The management company that operates the 270-acre property in Stanwood, Wash. cited the reduction of rounds, higher operating costs and lack of funding for future improvements in its termination letter to Snohomish County. County officials plan to issue a request for proposals to run the property, but whether its future will include golf is uncertain.
The company that manages Kayak Point Golf Course in Stanwood, Wash. plans to close up shop on October 21st, reported The Daily Herald of Everett, Wash.
Snohomish County parks officials are looking to interest another operator in taking over the public course, The Daily Herald reported.
“Like many golf courses in the Puget Sound area, Kayak Point has struggled to remain viable in an increasingly challenging business environment,” General Manager Steve Stensland wrote in a message posted at the clubhouse, The Daily Herald reported.
Access Golf Management has run the course since 2005, The Daily Herald reported. In its termination letter to the county, the Redmond, Wash.-based company cited the reduction of rounds, higher operating costs and lack of funding for future improvements.
The course at Kayak Point Regional Park, which is up the road from the main park amenities along Port Susan. opened more than 40 years ago, The Daily Herald reported. While the wild feel of its forested, hilly terrain sets it apart from other venues, the number of rounds played there has fallen to about half the level from golf’s heyday in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
As Access Golf struggled to keep its business there profitable, the county last year amended its contract to provide more favorable terms to the company, The Daily Herald reported. By this summer, however, Stensland posted notice of the pending closure.
“Please be assured that we will continue to take care of each and every one of you, our valued customers, until the last day we are here and open for business,” the notice read.
The course was part of land that Atlantic Richfield Co (ARCO) once planned to turn into an oil refinery, The Daily Herald reported. Snohomish County bought 691 acres from the petroleum giant in 1972 and part of the property was developed into the golf course, which opened in 1977. It’s been run by private vendors since 1982.
In the coming weeks, county parks, recreation and tourism officials plan to issue a request for proposals to run the property, The Daily Herald reported. They’re open to other uses and events on the 270-acre site, with possibilities including camping, disc golf or equestrian activities, miniature golf, weddings or adventure sports. It’s unclear when it could reopen, and in what form.
“Access Golf has been a wonderful partner with Snohomish County,” Parks Director Tom Teigen said in a prepared statement. “We certainly understand the financial realities of publicly owned golf courses, and wish them the best of luck with the three other golf courses they own and operate.”
While the county hasn’t given up on golf, scores of public courses around the country, and some locally, have closed, The Daily Herald reported. That happened at Mountlake Terrace’s former course on Lake Ballinger, which is now a park. And leaders in Everett, Wash. have talked for years about whether it makes sense to maintain the city’s two municipal courses.
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