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 4 of 27 User cmjohnston1 (https://www.golfadvisor.com/golfers/447D290B-1 EA9-4BE7-93DC- E46A5413CB6C/) wrote in his April 24 review (https://www.golfadvisor.com/courses/15876-twin- rivers-golf-club/?reviewid=199271520): "I played here last year and it was just OK. Now the fairways are in good condition and the bunkers have new sand. I heard the city took it over and is pumping money into it. Definitely in better shape than other nearby courses." The majority of communities, though, are looking to scale back their investments in golf. A recent article by the USA TODAY Network -Florida (https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/shaping-our- future/growth/2018/04/18/florida-municipal-golf-courses-have-lost-nearly-100-m-over-past-five- years/407554002/) reported that the state's municipal golf courses have lost $100 million in just the last five years. The Houston Parks & Recreation Department closed Glenbrook (https://www.chron.com/news/politics/houston/article/Houston-s-Glenbrook-Golf-Course-to-become- a-12735997.php) on April 1 to make way for the new Houston Botanical Garden. This move shifts the city's focus and funds to its remaining courses, including Memorial Park Golf Course (https://www.golfadvisor.com/courses/3037-memorial-park-golf-course/), which has been rumored to be a potential future host of the PGA Tour's Houston Open. Water uncertainty and rising costs have threatened golf courses throughout California. San Jose has been threatening to close at least one of its three courses since I moved to the city's south side in 2014, according to the Mercury News (https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/10/08/san-jose-weighs-closing- a-golf-course-to-stem-financial-losses/). Stockton (Calif.) Mayor Michael Tubbs has been vocal about wanting to close his city's two golf courses, but backlash from the general public (http://www.capradio.org/articles/2017/12/05/stockton-city-council-faces-opposition-to-closure-of- two-golf-courses/) has created a heated debate about the future of the city's Van Buskirk (https://www.golfadvisor.com/courses/255-van-buskirk-park-golf-course/) and Swenson (https://www.golfadvisor.com/courses/254-swenson-golf-at-swenson-park-golf-course/) courses. In the Midwest, Madison, Wis., is considering closing one of its four courses, according to Wisconsin Public Radio (https://www.wpr.org/madison-considers-closing-municipal-golf-course). In Minneapolis, Hiawatha Golf Course (https://www.golfadvisor.com/courses/8294-hiawatha-golf-course/) was originally slated to close at the end of 2019, but a campaign to save the course has delayed the decision at least five years, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune (http://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-park-board-delays-closure-of-hiawatha-golf- club/449824863/). Michigan's Huron -Clinton Metroparks, a collection of 13 parks spanning more than 25,000 acres in metro Detroit, closed two courses in 2017 - a par-3 facility where my son and I first played golf together and an underutilized regulation course - while a third course, the Hudson Mills Metropark Golf Course (https://www.golfadvisor.com/courses/794-hudson-mills-metro-park/), almost closed before a last- minute life line delayed the decision for five years, according to the Livingston Daily (https://www.livingstondaily.com/story/news/local/community/livingston-county/2017/08/15/hudson- mills-golf-course-open/568347001 /). The Metroparks, which attract seven million users annually, are funded, principally, by a property tax levy and by revenues from vehicle entry fees and other fees (such as green fees). Meanwhile, Detroit's three remaining municipal courses were recently saved when the https://www.golfadvisor.com/articles/municipal-golf-crossroads-17751.htm 6/29/2018