(Photo by Jose F. Moreno/The Philadelphia Inquirer)
“Frequent flooding and unprofitable operations” were cited by the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department for why the 79-year-old public course, one of six operated for the city by Billy Casper Golf, is “no longer sustainable.” A master plan for the property will now be pursued to provide additional recreational options, but a driving range may be retained, along with efforts to continue to host First Tee programs at the course.
After frequent flooding and because of a lack of profit, FDR Golf Club in Philadelphia, Pa. will officially close on October 31, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
The announcement of the course’s closure came shortly after the release of a master plan for revitalizing FDR Park that includes the course, which was unveiled to the public in May, The Inquirer reported.
In a statement on its website, the club said the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department decided to close the public course because it was “no longer sustainable due to frequent flooding and unprofitable operations,” The Inquirer reported.
A Parks and Recreation spokesperson said the decision followed “extensive flooding” and an “extensive community engagement process,” but was unable to immediately comment further on the financial problems, The Inquirer reported.
Opened in 1940, the golf club is a public course relatively close to Center City (Philadelphia’s downtown) and just down the street from the city’s “stadium complex” area that includes stadiums and arenas used by all four of Philadelphia’s major professional sports teams, as well as by college teams and for concerts and other events.
Billy Casper Golf (BCG), the company that has managed the FDR club and other city courses since 2008, did not respond to The Inquirer’s request for comment. On July 11, the management firm sent out an e-blast to its “Golf Philly” mailing list with the headline “We’re Sad to Say Goodbye” and the subheading “Great Things Are In Store for the Future of FDR Park.”
The BCG e-blast continued:
“The decision to close the course was made by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation because the course is no longer sustainable due to frequent flooding and unprofitable operations. After October 31, 2019, golfers may use the city’s other public golf courses: Cobbs Creek and Karakung, Walnut Lane, John Byrne and Juniata.
“The golf course closure will add up to 150 more acres of park for expanded public use and ecological restoration. Philadelphia Parks & Recreation is working with First Tee of Greater Philadelphia to find an appropriate way for it to continue its youth golf programs at FDR Park. The Master Plan also includes an option for a public golf driving range.
“If you would like to know more about the decision to close FDR Golf Course, please contact Philadelphia Parks & Recreation.”
The BCG e-blast then provided a link (https://myphillypark.org/what-we-do/capital-projects/fdr-park/) to the master plan for FDR Park.
Due to the closure, The Inquirer reported, an extra 150 acres will be in play as part of FDR Park’s new master plan. Prior to the creation of the plan, Fairmount Park Conservancy officials surveyed people in the area for feedback and suggestions, some of which made their way into the proposal.
The master plan calls for adding trails, meadows, basketball courts, and more play spaces, parking, rest areas, and restrooms, The Inquirer reported. As for future golfing at the park, the master plan describes plans for a public driving range.
Most current features of the park will be updated, refurbished, or repaved as part of the $200 million project, which has a goal of creating “a self-sustaining public space that is owned and managed by the city and generates revenue from on-site concessions and events to operate and maintain the park,” The Inquirer reported. The work expected to be paid for through a mix of local, state, federal, and private funding.
Richard Solano, a resident of the neighborhood and former Assistant Manager of the golf club, told The Inquirer he is against the closure of the course, in part because the master plan additions to the park would “disrupt the neighborhood.”
“They want to add wetlands, but they attract bugs, mosquitos, and other animals,” Solano said. “They want to add these parking spots, but all the traffic and fumes would not be good for the neighborhood.”
Early phases of the project should be completed in the next three years, The Inquirer reported, although the plan’s timeline has been described as “multi-decade.”
Initial steps that will be taken, The Inquirer reported, will include repaving park roads, repairing the roof house on the Guardhouse, and constructing a 40-acre mitigation wetland that will provide wildlife habitat and access to nature.
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