Oaks Golf consultant Dick Stuntz presented to the Abilene (Kansas) Commission and interested residents on the condition of the Great Life Golf and Fitness golf course. Outlining both positives and negatives, Stuntz recommended fixing the irrigation system, the pump house, the maintenance facility, maintenance equipment, the clubhouse, the storage buildings, and the fairway areas.
Oaks Golf consultant Dick Stuntz attended a meeting of the Abilene (Kansas) Commission to present a summary of his report on the Great Life Golf and Fitness golf course, the Abilene Reflector-Chronicle reported. The city is considering buying the golf course land from the owners Annette and Evan Wilson. The couple is attempting to sell the land that they lease to Great Life.
City Manager Ron Marsh said the city hired Stuntz to get an “outside opinion” on the condition of the course, the Reflector-Chronicle reported. Marsh initially requested Stuntz not mention any costs and prices during the summary, but later allowed some prices to be shared.
The city staff and commissioners were given Stuntz’s complete report. At the time, the report was not made available to the public, the Reflector-Chronicle reported. The report is now available on the Abilene City Hall website.
Starting with the course’s architecture and design, Stuntz said he did not have much experience in the architecture of courses, but has done “a lot” of design work, the Reflector-Chronicle reported. Overall, Stuntz said the course is designed “quite nicely.” The greens are architecturally poor, something that most courses in small towns are.
“As far as design features, you would put them in a lower category. They are small, they’re fairly flat and the greens’ surrounding areas do not have interesting features such as moguls, bunkering, things that create interest and challenge in golf,” Stuntz said.
The conditions of the greens is “very poor,” partly due to an irrigation malfunction last year, the Reflector-Chronicle reported.
Stunz said the setup of multiple tees at different spots to alter the length of the course is a positive aspect, the Reflector-Chronicle reported. The fairways are laid out “nicely.” The condition of the turf on the fairways is “poor,” which Stuntz guess is due to the irrigation issues.
The roughs are “average” due to them having weeds. The turf in the roughs are common and do not detract from the course, the Reflector-Chronicle reported. The trees are “very positive.” The condition of the trees is “average” due to the necessary trimming and branches on the ground.
The five bunkers on the course received a “very poor rating” from Stuntz, the Reflector-Chronicle reported. The bunkers are not placed well and are in low condition.
The practice range has several issues. The tee is small and “inadequate if you want any kind of practice facility with any kind of use,” the Reflector-Chronicle reported. Retrieving hit balls is an issue due to the railroad tracks being to the right of the range and a thicket to the left, making balls hit into those areas difficult to retrieve. Tree branches from tree work also lay in the range. Due to all these reasons, the range is currently not being utilized.
“[The practice range] is something that could be built into something. It would serve for someone who wants to take out a half a dozen of their own golf balls and whack them around,” he said.
The clubhouse facility is a “positive feature,” for a small town, 9-hole course, the Reflector-Chronicle reported. The size is adequate, perhaps more than adequate, Stuntz said. The clubhouse does need some maintenance.
The irrigation system is possibly the most problematic aspect of the course, Stuntz told the Commission. The pump station is old and needs replacement. The distribution system, the piping and the irrigation heads are “also in disrepair,” the Reflector-Chronicle reported. Controllers do not seem to be functional. The system would be the most important priority to address if the course would be bought with intentions of improving, Stuntz said.
For the maintenance facility, Stuntz said it is “inadequate.” The facility does not have enough room to park all the equipment inside, the Reflector-Chronicle reported. The equipment not in the facility sits outside.
“It is just a very restricted, poor and shabby facility that I think needs to be addressed as well,” Stuntz said.
The maintenance equipment and cart lease is “poor and old” and also needs improving to give the course quality care, the Reflector-Chronicle reported.
The cart paths, which Stuntz said there are an “unusually higher number” compared with other small-town courses, are a positive aspect, and only need repairs in a few places, the Reflector-Chronicle reported. The cart storage is also a positive. Only a few doors need repair.
Stuntz then presented three options for courses of action for the city to follow if they purchased the course, the Reflector-Chronicle reported.
– First, the city opens and runs the course as is with one person running everything.
– Second, the city fixes the course to be a positive representation of the city and they have two people run the course. Stuntz recommended fixing what is needed for the irrigation system, the pump house, the maintenance facility, maintenance equipment, the clubhouse, the storage buildings, and the fairway areas.
-Third, the city makes the repairs Stuntz recommended in the second option and also rebuilds all the greens to be larger and more challenging.
Speaking about golf in general, Stuntz said now is a good time to fix the course, the Reflector-Chronicle reported. The number of people in the sport increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 by 15 percent in rounds played, memberships and revenue.
“It’s the first time, certainly in my career, in maybe 50 years that we’ve had any kind of an increase in golf participation. As a matter of fact, in the early 20th century, the first two decades, we went from 41 million golfers to 29 million golfers,” Stuntz said. “That was the dip with two major dips, one being in 2001, the other being 2008. But in 2020 we turned a corner, and in 2021 we maintained the numbers and even gained a bit more. It is an opportune time to be entering into the golf business.”
As a conclusion, Stuntz said, in his opinion, he would not advise anyone to buy a golf course to generate profit. A course would add a quality-of-life aspect to Abilene, the Reflector-Chronicle reported. After research, there are approximately 250 courses in Kansas. More than half are in large cities, such as Kansas City and Wichita. There are 120 courses in towns with a population of less than 10,000. With 460 towns below a 10,000 population, Stuntz said Abilene could separate itself by being in the 25 percent of the 460 towns that have a golf course.
Commissioner John Kollhoff asked Stuntz which options he recommends and the profit and loss ratio for a year, the Reflector-Chronicle reported. Stuntz said he believes the city should pursue the third option. He did not recommend the first option.
“To go to option three and rebuild the green sites would improve this golf course dramatically,” Stuntz said. “When you add that expense to the previously stated expenses, it’s only another 20 percent or so higher to do that.”
Kollhoff then asked Stuntz what a timeline for the second and third option is. Stuntz said an ideal timeline is for the course to be purchased by late spring and early summer and start the repairs with the irrigation system, the Reflector-Chronicle reported. If rebuilding the greens, the rebuilding could start in the fall. The course could then be operational in the middle or later part of 2023. The city would not see the pro forma numbers that Stuntz calculated in the report until 2025 based on that timeline.
Kollhoff then asked for the costs and financial numbers for the years between 2023 and 2025, the Reflector-Chronicle reported. Stuntz said he did not calculate the numbers but he could.
Commissioner Brandon Rein asked Stuntz if, for option three, the closing of the course would last a full calendar year, the Reflector-Chronicle reported. Stuntz did not answer his question because of how difficult it was to answer due to the many factors in the whole process. Rein then asked how the closure of the course for a full calendar year would affect membership numbers. Stuntz said the membership, and thus the revenue totals, would be “close to zero.”
“You’re going to lose them immediately, but they will come back in a storm because of the improvements to the facility. They are excited about it,” Stuntz said. “If you look at the pro formas of (options) one, two and three, I have… greater numbers in all categories on option three because you have new green sites. That word will get out. You lose them, but the gain at the end of the process is greater than what you started out with.”
Kollhoff then asked how Stuntz estimated the course would receive 11,000 rounds per year for option three, the Reflector-Chronicle reported. Stuntz said he estimated based on his experience with 9-hole courses in small towns. A low number of rounds per year is 7,000 to 8,000, and a high number is 20,000. The 11,000 estimate is a conservative number.
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