Opinion: By Fred Altvater
In nearly every town throughout America municipal golf courses are under loved and suffer silently in poor condition. Local real estate developers drool at the prospect of buying up the land on the cheap to create strip malls and condos.
While city administrators spend millions for roundabouts, plus grant tax abatements like they are passing out candy at Halloween, a potential source of sustainable revenue is actually draining dollars from the city’s coffers.
IT DOESN’T NEED TO BE THIS WAY!!
Municipal golf courses are perfect for junior golfers, who are willing to put down their smart phones and tablets to venture outside, but need a place to hang out. Golf is the perfect answer. We hear story after story of golf professionals, who relished their early golfing years. Their parents dropped them off at the local public golf course on their way to work and the junior golfers spent the day, dreaming of hitting shots and sinking putts to win major championships.
More women than ever are finding that golf is an excellent venue to exercise outdoors, socialize with friends and spend quality family time with their children and husband. They’re not all country club types and need a place to learn the game, practice and play.
How many men would like to play more golf, but find it difficult, due to a lack of quality public golf facilities in their area?
One success story is the Winter Park 9 (WP9) in Orlando, Florida, which opened for play in 1914. A mere six years ago, WP9 was hemorrhaging money and lost $250,000. The city committed to a renovation by Keith Rhebb and Riley Johns, which brought the course up to modern-day standards and is a joy to play. At only 2,800 yards from the tips, but with large, contoured greens, it presents a challenge for golfers of every skill level. It is one of my favorite courses to play and I look forward to every visit.
Read about our most recent visit to WP9 in the March 2021 issue: https://ohiogolfjournal.com/2021/March/34/index.html.
A scant six years after the renovation, gross income at the WP9 climbed to over $1 million and net profits exceeded $200,000.
The recent growth in golf stimulated by COVID, will subside, but hopefully many of the golfers, that have come back to the game, will want to continue to play at city-owned public golf courses.
The city of Toledo owns three golf courses, Ottawa Park, Detwiler and Collins Park. They are all in various states of disrepair and need to be updated. Greens fees are cheap, but the quality of golf is not the best. They are collectively treated like the proverbial red-headed stepchild, rather than diamonds in the rough, that just need a good buffing and spit shine.
Ottawa Park was the first public golf course built west of New York City and could be a historic masterpiece with some tender love and care. Detwiler Park was one of Arthur Hills’ earliest designs and is near the Maumee River. Collins Park sits in Oregon and is so far gone, very few will venture to even try it. I have not talked to a single friend that has been to Collins Park in years.
Golf is undergoing a renaissance, it’s time for city officials to realize what an opportunity they have to create a legacy for their community and reinvest in their local municipal courses.
