GolfClubAtlas.com > Golf Course Architecture Discussion Group

golf course conditioning/maintanence costs

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Forrest Richardson:
The Hideout (Utah) = $180,000 annual budget (half-season)

Shadow Creek (Nevada) - $1,800,000 annual budget (estimated)

Extremes. Yes.

JohnV:
We do a survey of our member clubs every year.  Here are some numbers that might interest you:

Annual Maintenance Operations Budget:
Min: $170,000
Max: $1,400,000

Annual Capital Equipment Budget:
Min: $14,750
Max: $200,000

Green Budget as % of Overall Budget:
Min: 10%
Max: 65%

Labor Costs as % of Green Budget (including Benefits):
Min: 15%
Max: 66%

Staff:
Fulltime: Min: 1, Max: 18
Parttime: Min: 0, Max: 21
Seasonal: Min: 2, Max: 21

cary lichtenstein:
In Florida, the very top of the line courses spend $1.5 million.

Brad Klein:
The one rule of thumb in maintenance is that conditions vary widely as per geography, labor costs, desired quality and water availability. The biggest cost factor in maintenance is labor; the biggest challenge in future years will be water.

Average 18-hole budget for a golf course in the U.S. is $585,000. Your mom n' pop 18 will spend a lot less, your muni might spend less but also have high labor costs, and your high-end private club will be close to if not well over $1 m.

I know of clubs in Las Vegas that spend $1 million for water a year and $2.5 m for maintenance. One thing that's very interesting is that regionally, superintendents are pooling their data so that instead of being in secret competition with one another, they are information-sharing and thus providing a resource that undercuts behind-the-scenes back biting and competition.

Way too many clubs see maintenance costs as an expense rather than an investment. Every study of the industry has shown that money put into the golf course yields returns. That doesn't mean that all budget items are justified. It does mean that when you start going after the maintenance budget, the biggest asset at any facility and the biggest revenue producer - the golf course - is likely to suffer.

As for Poa annua, it's not a "problem."It's an indigenous plant that eventually makes its way into cool season, coastal and wet climate courses, and eventually onto desert courses. People make it sound like a horrible weed, whereas it's not that bad to manage and most greenkeepers have reconciled themselves to it. The first U.S. Open played on truly bentgrass as opposed to predominantly Poa annua greens was 1999 at Pinehurst, so it's not the worst thing. Other than springtime seed head production, it is commonplace and not that bad, though obviously it's an inferior putting surface to pure bentgrass. If you can forestall it for a decade you are doing wonders. If you want to forestall it for longer you usually have to regrass.

A_Clay_Man:
Brad- So how do you educate the powers that be that it is an investment and not an expense?  

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