https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Public Works & Utilities


Public golf courses undergo renaissance

Public golf courses undergo renaissance

Local governments fit golf into economic puzzle.
  • Written by Bill Love
  • 1st March 2005

As overall golf course construction settles after the ‘90s building boom, cities and counties continue to focus on the sport as a vehicle for revenue and community building. Many are designing new courses or sprucing up existing ones to anchor residential developments and tap into the lucrative recreational market.

“Golf is really a means to an end for us,” says Mark Weiss, La Quinta, Calif.’s assistant city manager. “We want hotels to come to the city and open new tax channels to support our general fund.” The city recently opened Arnold Palmer Classic Golf Course at SilverRock, designed by Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.-based Palmer Course Design, and plans to build another course when hotel development is secured. The courses are part of a 500-acre economic development plan administered by the city’s redevelopment agency and paid for with tax increment financing.

La Quinta’s project stemmed from a formal economic development plan, which included recreational golf, adopted in 1996. Studies generated from the plan projected about $700,000 per year in golf revenue and up to $2 million per year in transient occupancy, sales and property tax revenues. The studies helped the city negotiate its purchase agreements for the property. Land comprised 42.5 percent of the $100 million project’s overall cost, with an additional $13 million dedicated to the first golf course.

In 2001, Pelham, Ala., Mayor Bobby Hayes led his city into the golf business when a local developer was unable to build a golf course promised to residents of a subdivision. The developer proposed a deal to the mayor: he would donate the land if the city built the course. The city agreed and financed the project with a $10 million, 20-year bond that includes $6 million for the golf course, $2 million for the clubhouse, access roads and a 1.3 million gallon water tank to support the 3,800 homes that eventually will be built around the course. Atlanta-based Cupp Design completed the project in June 2004. According to Hayes, residents appreciate the recreational facility and the course “has made Pelham a destination instead of a pass-through city.”

Besides building new courses, cities are renovating to increase revenue. Late in 2000, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was concerned that its four municipal golf courses were deteriorating and could be made safer, says the city’s Golf Director Tom Lavrenz. The courses had been built on small parcels of land with narrow fairways that caused a few golfers to be hit by balls. One of the courses was actually losing revenue because the back nine was too hilly and difficult to navigate. As a result, the city decided to remodel three courses and add nine holes to one. The courses were overdue for improvement, so the city began to phase them in over eight years, starting in 2001.

The first two renovations, developed by Marengo, Ill.-based Lohmann Golf Design, were Jones Park Golf Course, where nine holes were added to an existing nine, and Ellis Park Golf Course, which was remodeled. The city invested $1.7 million and issued a $2.1 million bond to pay for the project. “We enjoyed a 25 percent increase in rounds the first year, which was 2001, and a 15 percent increase at Ellis Park Golf Course since completing the renovations in mid-2003,” Lavrenz says.

The increase in rounds reported by Lavrenz is reflected in Jupiter, Fla.-based National Golf Foundation statistics released last month. Rounds played nationwide were up almost 1 percent, and up even higher for public courses at 1.9 percent, reversing a downward trend for the past three years.

Bill Love is president of the Brookfield, Wis.-based American Society of Golf Course Architects.

Tags: Public Works & Utilities

Most Recent


  • Amid spike, federal transportation department launches initiative to curb traffic-related deaths
    While stay-at-home orders might be a thing of the past, the pandemic’s impact is still felt daily through expectations to socially distance, the prevalence of masks in high risk areas like hospitals, and the stubbornly high annual rate of traffic-related deaths. Traffic fatalities hit a 16-year high in 2021, and preliminary data points to a […]
  • New York mayor announces city-wide curbside composting program, impacting 8.5 million residents by 2024
    On the heels of a successful 3-month-long pilot program in Queens, New York City has announced the largest curbside composting program in the United States. The initiative will begin following a winter-long hiatus of the Queens pilot, which is set to return permanently March 27. Curbside service to Brooklyn will begin Oct. 2, followed by the […]
  • Phoenix
    Federal funds help fast-growing Arizona city address several infrastructure challenges and needs
    Joe Giudice, public works director for the city of Phoenix, says the influx of new residents is driving a lot of construction in his community. “Phoenix is the fifth largest city in the United States. It is one of the fastest growing cities in a fast-growing region, which influences infrastructure product and service demand. This […]
  • ARPA funds
    Spending American Rescue Plan Act funds: A primer for municipalities
    The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 is a $1.9 trillion legislative package that includes funding for states, local governments and tribal nations to respond to the economic and public health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. While initially restricted, subsequent guidance from the federal government has expanded what those funds can be used for. […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • NLC releases State of Cities 2021 report
  • How local governments can get ahead of the infrastructure wave: Strategies to mitigate risk
  • Prioritizing rapid restore leads to stronger ransomware attack recovery
  • Ultrafast electric vehicle charging will propel local governments into the future

White papers


Modernizing government services for today’s resident expectations

24th January 2023

Preparing Your Community Now for the Next Generation of Older Adults

18th October 2022

Helping Government Fleets Achieve Their Goals

30th September 2022
view all

Webinars


How To: Evaluate Digital Government Service Delivery Technologies

23rd January 2023

Using Technology to Enhance Communications

29th November 2022

Learn the benefits of transforming and automating your Contract Management process

4th November 2022
view all

PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


These 10 American cities are well prepared for a tech-based future

1st February 2023

Report: While remote work is causing offices to empty out, walkable cities are still in high demand

26th January 2023

10 American cities with a great downtown

24th January 2023
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Amid spike, federal transportation department launches initiative to curb traffic-related deaths dlvr.it/Shvs31

3rd February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Engaging businesses to strengthen your community dlvr.it/ShvZn0

3rd February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Report: Some public employees face financial hardship; comprehensive pay packages proved ‘a pathway toward economic… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

2nd February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Strategic Budgeting for Modern Government dlvr.it/ShrHmD

2nd February 2023
AmerCityCounty

These 10 American cities are well prepared for a tech-based future dlvr.it/Shp7sH

1st February 2023
AmerCityCounty

How public health can build a “one health” infrastructure for the future dlvr.it/ShnlKm

1st February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Four Steps to Better Municipal Fleet Fuel Purchasing dlvr.it/ShnbWP

1st February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Report: With increase popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters, there’s a need for ‘safe and connected infrastructure’ dlvr.it/ShlKmJ

31st January 2023

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.