The McAllen City Commission voted 5-1 to rename the Palm View Golf Course at its regular meeting Monday.
Following some discussion among the commissioner, they voted to change the name of the golf course to Champion Lakes Golf Course. Commissioner Pepe Cabeza de Vaca was the lone opposing vote.
The golf course has operated under the Palm View moniker for over 52 years. One of the reasons behind the name change is the close association to the city of Palmview, which the commission believes has resulted in some confusion.
“It doesn’t slip off the tongue really easy,” Commissioner Omar Quintanilla said about the new name. “I’ve been a little hesitant to make changes to the name, but I think that there’s been a good effort made — a good process as well. I think it needs to be done.”
Despite his hesitancy, Quintanilla seconded a motion made by Commissioner Victor “Seby” Haddad to approve the new name.
“We can’t give it one more round of thought?” Cabeza de Vaca asked before a final vote was taken.
“We’re ready to move forward,” Haddad responded. “Motion and second.”
“I know, I know, I know,” Cabeza de Vaca said. “It’s just because it’s going to be something for like a long, long time.”
Mayor Javier Villalobos then chimed with his feelings on the old name.
“Anything is better than ‘Palm View,’” Villalobos said.
Cabeza de Vaca responded by saying, “I’m just making sure that we choose the right one.”
Haddad attempted to quell Cabeza de Vaca’s doubts, attributing his uncertainty to being unaccustomed to the golf course’s new name.
“I think we’re just not used to that being the name,” Haddad said. “I think a year or two years from now it’s going to be just as ‘Palm View’ was. It’s going to be the name of the course, what we know, what we reference.”
Cabeza de Vaca explained that he agrees with the need for a new name, but is simply unsure about the name itself.
Villalobos urged the commission to vote for or against the new name at Monday’s meeting, and address concerns about the name itself later.
“We can take a vote, and it either passes or not passes,” Villalobos said. “If it doesn’t pass, it can always come back again. So it’s up to the commission. This is not something that we need to worry about with money — this is a name. You all can do whatever you want to do.”
The commission sans Cabeza de Vaca eventually approved the name, Champion Lakes Golf Course, ushering in a new identity for the city amenity in a motion that was carried to applause from commissioners.
“Congratulations, we have a brand new name for our golf course,” Villalobos said.
