What should Dayton do with golf? The city is seeking answers for its 6 courses

The city of Dayton is trying to figure out what to do with a golf system that is losing money and likely has millions of dollars in capital needs.

Some challenges facing the golf industry include the time it takes to play, the cost and the difficulty of the sport.

But Dayton’s six courses also have to contend with aging infrastructure, outdated equipment and limited resources, said Richard Singer, a consultant hired by the city to assess the golf system, during a public meeting Thursday.

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“Golf is a tough business to be in — it’s a very high fixed-cost business, you are at the mercy of a lot of things you can’t control” like weather, price of gasoline and golf demand, said Singer, senior director of consulting services with the National Golf Foundation.

The city hosted two public meetings this week to gather feedback about the state of its golf facilities and areas in need of improvement.

Golf players and community members raised concerns about the condition of the city’s courses, the quality of customer service, slow check-in processes and golf carts that can’t get over hills.

“The single biggest complaint I get at Community (golf course) is about carts,” said Dean Holland, who works at the pro shop at Community Golf Club. “Carts are old, they’re unreliable … I have a lot of guys come in and tell me, ‘Once again, I had to push carts up the hill.’”

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The city of Dayton owns and operates Community Golf Club, which has two 18-hole courses; Kittyhawk Golf Center, which has three 18-hole courses (two regulation, one executive); and Madden Golf Course, which has one regulation course.

Dayton’s golf operations are being subsidized by the city’s general fund. The golf division received about $212,500 from the general fund in 2017, and the subsidy was expected to increase this year.

City leadership seems to feel strongly that it wants to preserve golf, because they view the facilities as an important amenity and like offering the recreation option, Singer said.

But the city’s golf system likely needs millions of dollars in capital upgrades to remain relevant and competitive, and finding money for those expenses are a challenge, he said. The irrigation systems, which are 40 to 50 years old, likely need replaced.

“The city’s going to have to make some tough choices about where to put its money and where it can get the best bang for the buck,” Singer said.

There is no easy answer for fixing problems in the golf system, but significant improvements may be achievable with many smaller changes on the revenue and expense sides, Singer said.

The city also would benefit from determining ways to grow the sport through player development and giving people a reason to visit the courses, he said.

Customers regularly complain that the check-in process is too slow at Community, because everything takes place inside, Holland said. At other courses, people check in and then go outside and pick up carts by signing a sheet at the starter, he said.

“Golfers don’t want to stand in line … they want to get out, chip, putt, hit range balls, whatever,” he said. “It’s a lot quicker for them when they move up waiting for their tee time to sign for their cart there — it would speed up the process inside.”

Players also complain about the bunkers at Community, because they are not playable since they are full of water or rock and should be drained and filled with sand, he said.

Also, areas around several tee boxes are regularly overgrown with weeds and brush, and the hitting area at the driving range is not rotated enough, he said.

A customer vented that he is paying full price for a golf cart that barely runs, bunkers that are unplayable and he couldn’t even get a drink because the restaurant closes early when it’s slow, Holland said.

Dayton’s golf courses are “terrific” old golf courses that are the perfect size for golfers who don’t want a longer course, Holland said.

Madden Golf Course could use some better signage because it isn’t obvious to motorists on Nicholas Road that it’s there, said Barbara Vinzant, who owns Ms V’s Restaurant at Madden Golf Course.

Dayton’s golf courses get rave reviews by visitors and travelers, and it’s important to find ways to get the word out about the facilities, she said.

Other golfers agree that Dayton’s courses would benefit from increased marketing and promotion and should host more tournaments, special events and outings to increase traffic and bring in newcomers.

Most golf players at Dayton’s courses seem to be from other communities, which may be a consideration for city leaders, community members said.

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