By Jeannine Gage
Staff writer
NEW SMYRNA BEACH - A recent $3-million renovation did not bring in the additional business New Smyrna Beach Municipal Golf Course officials had hoped, so they have asked city commissioners for help.
"We are not capable of ascertaining how to best run this course," Golf Course Advisory Board member Marilyn Lindley said. "We are asking for a consulting firm to tell us how to make improvements; how to save money and make more money."
But commissioners said they would like to see the problem taken care of "internally" before spending an estimated $19,000-$30,000 on a consultant.
"We have people out there who are managers," Mayor Sally Mackay said. "Let's, as a group of people, work together and put some plans in place and see if we can turn this around."
The golf course has steadily been losing players and money since the renovation in 2005, Golf Course Advisory Board member Buzz Reynolds said. He told commissioners that in the first quarter of fiscal year 2008 (October-December) the course lost $66,704. In January, that number was $66,710. Revenues for the entire year are expected to come out $350,000 short of original estimates.
"We need help," Mr. Reynolds said.
Vice Mayor Randy Richenberg said he was not comfortable spending money on a consultant.
"We're losing money left and right on this place," he said. "I'd hate to say we're going to spend more money on it."
But city manager John Hagood said he felt bringing in someone from outside the community was the best idea.
"It would be to the benefit of this city to have someone with a fresh set of eyes to look at it," Mr. Hagood said. "We've tried several things, but I think there's been a fundamental change in golf and we need to make adjustments to meet that."
Some recent changes made at the golf course include raising membership fees, allowing seven-day advanced tee times for non-members and offering more non-member tee times on the weekend.
Mr. Hagood said these changes may eventually help, but it's also the economy and other outside influences that are really hurting the golf course.
"There are more courses and fewer golfers these days so there's a lot of competition," Mr. Hagood said in a phone interview. "And a lot of people just can't afford to golf anymore. It used to cost you $30 to fill up your (gas) tank. Now it costs you $90. Well, there goes your golf game for the week."
Whether an outside consultant is brought in to help the golf course, or it's done within the community, Mr. Hagood said the most important thing is to strike a balance between membership and greens fees play.
"It's hard to try to make everyone happy," he said. "But we're a municipal course and so we have to do that."
Ms. Mackay said she believes the problems at the golf course are a management issue.
"We've got to look at that management and pull it together and make the hard decisions where necessary and we cannot go on subsidizing lots of money like this," she said. "It's like anything else in your budget. If something is losing money you have to correct that."
The mayor said Mr. Hagood is "working hard to right the ship" and has asked him to continue working closely with golf course officials to come up with ways to solve the financial problems. She also asked for a monthly report to commissioners.
"We need a complete breakdown so we can see where things aren't working," she said.
gage@hometownnewsol.com
