Randy Christie, of Indianapolis, prepared to hit his golf ball down the fairway at Jasper Municipal Golf Course on Thursday morning. Christie makes it a point to make the trek down state annually to play this course and others nearby. NEIL BLAKE/THE HERALD
A study by the National Golf Foundation says that 10 to 15 percent of the nation’s golf courses are in financial trouble and many of them will close in the next five years.
In contradiction, area golf courses open to the public seem to be holding their own. Some of them report to be fairing pretty well.
“We’re doing good this year,” said Heather Taylor, manager of the Huntingburg Country Club’s course. “We’ve had a little increase in play from last year. I attribute that to the weather. We had a great spring; it wasn’t so wet.”
“Everyone wants to do better, of course,” she said. “But considering these economic times, we are doing pretty decent.”
That’s not to say that area golf courses aren’t facing financial challenges. Jasper Municipal and Ruxer golf courses are owned by the City of Jasper, which has had to trim budgets because of decreasing revenue. That trimming has trickled down.
“With the economy, our budget has been tightened,” said Steve Milligan, who manages both courses. “We’ve cut things back. But the courses are not hurting, because we’re keeping it in shape.”
For instance, the aesthetic and rough areas that aren’t played on are not mowed as often as they were in the past, maintenance head Phil Volz said.
“We mow those twice a year to keep the brush off of it,” Volz said. “The greens need to be mowed every day.” The tees and fairways are also maintained, he said. He also has decreased the number of fertilizer treatments applied to the course.
Revenue from the courses is a down a little from last year, “but we’re holding our own,” Milligan said. “That’s important, especially with the economy, that we’re staying viable.”
Economic challenges are nothing new, said Russ Winkler, owner of the Christmas Lake Golf Course, in Santa Claus.
“It’s an eight-month business. In November, December, January and February you do very little business,” he said. “If weather permits, we’re open; you have to do what you can to bring in people. But you have a handful of people there instead of hundreds. And the payroll, taxes and bills still go on. What you make in the summer, you lose in the winter.”
And with several golf courses in the area, he said, “it’s very competitive.”
The National Golf Foundation’s study found that while the number of golfers increased by 16 percent since 1990, the number of available golf facilities increased by 24 percent.
“A lot of people go to Florida in the winter to play golf,” Winkler said. “It’s hard to play golf with gloves. But we have people who do it. They’ll put covers and heaters in the golf carts and play anyway. But that’s a small majority that does that.”
Winkler said he has cut back on the course’s mowing schedule of aesthetic areas — the areas used for golfing are still maintained well — and the facility isn’t planning any major renovations anytime soon. He suspects other courses have made similar cutbacks. “If you haven’t made some adjustment,” he said, “you probably are in trouble.”
Many of the courses offer discounts for various playing times or special rates for area residents. “Because people are financially strapped, we try to offer specials to make it affordable for people to play,” Taylor said.
Some courses have found that hall rentals and event bookings have helped. “We do a lot of outings and fundraisers for clubs,” Winkler said. “It if wasn’t for that, we would be in trouble.”
Sales at Sultan’s Run Golf Course, in Jasper, are up. “We are pleased because we have seen a lot of golf courses closing,” said Glenn Krodel, general manger at the course. “It’s the word-of-mouth advertising that’s helped us. We have a good reputation. People come from surrounding states to play here.”
Because of that, more money is being invested into the course. “We’re spending more money on chemicals and fertilizers to help the turf. We’re looking at improvements to the building and pro shop,” he said. “We have a whole new fleet of golf carts this year.”
Milligan said the number of golfers on his Jasper courses increased this month, following the PGA tournament held in French Lick at the end of June. “It made people think about golf more. Once they start thinking about it, they want to play more,” he said.
The National Golf Federation predicts that between 100 and 150 golf courses will close each year until the market is no longer oversaturated with courses.
Despite that, local course owners and managers expect golfers to tee off at their facilities for many years to come.
“People are still finding a way to feed their golf habit,” Winkler said.
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