The city-owned golf course in Austin, Texas will have automated pay stations for golfers to pay green fees by January, with the pro shop staffed only on Fridays through Sundays. The measure is part of an effort to cut costs, as annual revenues recently came up $125,000 below expenses.
With the greens at the city-owned Hancock Golf Course in Austin, Texas still operating in the red, city officials on November 16 announced a cost-cutting measure, the Austin Statesman reported.
Starting early next year, golfers visiting the course on Monday through Thursday will pay their green fees at automated pay stations instead of interacting with a live person. The pro shop will be open Fridays through Sundays—when Hancock does three-quarters of its business—as well as holidays, the Statesman reported.
“This is necessary to help move the Golf Enterprise Fund to a more cost-effective model and reduce the impact to its ending fund balance,” the city parks department said in a press release. “The department will continue to monitor this operational change and look for other revenue generating opportunities at Hancock.”
Crews expect to post signs about the change starting December 1, and say the automated pay stations should go into place in January, the Statesman reported.
Founded in 1899, Hancock is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Texas’ oldest continuously operated course. But it has struggled in recent years to earn enough money to offset expenses, the Statesman reported.
The city has boosted its marketing efforts, offering student discounts and other promotions; looked for savings by using reclaimed water to irrigate the course; and sought revenue from other sources, such as disc golf tournaments and cross-country running events. Even so, the course’s annual revenues came up about $125,000 below expenses, according to a memo sent by acting parks director Kimberly McNeeley, the Statesman reported.
Switching to the automated pay stations won’t cut the hours of any full-time parks workers, McNeeley wrote, but it could impact temporary workers. She said the city will try to use those temporary workers at other city golf courses if possible, the Statesman reported.
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