Website Last Updated: December 19, 2011 - 

Recent News: ,

Our Children's Holiday Party at the Mount Hood Clubhouse on December 4th, December 2011 was a Comlpete Success!

This event was recently held at Mount Hood Clubhouse and was attended by over 70 children! This was our largest gathering of children in many decades and eveyone enjoyed free refreshments, music sing-alongs and expecially a visit by Santa Claus. 

Next Park Commission Meeting:

The Park Commission meeting is scheduled for To Be Annouced at 7:00pm, at the Mount Hood Golf Course Clubhouse.

News Article:

(Note: Since this article was first published, Mayor Dolan confirmed his disapproval of beverage carts on the golf course....therefore, the Park Commission will not move forward on this plan.)

The following article was recently written and published in local newspapers to address the Association's concerns about the Park Commission's request to the Mayor to allow the sale of alcoholic beverages on the golf course.

 “The Mt. Hood Park Association is Against the Sale of Alcoholic Beverages on the Mount Hood Golf Course”

At last week’s Park Commission meeting (March 14th), Chairman Michael Interbartolo informed the commissioners and those in attendance that he is composing a letter to Mayor Dolan asking for his approval to allow beer to be sold on the golf course using a roving “beverage cart”. This same request was denied by the Mayor back in 2009 and the Association believes that nothing has changed since that time to justify granting the request this year. The principal purpose of selling beer on the course is to increase revenues since Golf Management Company, LLC (GMC), the current management company at Mount Hood Park and Golf Course, believes that the beverage cart can generate an additional $50-60,000 per year in gross revenues.

The Association believes that GMC as well as the Park Commission have done an excellent job in managing the golf course by increasing play and providing improved ambiance and food quality at the clubhouse which have helped lead to increased revenues annually. Some of the profits from this operation have made it possible to make significant improvements in the physical infrastructure of the course as well as in making substantial physical and mechanical improvements to the clubhouse.  This past year revenues exceeded 1.5 million dollars and the senior management group at GMC, as well as the Park Commission, must be commended for these efforts since a percentage of these revenues come back to the city for maintenance and improvements to the course and to Mount Hood Park.

Nevertheless, to provide further justification for our position against the sale of beer on the golf course, I wish to bring the following information to the attention of the residents of Melrose:

(1)   GMC states that their experience in the eight (8) golf courses they own or operate in New Hampshire, in which selling alcoholic beverages is allowed; provide evidence that they can successfully implement such a policy. However, after comparing these golf courses with that at Mt. Hood, some major differences exist as follows: (a) Mount Hood is the only one where residential homes abut directly to the golf course, (b) Mt. Hood is the only one where access is through a densely populated residential area, and (c) Mt. Hood is the only one where there is mixed use where a public park area is integrated within the golf course space (e.g., non-golf activities include hiking, scenic viewing, walking and a tot lot).

 (2)   GMC contends that customers enjoy the convenience of a beverage cart where they can purchase not only beer, but sandwiches, snacks, soda, or basic golf necessities. The Association believes that providing all these items for purchase, except alcoholic beverages, makes sense as a convenience to the golfing public.  However, selling alcoholic beverages on the golf course only encourages its consumption; and, we believe that this practice is incompatible with a sport that depends so much on eye-hand coordination and cognitive judgment. Most serious golfers relax after a round of golf at the clubhouse to enjoy snacks and refreshments, and a discussion of the days’ events.  Allowing consumption of alcohol on the course doesn’t add anything to the game of golf and over-drinking may result in not only poor play, errant balls landing in abutter’s backyards, play delays, and litter but may also add risk and danger to residents and children using the park. GMC already acknowledges that they have trouble controlling unauthorized use of alcohol by golfers on the course. How can we be sure that they can now properly control and monitor the selling and consumption of alcoholic beverages from beverage carts?

 (3)   Last summer, there was a drinking party incident at Mount Hood in which a youth was seriously injured. Like other cities, we know there is an alcohol problem among our youth; therefore, what lesson or example do we show them if we say that it is o.k. for some people to drink on the golf course. Even GMC and the Park Commission feel uncomfortable about selling beer within sight of the public since beer sales will be restricted to those areas not within sight of residential homes, ponds, and the tot lot (e.g., excluding beer sales at holes 1 through 3 and beyond the 15^th green).

 We encourage GMC, the Park Commissioners, and the Mayor to consider the concerns of abutters and nearby neighbors who moved to Melrose for its schools, community organizations, neighborhood parks, and green spaces. The police, Park Commission, Park Department, and golf management companies have, over the years, expended much time, effort, and money to control vandalism and youth alcohol consumption at Mount Hood. The Association believes that now is not the time to encourage the use of alcohol on the golf course. We believe that this sends the wrong message to everyone including our youth.

Our message should be loud and clear……”Welcome to Mount Hood Memorial Park and Golf Course – an Alcohol-Free Area!”

The Association asks that you make your views known on this topic by sending them to either the Park Commission via Joan Bell at (781) 662-0210 (email: jbell@cityofmelrose.org) or Mayor Rob Dolan at (781) 979-4440 (email: rdolan@cityofmelrose.org).

Looking for Volunteers to Join our Board

We are looking to add additional board members to our organization. If you live in Melrose and have an interest in preserving and promoting recreational uses of Mount Hood Memorial Park & Golf Course, please send me your contact info to: mdittmer@mthoodpa.com

Historic Golf Photos

 I have just added some historic golf photos taken at Mt. Hood Golf Course from the 1930's which I received from Bruce Morrison and Tom Hancock. Tom is the son of Mount Hood's first golf pro, Roland Hancock, who was the golf pro from 1936 to 1973. These photos can be viewed at "Visit Mount Hood Park" menu and in the  Historic Golf Course Photos folder.

Next Melrose Park Commission Meeting

The next meeting of the Park Commission is scheduled for April 4th, 2011, 7:00pm at the Mount Hood Golf Clubhouse.

Mission

Our mission is to protect, preserve, and promote the use of Mount Hood Parkland for environmental and recreational uses

Please participate in a survey we are taking cocnerning important issues pending at Mount Hood Memorial Park. Click "Get Involved" menu and provide feedback on one or more of the questions asked. You are also able to send comments using the "Contact Us" page. Thank you.