COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Golfers attempting to take their young children golfing at the Patty Jewett golf course could be turned away.
In 1919 W. K. Jewett gave the city of Colorado Springs the golf course, but along with it came a hefty set of rules, one of which keeps kids off the course.
“The rule on the deed, the deed when the golf course was given to the city of Colorado Springs by W.K Jewett states that children have to be 10 years of age or older to be able to play on the golf course," Dan Lockwood, golf manager, said.
That rule has stood the test of time for more than 90 years despite the course asking one of the Jewett heirs to reconsider at the course's 100th year celebration in 1998.
"We talked to her about it at the time, because that was certainly the time golf was booming and she was very adamant about the fact that that's not something she wanted to entertain. If her uncle W.K. Jewett said that that's how things were gonna be then that's how things should remain," Lockwood said.
Should the city decide not to follow the rules in the deed, they risk losing the entire course.
"The reverted clause would kick in and we would give the golf course back to some of the Jewett heirs," Lockwood said.
But young golfers aren't completely out of luck.
"At Valley Hi kids that are younger than that can play on the golf course if they can either demonstrate an ability or have an adult with them," Lockwood said.
Lockwood said it is important to get kids interested in the game of golf.
"Kids right now today they don't grow up in the same kind of atmosphere. What they do now is play video games or electronic texting, more immediate gratification things, so getting kids into this game so we can create future customers is very important to us," Lockwood said.
In order to change a rule in the deed all living Jewett heirs would have to unanimously agree to the rule change, and Lockwood said tracking them all down would take quite some time.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKXRM