Storm clouds that were gathering over the project to restore The Palms at Pleasure Island golf course appear to have blown away.

    Bryan Jackson, hired by the Port Arthur Renaissance Group as superintendent of the restoration last July, said Tuesday that he and Kevin Johnson of Renaissance have resolved issues that had Jackson thinking about walking away. Jackson said he and Johnson talked things out Monday afternoon, are going to meet on Friday and that he expects to see the project through to a hoped for re-opening in the spring.

    Johnson, meanwhile, said there was never any doubt in his mind that he and Jackson were going to be able to work things out.

    “We started bumping heads on some things about four months ago,” he said. “Things needed to come to a head and they did. We’re going to meet again on Friday and move on. Bryan is the guy we’ve wanted and needed to head up this project. There were some issues but we never stopped talking.

    “We share a common goal and that’s to give this community a really special golf course on Pleasure Island. I know that means a lot to Bryan. He got frustrated over some things. So did I. But we’re ready to move forward and complete the job.”

    Major tasks remaining at The Palms are to get control heads up and running for irrigation and the sprigging of new greens. Best news of late for Jackson and Johnson is that the wild hog problems which  had impeded progress for several months seem to be under control.

     CHIP SHOTS: The Senior Game at The Babe was played in a 9/9 best ball, scramble format. Adam Noel-Gerald Huebel won First Flight was a 67, edging Larry Stansbury-Harry Green by one stroke. In Second Flight, Larry Foster-Bob Barnes shot 69 to edge Cap Hollier-Gene Hardy by a shot. Third Flight wound up in a tie at 77 between Harold Wilkinson-Tibbets and Dan Flood-Joe Benoit. Closest to the pin winners were Gary Fontenot (No. 2), Rick Pritchett (No. 7), Barnes (No. 12) and Hardy (No. 15) .  . . The Senior 50 Plus Game at Babe Zaharias was played in a best two-ball format. On the front, the team of Richard Briggs, B. Bryson and Paul Kimball won with minus 4. On the back, the threesome of Gerald Huebel, Adam Noel and Walter Colvin finished on top with minus 1 . . . In last week’s Senior 50 Plus Game, the team of Steve Picou, Jeff Rinehart, Richard Sibley and Arvie Young won the front in minus 1. The Picou team tied the back at even par . . . The Super Saturday Game at The Babe was played in a 2-ball format. There was a two-way tie on the front at minus 4 between the team of Joe Gongora, Pritchett, Thad Borne and Dan Flood and the foursome of Craig Fontenot, Bill Hammond, Wes McDonald and Richard Sibley. The back was won at minus 3 by the team of Larry Stansbury, Tom Lawton, Ryan Thompson and Charlie Huckaby . . . Bill Taylor finished plus 7 to win the Friday Seniors points game at Belle Oaks with plus 7.  Major Rising was second at plus 5 and Jim Brown took third at minus 1.

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