Recreation Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2018 07 23

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Future of municipal golf in many cities uncertain I Golf Advisor Page 3 of 27 International Links Melreese Country Club in Miami has been targeted for development. City councils and county boards around the country are wrangling with the same age-old question: Should tax dollars be supplementing golf? The numbers recently released by the NGF indicate growth for muni golf. The number of municipal facilities - not total courses but single facilities owned and/or operated by a government entity - grew from an all-time high of 2,492 in 2016 to 2,497 in 2017. That accounts for roughly 17 percent of total U.S. golf facilities (out of 14,794, according to the NGF's latest report). Milton, Ga. (https://patch.com/georgia/alpharetta/city-buys-milton-country-club-5-million), and Oviedo, Fla. (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/seminole/os-oviedo-buys-twin-rivers-golf-course- 20160926-story.html) outside Orlando, are two cities that have spent millions acquiring courses to preserve green space (Boca Raton, Fla. (http://www.golfdom.com/city-of-boca-raton-buys-foreclosed- golf-course-plans-renovations/) and Denver (https://www.denverpost.com/2017/09/21/park-hill-golf- club-purchased-denver-open-space/) are other examples). It's unclear how long the Milton Country Club (https://www.golfadvisor.com/courses/361-milton-country-club/) will be used as a golf course, but Golf Advisor reviews indicate the Twin Rivers Golf Course (https://www.golfadvisor.com/courses/15876-twin-rivers-golf-club/) in Oviedo is doing better under the city's watch. https://www.golfadvisor.com/articles/municipal-golf-crossroads-17751.htm 6/29/2018