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By Design
P
ublic golf courses, like
other businesses in golf and
beyond, have faced financial
challenges. These may be related to
uncooperative weather, discounted
rates, increased maintenance
expectations, debt servicing and
declining golfer participation. But
as I have seen in the Midwest and
across the United States, overall,
public golf is not only surviving, but
thriving. The past ten years have
seen the single greatest economic
downturn in the last 70 years.
The fact that more courses haven’t
closed is the big story.
Public golf is necessary for reasons
beyond cost/benefit. Consider:
1. In some cases, taxpayers are
footing the bill for losses at public
courses. But for years, golf carried
the load. Public/park district golf
subsidized other recreational activities
and public golf provided community-
wide economic benefit. Profits from
golf courses were used to improve
playgrounds and subsidize other less
profitable endeavors.
2. Multiple sources profess golfers
are leaving the game. A deeper look
shows those leaving the game were
considered ‘infrequent golfers’–
playing fewer than five rounds per
year. In fact, frequent golfers want
to play. The golf industry continues
to change and is providing more
enjoyable, playable and cost effective
courses for interaction.
3. For every golf course that
is operating in the red, many
others turned a profit during
the most dreadful of economic
conditions. Systematic changes
to the design, operations or
maintenance were made to create a
sustainable enterprise. Thoughtful
environmental, operational and
strategic changes revive any golf
operation. A landscape asset like a
golf course must not be subject to
knee-jerk reactions due to near-term
economic cycles, but rather long-term
planning and thoughtful design to
accommodate the most appropriate
and viable economic operation.
4. Maintenance and operational
costs have been stabilizing for
years. As golfers continue to adjust
their expectations for conditioning,
maintenance costs will moderate. The
2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2
showed how reduced maintenance
can still produce visually stunning
golf facilities that engage golfers.
Public Golf
|
Greg Martin, ASGCA Treasurer
Public courses
not only survive,
but thrive
EXPERT VIEW
ASGCA Treasurer
Greg Martin has long
been an advocate for
public golf course
facilities. Where
communities cite
challenges to operating
public facilities, Martin
details solutions in a
piece adapted from
an article written for
the Illinois-based
Daily
Herald
newspaper
