Rounds at Bradenton’s River Run Golf Links are on the rise lately, bucking national trends.
And so is net income, of late, at the city-owned facility on 27th Street East, near the Pirate City baseball complex.
Priced no higher than $55 to play 18 holes in a cart, fees remain lower than most in the region, especially in comparison to Sarasota’s municipal course, which is scheduled to reopen Dec. 15 with maximum rates more than twice the price.
“As you know, River Run is a valuable asset to the city,’’ said City Administrator Rob Perry in a recent city commission meeting.
But, in an evaluation of River Run for city leaders by National Golf Foundation Consulting, Inc., some upgrades and price adjustments were recommended, something city leaders in November cautioned against accomplishing without deep consideration.
The 92-page report by the Jupiter, Fla., organization spells out an overview of the course, the local market, financials and five projects totaling about $600,000 – all but one the report calls “mission critical.’’ It also looks at longer-term, more expensive potential projects such as the construction of an adjacent practice range and the rebuilding of the course.
Mayor Gene Brown said of the $24,000 the city spent on the report and the discussion it prompted, “I’m glad we did it, I think it was worth it.’’
Meanwhile, about 25 minutes to the south, Sarasota’s Bobby Jones Golf Course is set to reopen on Dec. 15 after years of planning, design and construction, converting the flood-prone municipal layout from 36 holes to an 18-hole course and nature park with a short course across the street. The city spent $12.5 million on the project, resetting the course to the same layout legendary golf architect Donald Ross sketched in the 1920s. Richard Mandell, who designed the remake, was also part of the team assessing Bradenton’s course.
Sarasota’s new, dynamic-fee schedule ranges in price during the winter season from about $70 to $124, with city residents getting a 40% discount. During the same time frame, at River Run, rates from November to late April range from $38.32 to $54.21.
Acknowledging River Run’s lower price, the report urged consideration of a slightly higher fee or a similar dynamic system that takes into account at-the-moment demand, similar to how airlines sell tickets.
“The consultants thought there was room to maintain the profile of the same type of golfer who wants to save a little bit of money but get out to a nice course and enjoy the outdoors, and there might be some opportunities to increase price points to recover a little bit of cash,’’ Perry said, adding the report indicated the course had a “good, clean bill of health.’’
Rounds on the way up
The report says River Run’s rounds have risen since the COVID-19 pandemic, which runs counter to national, state and regional trends.
River Run’s 66,646 rounds in 2022 were up 15.5%, following a 16.7% increase the year before. Rounds nationally, in Florida, in Naples/Fort Myers and the Tampa Bay area fell by as much as 5% in 2022 after slower growth in years before.
“It wouldn’t even make sense to make additional investment into advertising or marketing to try to increase them, because during most peak golf hours and times of the year, they’re at maximum capacity anyway,’’ Perry said.
River Run Head Professional John Byers said the course has recently begun using a starter and an on-course ranger to help keep players moving, adding average daily rounds this fall are up by about 10, year over year, to about 165. “People are embracing the golf course,’’ he said.
The finances and the recommendations
Perry explained the golf course, as an enterprise, is expected to self-sustain similar to the way a city’s water-sewer utility pays for itself. The report shows net incomes of $287,383 in 2021; $71,864 in 2022 and $767,697 in the recently completed 2023 fiscal year.
Perry said such an enterprise fund ideally should set a rate for service that not only maintains expenses but is also able to slowly build a reserve that could be used for expansion or upgrades. “It’s supposed to be revenue neutral.’’
Perry said the golf course has no such reserve but has been eating away at a deficit over the last few years, which now stands at about $500,000.
Commissioner Lisa Gonzalez Moore said she hoped to see a continuation of the money-making trend before embarking on improvements. Prices have risen $1-$2 in the last few years, and by $5 in November, the report said.
“I kind of look at this like a public park, and so I hate to see us raise those fees too high because then it will start excluding people from being able to play,’’ said Vice Mayor Jayne Kocher. “But I appreciate we have to be fiduciarily responsible. I would like to see, if you’re going to raise the fees, that you do it for people who do are not city residents – I would like to keep that affordable.’’
Perry said that would be easily accomplished.
Among the mission-critical fixes the NGF recommended:
- Rebuild all bridges on the course: $440,000
- Create about 11 acres of native areas to minimize mowing costs: $44,000
- Clear trees invasive vegetation to speed play: $60,000
- Remove seven sand bunkers on six holes to speed play and reduce maintenance costs: $27,400
The report also recommended $25,000 in upgrades and painting to the golf shop, though not deemed mission critical.
Beyond those, the report states: “the age of the golf course’s component parts will soon necessitate a major overhaul of the course. Current conditions are sub-par by industry standards, especially in terms of the turfgrass from tee to green. The NGF team believes that, as years pass, it will become increasingly difficult for maintenance staff to provide a sufficient amount and quality of turf to play from. This dynamic will eventually result in golfing customers seeking other places to play, despite River Run’s affordability.’’
Cost of such a rebuild could be as high as $7.25 million, the report said. Lesser alternatives were also raised. Perry urged caution no matter the path forward.
“I’ve never been against golf,’’ he said. “But we also have to look at being good stewards of the money. We have to figure out the half-a-million dollar debt first, and we could not raise the prices enough to offset that because no one would play.’’
Eric Garwood is the executive editor of the Community News Collaborative. He can be reached at ericgarwood@cncfl.org.
