigan that will host the 2012 and 2014 Senior PGA Championships. It is widely considered one of the most anticipated golf course openings in 2010 and a true testament to how golf is being used as an enabler for social and economic change.

The true testament to the golf's importance, however, will be recorded with other measures.
"From the community's standpoint, the main issue is whether Harbor Shores can drive enough value into the daily life of residents," said Marcus Robinson, leader of the Consortium for Community Development and head of the community-development side of the project. Moreover, he says, Harbor Shores is "a reinvention of the brand of the city of Benton Harbor" and its image among tourists as well as state residents. Adding to the upbeat prognosis, Whirlpool recently announced it will build and occupy three new office buildings, totaling 270,000 square feet, in downtown Benton Harbor, consolidating 1,000 jobs into the town.

But for the day at hand on Aug. 10, the emphasis was purely on golf, and Nicklaus, Palmer, Watson and Miller did not fail to please the gallery of some 3,500 who followed them along the course through sweltering heat. One highlight came on the 10th hole, with a four-tiered green of more than 10,000 square feet -- one of the biggest Nicklaus has ever designed. After Miller complained of a terrible position after his approach shot, Nicklaus obligingly offered to take Miller's putt and show him how it was done. He promptly drained the 100-foot uphill putt, thrilling the crowd and resulting in a clip on ESPN Sports Center as well as YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw67MO4DDYk

Can a golf course save a city? Of course not. But can a group of highly dedicated, motivated and like-minded people intent on a new beginning? Of course they will.