City to close golf course holes

[RecycleMichael]

This from South Central Golf Magazine...

Mayor proposes closing 27 holes in Tulsa to reduce subsidy By Ken MacLeod
Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor today recommended closing 18 holes at the 36-hole Page Belcher Golf Course complex in west Tulsa and nine holes of the 36-hole Mohawk Park complex in north Tulsa as ways to cut into a $1.5 million subsidy the city paid this year for golf course operations and debt service.

The move, which would have to be approved by the Tulsa City Council as part of the 2007-08 fiscal budget, would eliminate approximately all but $606,876 of the subsidy, according to the mayor's proposed budget.

Tim Thornton, maintenance director for both facilities, said city employees who staff the maintenance departments for both courses were called to a meeting at a city rec center this morning with Susan Neal, a member of the mayor's staff, who delivered the news that at least 17 jobs would be eliminated if the plan goes forward.

Mohawk Park Golf Course  
"It was a shock to a lot of them," Thornton said. "The city did say they would try to help all of them move to other areas."

The city has been subsidizing golf for years but the levels have increased as play has declined due to increased competition as well as maintenance issues and rebuilding efforts.

However, the city has recently completed more than $4 million in improvements to the courses, including complete renovations of the Stone Creek and Olde Page courses at Page Belcher under the direction of Tulsa golf architect Randy Heckenkemper and paid for by third penny sales taxes designated for capital improvements.

Ironically, under Thornton's direction, both the Page Belcher and Mohawk facilities have rounded into terrific condition this spring. Rounds, however, are still lagging. The two courses at Page Belcher would generate nearly 96,000 rounds in the early 1990s, but combined for just over 55,000 last year, according to George Glenn, director of the city golf courses.

Page Belcher Golf Course  
Glenn's operations would also be affected by the move. He hires all pro shop, restaurant and range workers at each facility and pays for the cart fleets. To pay for his operation, he receives all cart rentals and money from the restaurants, ranges and pro shops. The city receives all greens fee revenues plus a lease payment from Glenn at each course.

Those payments for this fiscal year are projected to reach approximately $1.4 million this year, according to the officials in the city finance department. Max Wiens, land resource manager for the city of Tulsa, worked on putting together seven options on ways to reduce expenses at the Mayor's request.

Salaries in the past fiscal year for the maintenance of the courses were $1,190,000 and are projected to be $823,500 under the proposed plan. The annual water bill at Page Belcher (a city-owned facility) is $210,000, which will be cut in half under the new plan. Costs for expenses such as fertilizes and pesticides would also be trimmed in half, Wiens said.

The new plan calls for only two full-time maintenance workers at Page Belcher, with four others retained as nine-month seasonal workers. Whether that staffing level will be sufficient to actually maintain an 18-hole facility, Wiens said he was not sure. The total budgeted last fiscal year for the two facilities was $2,130,497, plus $450,000 for the debt service on Stone Creek for a total of $2,580,497, leaving a projected deficit of $1,516,970 over revenue. The payments on the revenue bonds used to build Stone Creek, which opened in 1987, extend through 2011, Wiens said.

The city has analyzed leasing the courses to a private golf management firm. Some feel that the elimination of all city labor union work from the maintenance crews would offer enough of a savings for a private group to make a profit at the courses. Glenn doubts that would be true. "There just aren't enough rounds to go around," he said. "Every course in town is searching for more rounds. Nobody is doing as many as they need to, that's why you see a lot of these specials advertised."

At Mohawk Park, it his highly likely that the nine holes currently used by the First Tee program, the original back nine of the Pecan Valley course, would close. This nine, a par 34 at just 2,775 yards, was redesigned by Jerry Slack after the original 17th and 18th holes were taken to make a driving range. The First Tee would keep its learning center, still have access to the range and use the back nine of the Woodbine Course for play.

At Page Belcher, it is uncertain as to which course would close. Stone Creek was designed by Don Sechrest and for many years after its opening was ranked as the best public course in the state. It hosted the 1988 USGA Women's Public Links Championship. Yet it has experienced frequent problems with its greens, making it the more likely course to close.

[Breadburner]

Bad Idea......

[AVERAGE JOE]

It would be a shocking move. But for a city to subsidize golf when there are so many other pressing needs is hard to justify.

[Porky]

I've tried supporting her but this has to be the most stupid thing I have ever heard of. For starters the months of April through September are the money making months for golf courses and she decides to close them now?

Obviously she doesn't research her agendas very well. [B)]

[Breadburner]

It's not a hard thing not to do at all....She's not looking at the big picture...Like the residual income that golf makes for the subsidy spent which is hard to measure....I dont golf but have alot of friends that do....And believe me when people golf they are out doing something they enjoy and spending money not just at the course....All over town....Not to mention the fact golf is something all ages of men and women can do....This is an extremely bad move...

