Posted: 7:00 a.m. Friday, Jan. 23, 2015

City-owned golf courses profitable for first time since 1998

By Vivienne Machi

Staff Writer

HAMILTON — 

    For the first time since 1998, Hamilton’s golf courses were sustainable and even profitable in 2014, and are on par to continue that trend.

    While other area golf courses have experienced setbacks and closures in the past couple of years, Hamilton’s golf courses — Potter’s Park at 417 New London Road and Twin Run at 2505 Eaton Road — are thriving. Together in 2014, they brought in $56,762 in profits for the city, whereas in 2013, they were in the red by more than $60,000 .

    “The top two reasons for our success are probably the conditions of our fields — which is a testament to our superintendents — and the increase in golf outings and tournaments at both courses,” said Adam Helms, city director of resident services and the golf courses’ general manager.

    Hamilton native and longtime golfer Rich Young, 33, plays at Twin Run at least two to four times a week, and says it’s great to see the courses operating in the black, and not the red.     He lived in Naples, Fla., for over six years on a private golf course, and returned to find his hometown courses in much better shape than he remembered.

    “When you’re looking at two city parks generating that kind of revenue as more and more parks are shutting down, they’re out there (on the greens) working every day to make them better,” he said. He’s met golfers coming from northern Kentucky, Indiana, and north of Dayton on his rounds, he said, and all are impressed by the quality of the city-run courses.

    “In the past, it would be like a week before the greens would be cleared up, but now you can tell, whenever there’s an issue, it’s like hey, if we need that, let’s go get it and make it happen,” he said.

    Helms said that City Manager Joshua Smith enlisted him in 2013 to revive the golf courses as a sustainable enterprise fund, and he began with the basics. He installed a point of sales system and built a marketing database with the contact information of every golfer who walks through the door.

    “We weren’t doing any analytics before, like tracking numbers of rounds and who’s playing when,” he said. A new concessions/tournament manager position helped set up outings that accommodate the core groups in peak morning hours, then shut down the course and have anywhere from 60 to 150 golfers in the afternoon. There are currently three full-time positions for the golf courses — one superintendent at each course and the concessions/tournament manager — and seasonal workers fill in year-round.

    Previously, City Council would set a fixed price to play at the beginning of each year, but voted to give that authority to the courses’ general manager. This enabled Helms to set up discounts at non-peak times such as in the afternoons and out of season, and include deals such as the $25 lunch special, a “wildly popular” deal that pays for 18 rounds, a cart, and lunch.

    Helms detailed the golf courses’ successes in a presentation at the Jan. 14 City Council meeting. The courses saw a 34 percent increase in rounds played and a 16 percent increase in cart rentals in 2014 over 2013. Joint concession sales from both Potter’s Park and Twin   Run saw $27,519 in profits. Expenditures were also higher in 2013, thanks to equipment and retirement expenses, otherwise 2013 may have seen profits as well, Helms said.

    Several of Butler and Warren Counties’ area golf courses reported struggling to stay open in late 2013. Crooked Tree Golf Course in Mason closed its doors in November 2013 after reporting about $150,000 to $200,000 deficits per year. And Middletown’s Weatherwax Golf Course has at least one more year of rounds left after local golf legend Jim Kraft signed a one-year lease this past October with course owner Myron Bowling Auctioneers Inc.

    The demise of area golf courses certainly helps Hamilton’s greens, Helms admitted, but he also pointed to the competitive rates they offer — “we try to stay 10 percent under the regional average,” he said — and the capital improvements they made to their greens in 2013.

    The 2014 golf fund balance at year’s end was $259,538, compared to 2012’s $135,474, and Helms is optimistic about the finances moving forward. Future investments include replacing the greens’ lawnmowers, and replacing each course’s irrigation system.

    City Council praised the courses’ positive progress at the Jan. 13 meeting, crediting Helms’ marketing strategies and food service initiatives.

    Twin Run Golf Course is an 18-hole, par 72, 6,165 yard golf course with a 120 slope rating; Potter’s Park is an 18-hole, par 69, 5,118 yard golf course with a 111 slope rating.