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Golf debate

When budget talks resume next month, the city’s golf courses will be a heated part of the conversation.
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City director of golf, Tom Forsythe. (Jamie Smith, tbnewswatch.com)
When budget talks resume next month, the city’s golf courses will be a heated part of the conversation.

Cold and rainy weather, combined with a weaker economy last year, led to lower-than-expected revenue, city golf director Tom Forsythe told council Monday night, requesting an additional $234,700 to bring the three municipally owned courses back to a break-even point.

Additionally Forsythe said he’d like council to consider scrapping the unsuccessful rate-supported enterprise model in favour of a tax-supported venture, noting the courses – Strathcona, Chapples and Municipal – have relied on subsidization each year since the model was changed in 2003.

"It’s been a worst-case scenario," Forsythe said.
"We just literally got killed. There were almost 50 per cent of days from May to October that had visible rainfall. People were really discouraged about the weather"

All three courses saw six-year rounds played lows in 2009, with members playing 4,305 less rounds than in the previous year. Membership sales were also down by 103 compared to the 2008 season.

Forsythe said although some of the losses could be from golfers switching to private courses, based on discussions he’s had with other courses in the city, they’re in the same boat and blame poor weather.

It may not get any easier in 2010, with city course memberships increasing to $1318.80 for an unlimited adult pass good at all three courses.

Coun. Rebecca Johnson, one of several councillors who used the report to reopen a discussion about selling Municipal Golf Course, wanted to know if raising fees was the best option.

"The more you charge people it seems as though we go down in numbers," Johnson said. "How do we keep this going on any kind of basis that it’s not going to cost us approximately $250,000 a year?"

Full memberships cost in the $600 range in the early 2000s, but have steadily increased over the past half decade or more under the enterprise model.

Forsythe said membership costs have not driven business away entirely as some golfers have moved on to private clubs that have much higher fees than city courses.

However, public subsidization did not sit well with some councillors, Trevor Giertuga in particular.

Giertuga, who voted for the initial enterprise model in 2003, said it would be unfair to private courses if city courses were subsidized.

"What happens if we keep subsidizing golf like this and a course goes under, how much tax are we going to lose every year?" asked Giertuga. "Fundamentally I can’t support this."

Giertuga added he thinks it is time for the city to re-examine its role in the golf industry.

City manager Tim Commisso said selling the city’s courses would take years and would last well into the term of next council.

Forsythe said if the money is not added to the community services budget, he would be forced to take another look through his budget, which would probably mean layoffs to an already minimal staff.




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