Tom raises a very valid point when he states, "it would be scary to give that money to city governments which have allowed their munis to become so run down to begin with..."
Since it has been used as the example, let's examine the Bethpage Black situation in greater detail in light of what Tom said.
On the one hand, as bad as the Black was condition-wise in the mid-90's, that was nothing compared to how poorly maintained it was through the late 70's. It ws at that point that Chcuk Workman began putting money into the course (new sand in bunkers and upgrading the sprinkler system for example). He also began putting money back into having exhibitions on the Black and inviting friends from the then start-up senior tour (on which Chuck played more than a few events) to play rounds or host driving contests off the first tee, etc...
It was because of this improvement that when the USGA visited in the early 90's that it was able to inspire them with the idea that it might be a doable project.
From that perspective then, the state of New York, in the person of Chuck Workman, was at least attempting to care for a great course.
Of course from the opposite perspective, the ONLY person from the state who was showing a proper attitude toward caring for the Black, was Chuck Workman. In fact, the monies he used for the project were as the reult of scrimping and taking from other park projects and that also was one of the factors that would eventually cost him his job.
The state of New York, since at least the late 1940's, used many of the excess revenues produced by golf at Bethpage to be the MAIN SOURCE for funding the maintenance for the rest of the entire New York State Park system. That was a tremendous amount of money to move outside of Bethpage Park but easily allowable as the monies were put into a general fund for the Park system.
As each year went by and state financial crises increased, being able to use Bethpage money to fund a park in upstate New York became a very easy decision to make by a committee of state congressmen, only a very few (and at times, if that) of whom were from Long Island.
So the maintenance problems at Bethpage generated from the state governmental system. As part of the USGA upgrade and hosting of the US Open, the State agreed that it would not allow this situation to again happen... and that may soon be a problem.
With a new governor comes new appointments, and so the head of the New York State Parks Commission is no longer Bernadette Castro, easily one of the biggest fans of the Black and the person who did more to make the deal with the USGA than anyone else in the State.
With her gone, the Parks administration now answers to one who has been described to me as a "bean-counter" and I've become greatly concerned.
The question of "If we reduced the operating budget for Bethpage by 1.5 million a year would we harm the Black and other courses?" has already been mentioned in back and some forward rooms as well.
The Park has nothing to fear between now and 2009, but with the state already turning down an opportunity to host the 2012 Amateur because of money issues (although this may yet happen), with nothing of major conseuquence on the horizon and with Dave Catalano's probable retirement shortly after the Open, and with new bosses to answer to that may not give Craig Currier the freedon that he has greatly enjoyed, might he not leave as well?
If that happens, there will be NO ONE at Bethpage who was party to the original agreement to keep up and maintain the Black and other park courses that was made to get the 2002 Open.
Not to be doom-and-gloom here, but that scenario is quite real and possible and something that those within the USGA must also carefully watch as they consider future ideas of places to giift with restorations whether they be to host Opens or not...