(Part 1 was published yesterday)When a Municipal Golf Manager was asked how he could make his course more profitable, he answered, “Simple. Increase the driving range and sell the golf course.” It’s no secret in the municipal golf business that the driving range is often the Number 1 revenue producer because of the constant income with minimum labor and land use. Yet, as the Oro Valley golf courses continue to bleed money, the Town provides unlimited range balls FOR FREE!
Questions to Consider
• What is the mission of a true municipal golf operation? A USGA chairperson defines this goal as, “To provide an affordable golf experience to all ages and playing levels; to learn and play the game of golf at fair and equal fees.”
• Why does the Town Council continue to expect all of the Taxpayers (most of whom do not even play golf) to fund a Country Club which benefits only a few of the Town residents and requires one complete 18-hole golf course with the immense cost of operation?
• How does this meet the goal of fair and equal treatment of the Public?
• Why does our Town Government continue to operate and pay the cost of such maintenance for 45 holes of golf when the overall usage barely supports the daily play usage of one 18-hole course?
• Why is the Town not subsidizing other Country Clubs within Oro Valley?
• And finally, why wasn't the Golf Course operated entirely as a Traditional Municipal Course from the day it was purchased? This would have saved millions of taxpayer dollars, thereby eliminating the need for an additional property tax to fund sports fields.
Solving the golf course problems
• Resize the golf course to match normal usage (18 holes total with two 9-hole loops)
• Charge golfers an average of $40.00 per round.*
• Eliminate unlimited play and amenities.
• Make the driving range a profit center.
• Lease the food service.
Most of the above advice was given to the Council by the golf consultants who have already helped turn around other ailing golf courses. Such corrections would no doubt increase revenue, decrease costs, and perhaps eliminate the need for continued sales tax subsidies.
*To insure an accurate and fair Daily Fee, only the cost of maintaining the golf property specifically required for the golf operations should be used in determining this fee. Any property not used specifically for the golf operation will become the responsibility of the Parks and Recreation Department and all costs associated with maintenance and/or re-purposing will be a budget item within Parks and Rec. If there are any issues regarding the funding of this department, this will be a completely separate discussion and not connected to the profitability or loss of the golf operations.
Mr. Leonard is a property owner in Oro Valley. As a 20-year member of the El Con Country Club, he is well-versed on golf operations. Additionally, he spends his summers in Minnesota where he is a staff member of the Braemar Golf complex in Edina, MN. Braemar is one of the busiest self-sustaining municipal courses in the state. Based on future golf predictions, Braemar is currently closed while they double the size of the driving range and downsize the courses from 27 to 18 holes.
