An appraisal is underway for the East Stroudsburg, Pa., golf course, which the township of Middle Smithfield, Pa., has owned for the past six years. Memberships have declined overall, though the golf course generated 30% more income and rounds played were up 35% in its opening month compared to the same period last year.
Middle Smithfield, Pa., supervisors last month took action on the future of Country Club of the Poconos Municipal Golf Course in East Stroudsburg, Pa., with the approval of a $5,000 appraisal, the Stroudsburg-based Pocono Record reported.
The township has owned the course for six years. With an appraisal underway, the township plans to sell in the foreseeable future, the Record reported.
“It has always been the goal of this administration to sell the course to a qualified buyer,” said Annette Atkinson, chairperson of Middle Smithfield Township Board of Supervisors. “We want to relieve taxpayers of that burden.”
The board hired Advantage Golf Advisors to guide the project. Middle Smithfield in May entered an agreement with the firm to assess the course’s current value, the Record reported.
“Selling a golf course is a process,” said Atkinson, “and now we are up to the step where an appraisal is necessary.”
Memberships have declined following a national trend, according to Atkinson. Course operators responded by offering options like half memberships and packages of play. Atkinson said these offer what more and more golfers want: less commitment and more variety, the Record reported.
“The whole golf industry is moving away from traditional memberships,” said Atkinson. “Those different kinds of packages are an answer to what golfers are looking for now.”
According to a departmental report, income this year didn’t align with expectations—it exceeded them. The course generated 30% more income its opening month than it had in the same period a year prior. Rounds played were also up 35 percent from the same time last year, the Record reported.
The number of rounds has increased consistently every year since the township took over. Atkinson said they received incomplete records upon purchasing the course. The years since have given time to build a history of good bookkeeping, the Record reported.
“It took time to reestablish and develop records,” said Atkinson, “but now the business is ripe for sale.”
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