(Torrey Pines Photo by K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The renovations at the city’s three courses will include new irrigation systems and drainage improvements, including re-contouring of slopes for surface flow and installation of drainage sumps with underground piping, along with bunker, cart path and tree work. Increasing costs for water and personnel have increased losses at the Balboa and Mission Bay courses while shrinking the typical $6 million annual profit shown by Torrey Pines.
The City Council of San Diego approved a $15 million contract on February 24th for upgrades and renovations to its three municipal golf courses, including preparations at Torrey Pines to host the 2021 U.S. Open, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
The Council unanimously approved the joint contract with four separate companies that will each perform parts of the work, The Union-Tribune reported. Individual projects are expected to cost between $250,000 and $2.5 million each.
The city’s municipal courses include the north and south courses at Torrey Pines, the 18-hole and nine-hole courses at Balboa Municipal, and the lighted Mission Bay executive golf course.
City officials said most of the tasks proposed under the new contract will require minimal impact to play, and that all of the golf courses will remain open during the renovations, The Union-Tribune reported.
The work will include new irrigation systems and drainage improvements, including re-contouring of slopes for surface flow and installation of drainage sumps with underground piping, The Union-Tribune reported.
Other projects will include renovating existing bunkers, adding new bunkers, replacing some cart paths, creating new cart paths, planting new trees and removing some existing trees, The Union-Tribune reported.
In typical years, Balboa and Mission Bay have lost a combined $2 million per year, while Torrey Pines has turned an annual profit of about $6 million because of its popularity with tourists, The Union-Tribune reported.
But increasing costs for water and personnel have increased the losses at Balboa and Mission Bay and shrunk the profits at Torrey, The Union-Tribune reported.
The revenue numbers from the city courses don’t include lease payments the city gets, The Union-Tribune reported. The city gets about $800,000 in total lease revenue from Mission Bay and Balboa Park, and about $1.6 million from Torrey Pines.
On top of that roughly $2.4 million, the city receives $2 million lease payments each year from seven other courses it owns but doesn’t operate, The Union-Tribune reported. Those courses include Carlton Oaks, Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, Tecolote Canyon, Mission Trails, Presidio Hills, The Vineyard and the Pro Kids Golf Academy.
Separate from the golf course upgrades, extensive renovations are also planned at the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, The Union-Tribune reported. They are slated to include installing or replacing underground electric, sewer, water, fire and phone utilities to serve the 1,300-acre park.
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