Republic file photo
The Par 3 golf course in Columbus.
In spite of a blistering hot summer, city golf courses are reporting a generally successful season so far.
Parks Associate Director of Business Services Pam Harrell said June was a record month for Greenbelt and Par 3, marking the highest monthly revenue since the city parks department took over the two courses in 2015. Golf revenue for June alone was $60,450.20.
Year to date revenue, through the end of June, was a little more than $200,000 — compared to approximately $190,000 at the same time in 2021, $120,000 in 2020 and $130,000 in 2019.
“You have to conclude from those numbers that we raised our fees and didn’t lose our rounds, which at the time was considered a gamble,” said Parks Board President Mark Levett.
So far this year, 6,960 rounds have been played at Greenbelt through the end of June, which is about 400 more than the same time last year. So far, Par 3 has seen 3,042 rounds in 2022, which is down from last year by about a thousand.
Between the two courses, there were a little more than 10,000 rounds of golf played through June. This is down slightly from about 10,600 in 2021 year to date and 10,330 in 2019, but up from 8,200 in 2020.
So far, total city subsidy for the two courses in 2022 is a little over $92,000 — down from approximately $133,000 at the same time in 2019, $116,000 in 2020 and $100,000 in 2021.
“That’s huge,” said Harrell. “We’re not needing as much subsidy as we did. And so that’s really, really good for golf.”
Total expenses with subsidy exceeds revenue by about $70,000. The year to date deficit was about $100,000 in 2019, $70,000 in 2020 and $80,000 in 2021.
Another city-run course, Otter Creek, may come under new ownership — and management — soon. The Otter Creek Management Corp. board recommended in early February that the city consider selling the course, given the financial requirements of maintaining the venue.
A request for proposals (RFP) was issued in April, and the city received a bid from Architerra LLC. Bob Haddad Jr., who is chief operating officer at Harrison Lake Country Club, is listed as the company’s registered agent. The city is in negotiations with Haddad regarding the sale.
During the parks board’s July 14 meeting, Levett asked if the uncertainty around Otter Creek’s future might have had any impact on Greenbelt’s numbers.
“Just in general at Greenbelt, we’ve seen a lot of new faces,” said Associate Director of Recreation Nikki Murphy. “So there’s no telling if it’s kind of a direct tie to people feeling out where they might want to go in the future. But I think, just in general, we’ve seen new customers come through the door, which had not happened for a while.”
While she feels optimistic about the course’s performance in July, Murphy said she anticipates a dip in August as the weather continues to grow hotter. September and October are expected to be a bit of a rebound. November and December will depend on the weather.
At Otter Creek — which, unlike Par 3 and Greenbelt, is not managed by the parks and recreation department — year to date rounds total 16,500, said General Manager Wiley Umphress. He said in a previous interview that 2021 saw 16,246 rounds through the end of June.
According to Umphress, June of 2022 was a record month in terms of sales, both from the course and restaurant.
When asked if the scorching summer heat had hurt the course, he replied, “There are days that it’s been so hot that, especially in the afternoons, we’ve had very little play. But overall, with our corporate outings that we’ve had, it’s kind of helped us to stay ahead of the game a little bit.”
Umphress also noted that course conditions are the best he’s ever seen them and commended staff for their hard work.
So far, 2022 has been a “home run,” he said.