[sgrizzle]

Golf is a good walk, spoiled - Mark Twain

Dozens of private enterprises are making money off golf courses and the city is paying out to keep ours open, even with private individuals running part of the operations. Of course, I don't see why the golf cart guy should be allowed to take cuts out of other businesses.

Increase green fees at every course by $1 and you'd get almost the same effect as this cut.

Despite the "everyone can play" mantra, a good portion of the city doesn't play golf, even if they did they would have to pay greens fees, buy or rent equipment, etc.

Just like the pool closures before, it would be nice if they can keep them all open, but I'd rather have police officers than driving ranges.

[iplaw]

quote:Guess you "entitled" people will have to wait in line to play golf now.  Sucks to be you.

By "entitled" do you mean "rich?"  If so, what rich people play Mohawk in the first place?

[rwarn17588]

The city ought to just sell most of its courses. I had no idea it had that many links under its control. But, then again, I'm not a duffer.

I think there are better things for the city to spend its money than a bunch of fairways and greens -- especially when you're having trouble paying for public safety and infrastructure.

[TulsaSooner]

quote:Originally posted by rwarn17588

The city ought to just sell most of its courses. I had no idea it had that many links under its control. But, then again, I'm not a duffer.

I think there are better things for the city to spend its money than a bunch of fairways and greens -- especially when you're having trouble paying for public safety and infrastructure.

I think the Mayor tried to do this and couldn't.    There some issues regarding land grants for the courses from way back.....or something.  The point was, she wasn't allowed to pursue the sale.

I'm not sure if I read that or if it was just scuttlebutt at City Hall.

[Renaissance]

I'm in agreement - it's awful that we would close these holes when they're in such great shape and fun to play, but the city can't be spending that much money to subsidize golf.  If it were swimming pools I might be more sympathetic.  I golf weekly when I can, and I'm fairly certain golfers don't need public assistance.

I wonder if they could just bump the green fees?

[Steve]

quote:Originally posted by rwarn17588

The city ought to just sell most of its courses. I had no idea it had that many links under its control. But, then again, I'm not a duffer.

I think there are better things for the city to spend its money than a bunch of fairways and greens -- especially when you're having trouble paying for public safety and infrastructure.

I agree totally rwarn17588.  I am no big fan of Mayor Taylor, but I think her proposal regarding the golf courses is absolutely appropriate and correct.

No one has mentioned so far the published quote from Taylor regarding this move:
"I could not in good conscience recommend to you a $1.6 million subsidy on golf courses when I cannot open and repair swimming pools in high-crime areas."
Tulsa has around 22 municipal pools, of which only 8 are anticipated to open this summer.  Tulsa citizens paid good money for the construction of these pools and most are now laid to waste and deterioration.  As these facilities crumble, they become blights on their neighborhoods and magnets for crime and vandalism.  Repairing and opening all city pools would not only give "at risk" youth a healthy summertime activity, but would also help maintain neighborhoods and help deter crime in these neighborhoods.

In my opinion, Taylor hit the nail on the head.  City government should make recreation and opportunities for youth in disadvantaged areas a priority over golf courses.  I think that if the golf courses can not pay for themselves through user fees, they should be sold to private operators that can make them work or redevelop them for other uses.

[cannon_fodder]

They just redid the courses at Mohawk. Whenever I try to play on them they are pretty busy.  It would seem a waste to spend millions to repair them and then ruin them by letting them sit fallow for a few years.

I would have to imagine a solution could be found be reducing the subsidy and replacing it with higher fees.  The courses should be able to stand alone or at least to a large degree.

What a waste.

[NellieBly]

If the holes are closed does that mean there will be no maintenance conducted on this part of the course. If a golf course is just left to deteriorate and they want to reopen it in the future, they are just going to have to spend that much more money to get it back into playable condition.

If they are going to continue maintenance, which is expensive, then where's the savings. Raise the green fees by $1.

Plenty of people play these courses from various socioeconomic backgrounds.

[Porky]

quote:Originally posted by teddy jack eddy


Frankly, I'm glad to see the City stop subsidizing golf courses when we badly need freeway lighting, and more money budgeted towards street repairs.

The City shouldn't be in the golf course business, and neither should the County, in my opinion.

My question is why are they subsidizing the golf courses, both these courses are money makers.

[RecycleMichael]

There is no way the courses at Mohawk made money.

I played all summer long when the weather was super hot. We would not see more than a couple of other foursomes during the entire afternoon.