Fees to increase at Ann Arbor's Huron Hills and Leslie Park golf courses
The Ann Arbor City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to increase certain fees at the city's golf courses for 2011 and to increase the senior citizen qualification age.
Fee increases for power golf cart rentals are needed to place the Leslie Park and Huron Hills golf courses in line with other area golf courses, city officials said.
The fees have been $7 for 9 holes or $13 for 18 holes. The new fees will be $8 for 9 holes and $14 for 18 holes. City officials estimate that will generate $25,000 in extra revenue per season.
Fees are going up at the city of Ann Arbor's two golf courses, including Huron Hills shown here.
File photo
Other fee increases include raising the weekend 9-hole and 18-hole rates at Leslie Park by $2 and $1, respectively. The twilight fee at Leslie Park is proposed to be $16, up from $15.
City officials say those rates are appropriate for the market and will generate an extra $12,500 in revenue per season.
The city's Golf Courses Advisory Task Force, which reviewed the fees for Huron Hills and Leslie Park, supported the increases. The city's Park Advisory Commission also recommended approving the new fees at its most recent meeting.
In a December 2007 report, the city's golf consultant, Golf Convergence, Inc., recommended increasing the senior citizen qualification age to 56 for 2008 and to increase the threshold by one year each year — until the age to qualify for senior rates is set at 62.
Based on that, the City Council agreed Tuesday night to up the senior citizen qualification age to 59 for the 2011 season.
City officials have focused efforts on reducing the general fund's subsidy of golf operations in recent years. They reported recently that both Huron Hills and the Leslie Park Golf Course have seen remarkable improvements in financial performance. Attendance is up 56 percent in four seasons at Huron Hills and up 48 percent at Leslie Park.
The actual loss for both courses for fiscal year 2010-11 is $371,319 — about $119,636 better than the $490,955 originally projected, according to city records.
Projections for the next two years show the courses operating at a subsidy of slightly higher than $250,000 — down from more than double that amount two years ago. The subsidy just for Huron Hills is estimated at $162,000 next year and $160,000 the following year.
Council Members Stephen Rapundalo, Christopher Taylor, Marcia Higgins and Carsten Hohnke were absent from Tuesday's meeting. Rapundalo sponsored the golf courses resolution.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529.
Comments
Hmm
Fri, Feb 25, 2011 : 5:07 p.m.
Thought I was the only one who felt Leslie is a bit overpriced for what you get. It's a fun course no doubt but not $50 a round fun
TreeTown
Thu, Feb 24, 2011 : 4:47 p.m.
Zeeba, I was talking about the demography not percentage of population. Also about the costs of mentainance (of a typical park and an golf course). I can see kids play in typical park but seldom see kids playing golf at Leslie. The use of fund is not very fair.
zeeba
Wed, Feb 23, 2011 : 7:17 p.m.
Leslie's always been a bit overpriced and this doesn't help. But their real problem is they're clueless on price structure. While most courses charge a premium for morning tee times on weekends, Leslie simply charges a flat rate all the way until twilight - which starts later and costs more than at most private courses such as Stonebridge and Eagle Crest, which are better courses besides and have more amenities. Leslie also doesn't offer a deep discount senior rate on weekday mornings, which many courses use to fill up what's normally a slow time. And do they even try to market group outings?
a2miguy
Wed, Feb 23, 2011 : 6:13 p.m.
Many municipal courses I have seen in other communities charge a higher rate for golfers that are non-residents. I'm really surprised Huron Hills and Leslie Park don't do this. Does anyone know if the City has considered such a pricing structure in the past?
Lon Horwedel
Wed, Feb 23, 2011 : 6:50 p.m.
Up until the past two seasons, that was the way they always did it. The problem was the higher fees for non-residents kept them away, and both courses desperately needed to increase their number of rounds to stay viable. So, to try and increase play, they got rid of the resident/non-resident fees, reduced their rates, and Leslie got a liquor license. Also, money was put into marketing for the first time in a long time, carts with roofs and new mowing equipment were purchased and rounds have, indeed, increased in the past few seasons. The problem now, I suppose, is that the city is counting on those numbers to stay put even with a rate increase, and I'm not so sure that will happen - especially now that gas prices seem to be reverting back to the 2008 model. I guess we'll see.
Joseph Lewis
Wed, Feb 23, 2011 : 5:08 p.m.
The layout at Leslie is great, but the course is not always in very good shape. Charging a premium price for a mediocre product is a sure way to DECREASE revenue.
TreeTown
Wed, Feb 23, 2011 : 4:33 p.m.
Golf courses, unlike a typical park, are enjoyed by a smaller population of the citizens in the city . They should try very hard to be self sufficient.
zeeba
Wed, Feb 23, 2011 : 6:51 p.m.
actually, I'd wager that most parks are enjoyed by a small population of citizens in the city. If you did a study, I bet you'd find that even major parks like Buhr and Gallup are individually visited by less than 5 percent of the city population per year. The ice skating rinks probably don't top one-half of one percent, if that. Golf courses are just part of the mix to ensure the overall park system appeals to a broad range of people.
yaah
Wed, Feb 23, 2011 : 3:43 p.m.
It's a dollar. People aren't going to give up golf for a dollar. A ball costs more than a dollar.
Joseph Lewis
Wed, Feb 23, 2011 : 5:05 p.m.
Leslie is already overpriced...sometimes even a dollar is the tipping point.
Lon Horwedel
Wed, Feb 23, 2011 : 4:37 p.m.
People drive 10-15 miles to save 10-15 cents on a gallon of gas, you don't think they'll play golf somewhere else if it's a buck or two cheaper per round? (Once you add in the cost of the cart then it's a 4-5 dollar difference, and let's be honest, most golfers don't walk).
drewk
Wed, Feb 23, 2011 : 2:23 p.m.
What I don't understand is this. Why do my water bills keep skyrocketing to pay for the water infrastructure, which I and we need? But the golf courses don't charge enough to pay for themselves. (something we don't have to have). Pure Ann Arbor rocket science logic. (not)
Brad
Wed, Feb 23, 2011 : 1:58 p.m.
"set to decrease"? Is that from the Magic 8-ball or what? The city can't even predict the present let alone the future.
Lon Horwedel
Wed, Feb 23, 2011 : 1:49 p.m.
This just in ... the number of rounds played at Huron and Leslie set to decrease for 2011.
Hmm
Wed, Feb 23, 2011 : 2:17 p.m.
Lon I think you're right but I hope you're wrong. Raising the rate will certainly not get more people to come play the city courses, although it's only a $1 increase. Hopefully people will realize that the measly buck more they're spending is going towards the larger goal of keeping the course(s) operating.
Hmm
Wed, Feb 23, 2011 : 1:26 p.m.
Spring can't get here fast enough
et-tu-brute
Wed, Feb 23, 2011 : 1:02 p.m.
Must be a slow news day. Seriously, raising cart fees a $1 is worthy of an entire article?
discgolfgeek
Wed, Feb 23, 2011 : 1 p.m.
I'm not sure how the city projects the increase in income but raising rates can be a tricky thing and even lower income if the courses are not price-competitive with the surrounding market.
Awakened
Wed, Feb 23, 2011 : 12:58 p.m.
If only this had been suggested a couple of years ago we would not be looking at shutting down more fire stattions. Oh, wait.....