Wanted: bin Laden's face

Thieves cart off his likeness from a driving range, where golfers bonked it with balls. A reward is offered to get it back.

By LOGAN D. MABE, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 6, 2002

TAMPA -- The way Bill Place saw it, Osama bin Laden made the perfect target for golfers wanting to take a whack at an international terrorist.

So he fashioned bin Laden's likeness into an 8- by 8-foot bull's-eye and installed it on his Citrus Park driving range. The slice and hook set loved it.

But so did a thief. The target was stolen from the driving range last month.

Now Place is hunting for bin Laden, too.

He said he misses the popular attraction, which attracted an aerial assault from many of his customers.

"It would always be solid white (on the ground) around the target," said Place, who commissioned the vinyl targets for his Ace Golf range in Citrus Park and a range he operates in Brandon. "It actually made your job a lot easier because we only had to go to one place to pick up most of the balls."

Bin Laden's face disappeared during the weekend of Feb. 16. A $100 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Place had the bin Laden targets crafted at a billboard company soon after Sept. 11. They cost $250 each, and were put in the middle of the ranges.

"We were going to take it down after a month or two. But it was so popular and people kept trying to hit at it," Place said.

Place said he had to rebuff offers from golf tournament organizers who wanted to borrow a target for their events.

But not everyone loved it.

"We've had a few people that said, "Hey, that's not in good taste.' " Place said.

Most stopped complaining when Place told them the targets were being used to raise money for the families of fallen police officers and firefighters. More than $2,500 was raised for the Silver Shield Foundation, he said.

Anyone with information about the bin Laden target can call Place at 966-9460.

-- Logan D. Mabe can be reached at 269-5304 or at mabe@sptimes.com.

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