A recent meeting of the Como Regional Park Advisory Committee discussed the “re-purpose” of Como Golf Course. Mark Ross, Kathy Zieman (Como Women’s Golf President), and Tom Dapper are on the committee. Various fact sheets on revenues/expenses and rounds played were provided by the City. Those are not attached, but can be made available. Let us know. What follows is an attempt to summarize the discussion.
Most important, there is no imminent plan to close Como Golf. But if it can happen to Windsong Farms… Figures present showed the City annually losing between $680-$750,000 on its golf program in the last decade. Debt for Highland’s re-make is not include in those figures. It was pointed out golf is a weather-driven business, and making estimates for the number of rounds needed to break even difficult or impossible to predict. In no particular order, weather, labor costs, declining rounds, an overbuilt industry are the most obvious culprits causing the problems. There may well come a day when those in charge say “enough”. Como is a more likely or attractive target for closure than other City courses because of: shorter season due to its topography, being part of an increasingly active/popular regional park, attempts to mitigate traffic issues in the park generally. The area will always be a park. It may not always be an 18 hole golf course.
Suggestions other than an 18 hole golf course included use of the property in some combination of: skate park, walking/biking trails, 9 hole course w/range, dog park. There are limits to the property’s use due to topography, soil conditions, and various utilities (e.g.- storm sewers). Mention was made that any such uses be held to the same standard as the golf course in the sense of genuine attempts to have users’ fees pay for any program’s cost.
Suggestions from those intent on continuing the present arrangement focused on better utilization of the facilities. These included: fuller use of the clubhouse year-round, improved/expanded food service, lease to a professional golf management company, further attempts at a creative fee structure for golf. The general idea was to improve/expand a revenue stream, and better the overall golf experience. Further, suggestion was made to develop some revenue from the ski program to ease its burden on the golf maintenance budget.
This discussion will likely continue, and further reports will then be posted. We urge you to let other members of the Men’s Clubs know about the above. If any of you want copies of the documents provided by the City or have questions or ideas, we would be happy to oblige or speak with you. Apologies, if needed, for the long-windedness of this report.
1/3/2012
Como Golf Course – Repurposing Discussion
Como Regional Park Advisory Committee - December, 2011
Possible Re-use opportunities
The recently completed Parks and Recreation System Plan (2010) suggests the following related to golf courses and specialty recreation facilities in general:
•Chapter 7 – Specialty facilities such as off-leash dog areas, skate parks, sledding cross-country skiing, disc golf and mountain biking are popular self-directed recreation activities that are cost effective because they don’t require staffing.
•Winter Sports Section (7.5) – A recommendation by the consultants is to continue to provide unique outdoor winter recreation experiences and includes the downhill and cross-country skiing in Como Regional Park.
•Off-Leash Dog Areas (7.13) – A recommendation by the consultants is to search for a suitable area for an off-leash dog park in the northwest part of the city. The study notes that per census information and a 2009 Lifestyle Profile, there are approximately 36% of households in the Twin Cities with dogs and 29% of the households in the Twin Cities with children. There are currently 4 off-leash dog areas that serve Saint Paul. One is managed by Ramsey County in Battle Creek. One is in Roseville. One is at Arlington and Arkwright and downtown has a small dog run near Mears Park.
•Disc Golf is a popular recreation activity, especially among older teens and those in their 20’s and 30’s. There is currently one disc golf course in Saint Paul, located at Edgcumbe and Montreal, in Highland. The consultants recommend Como Regional Park as an area to be considered for an additional disc golf course (7.14)
•Mountain Biking is also called out in the Systems Plan. There are currently trails suitable for mountain biking in Battle Creek Regional Park, managed by Ramsey County. This is another low capital cost activity. The terrain at Como lends itself to consideration for this activity.
The Leisure Vision Survey (2007) compiled information related to Saint Paul Parks and Recreation. The LV Survey supports information noted in the System Plan related to recreation areas that are most important (per respondents). The LV Survey lists the top ten most important recreation facilities for respondents as:
1)Walking and biking trails
2)Como Park Zoo and conservatory
3)Small neighborhood parks
4)Large regional parks
5)Nature and wildlife habitats
6)Playground equipment
7)Riverfront parks
8)Off-leash dog areas
9)Picnic areas and shelters
10)Outdoor swimming pools and water parks
Golf courses and neighborhood recreation centers tied for the 11th spot, each getting 8% of the votes.
Related to golf courses specifically, the LV Survey noted ‘make golf courses more affordable, improve tee time availability and improve conditions of the greens and fairways as the top vote getters.
66% of the respondents in the LV Survey indicated that no one in the household played golf, 8% indicated household members played golf but never played St. Paul courses, 5% usually play St. Paul golf courses, 18% occasionally play St. Paul golf courses and 2% reported always playing St. Paul golf courses.
The January 2012 meeting of the Como Regional Park Advisory Committee continued the discussion about the “re-purpose” of Como Golf. Information about the 2011 season city-wide were supplied, and copies are available. Basically, the figures showed a continued decline in rounds played and revenues, though the lousy spring weather followed by extended heat were mentioned as significant factors.
The point was again made there has been no decision on Como’s fate. This was in response to some committee members’ (not necessarily golfers) saying that was their impression when the topic was first presented. The City is in the 2nd year of a 3 year Performance Plan assessing services, and no significant changes are anticipated before that ends.
Perhaps most interestingly, and based on financial information for the entire golf program, the Committee suggested expanding the discussion to include all courses, not just Como. This idea was considered reasonable and worthwhile, and likely to be further fleshed-out in upcoming meetings. Efforts will be made to arrange public meetings with various neighborhood groups in order to both present facts on the current situation, and, more importantly, solicit comments and ideas from a broader spectrum of citizens regarding the future of St. Paul Golf. One member noted reading/hearing that perhaps 60% of persons living alongside golf courses are not golfers themselves, but value the open green space a course provides. Residents in the vicinity of courses may feel similarly. Again, non-golfing members appeared to offer some support to the idea of maintaining the course. Put another way, there is not any obvious eagerness to close Como in its current form.
The prospects for the future of Como remain mixed, though proposed expansion of the discussion to include the entire golf program dims the spotlight on it for the time being. Current trends for both St. Paul Golf, and nationally, continue downward. The City has not given up on Como or any other course, and continues to look for better ways to market the product and attract players.
Further reports will be made as the discussion and events proceed.
Chapter 7 – Specialty facilities such as off-leash dog areas, skate parks, sledding cross-country skiing, disc golf and mountain biking are popular self-directed recreation activities that are cost effective because they don’t require staffing.