Walnut Lane GC, Philadelphia...Breaking News

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Philadelphia's par 62 muni, profiled here-www.golfclubatlas.com/walnutlane1.html

is subject to a possible closing or reduction to 9 holes:

www.philly.com/inquirer/home_region/20080922_Opposition_has_Walnut_Lane_Golf_Club_changes_on_hold.html

Let's hope the community opposition is successful.

[Mike Sweeney]

Steve,

If you don't post the updates here, can you send them to me privately? Needless to say as the site of my first round of golf, I would be very sad to see it go.

[Dan Herrmann]

Philly should look at Portland OR as a model for municipal golf success.  Portland makes $$$ on its courses - so much that they once gave excess funds to the city's arts program.

How can a large city like Philly be losing money on municipal golf when a much smaller city like Portand thrives?

[Bruce Katona]

Guys: The City of New York lost money for years running their public golf courses in the 5 Boroughs (no course in Manhattan)....in the 1980's American Golf came in and offered to lease/license the courses from the City for a nominal annual fee paid to The City. The City received an annual lump sum fee and American Golf assumed all liabilities on golf operations, management and profit/loss. 

This is a classic business school study case of a win/win public/private partnership of a public asset.  The City got out of the golf business which it couldn't  properly run and American Golf made a nice profit once it revamped the existing operating structure of managing each course.

Perhaps the City of Philadelphia/Fairmont Prk Commission should look at this option again.  The last RFP issued by Philadelphia/Fairmont Park was a bit off-tearget.  The RFP made it very, very difficult for a private entity to actually turn a profit.