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golf course conditioning/maintanence costs

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Don_Mahaffey:
Adam,
My answer to the question you asked of Brad is to try and promote Superintendents into decison making positions. The PGA has done a very good job of monopolizing GM positions for their members. But, more and more Supts. are moving up the food chain. The golf course usually requires the largest % of budget when compared to other departments, yet Supts. haven't been as succesfull at earning the GM positions as the Pros and even F & B managers. That's starting to change and I expect it to change at a more rapid pace in the future. I doubt anyone other then the Supt. knows the cost of not replacing worn out equipment or skipping a pre-emergent app because the restaurant needed new flatware.

I hope you guys can make the trip over prior to the NM get together. I promise I will not water the fwys for a week before you get here ;D  

Steve Lang:
:)

Just intersted in how many rounds per year the "types" courses named above would be expected to have and thus impact their maintenance budgets... are these approximate numbers below realistic?  Comments please..

muni-northern clime (apr-oct) 40,000
muni-southern clime (365 d) 80,000

ccfad-northern clime (apr-oct) 30,000
ccfad-southern clime (365 d) 50,000

resort-northern clime (apr-oct) 15,000
resort-southern clime (365 d) 30,000

private-northern clime (apr-oct) 15,000
private-southern clime (365 d) 40,000

Tom_Doak:
Fifteen years ago, I knew the numbers pretty well.  But somewhere in the nineties, either I lost touch, or the powers that be lost touch with reality.

I was at a meeting in Palm Springs last year and some members were giggling over the frugal maintenance budget at Los Angeles Country Club.  I asked what it was, and they replied that it was "only" $1.8 million for 36 holes.  When I said that didn't sound so low to me, they remarked that several clubs in Palm Springs spend $2 million just for 18 holes!

Norbert P:


--- Quote ---The golf course usually requires the largest % of budget when compared to other departments, yet Supts. haven't been as succesfull at earning the GM positions as the Pros and even F & B managers. That's starting to change and I expect it to change at a more rapid pace in the future.


--- End quote ---

  Don, Thanks, that's an optimistic opinion.  I hope you are right.  I don't mean to disrespect the Clubhouse administrators but I don't know of too many people who play a course over and over again because of the building or the curbside bag drop greeter but EVERYBODY critiques the course.  That's where the true customer service should be most attended to, as you know.   Now, if we can just educate the public on HOW the courses should be maintained, some Supts. may change their practices with those expectations.

SB:
Steve,

Your projections for rounds at northern courses are good, depending on which market you're in.  Your southern projections can be cut back by quite a bit, unless you're talking about California.  Instead of double the rounds of northern courses, southern courses host around 20-30% more rounds.

That said, rounds have only a moderate influence on the cost of maintenance.  There is a basic level of maintenance somewhere in the $250 - 300,000 range which cuts the grass on a regular basis and keeps the course in an acceptable muni range.  As you step up the scale of quality to daily fee, high end daily fee, private, premium daily fee, and premium private, customer expecations demand additional levels of "finish" on the maintenance side.  Each has a cost, in the form of additional equipment and supplies, but labor usually is the biggest line item to expand.

Some design features, such as bunker design, have additional cost factors as well, but again, the reason that private clubs spend $1 million is the level of detail demanded by their members.

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