Cities and Municipalities struggle to create and sustain green spaces where people of all ages can enjoy the outdoors. Public and Municipal golf courses serve a critical public need to provide green spaces while making golf available to all. However, cities and municipalities struggle to keep up with the burden of golf course maintenance. One such public course which went through this journey was Highland Park Golf Course in Ohio.
A Course That Made a Difference
Having hosted the PGA Cleveland Open Tournament in 1964 and 1965, Highland Park also has deep historical value. The course hosted the National Minority Golf Championship from 1987 to 1997 and Charlie Sifford, the first African American to play and win on the PGA Tour, claimed Highland Park as his home course. Highland Park Golf Course has an undeniable historical and cultural significance which calls for both specialized practices and extraordinary care when it comes to maintenance.
Highland Park Timeline
2018 The City of Cleveland took back management of the golf course after a previous provider opted not to renew its contract. This happened right before the start of the season, putting the City in a very tough spot. The quality of the course had declined to the point where there was no longer league play.
2019 The City of Cleveland subsidized the golf course to the tune of about $1 million. This sparked debate in City Council, but ultimately the City continued to subsidize so the course could serve the residents of Cleveland, with Highland Park being the only golf course in a reasonable distance to most East Siders.
2020 The City of Cleveland awarded the maintenance of the Highland Park Golf Course to DTE Golf®.
A Difference You Can See
DTE Golf® got straight to work, and with the excellent work by the entire maintenance team, the grounds and condition of the course dramatically improved.
Down To Earth Golf ensures greens are properly rolled and mowed, bunkers are raked and drained, the irrigation system is working as designed, tee boxes are kept to standard, and fairways are healthy.
The bottom line for a community golf course is usage and play. Making money is not the goal, providing a play worthy course for residents is. We measure our success on one simple metric, rounds played. As evidenced at Highland Park.
High Hopes
Highland Park has seen a significant increase in rounds (over 60%) in 2020. This has driven a new inflow of revenue for the course, from $120,000 in 2018 to $683,000 in 2020. The City of Cleveland has now been able to drastically reduce its subsidy Working in partnership, with the City of Cleveland managing the facility and DTE Golf® maintaining the grounds, Highland Park Golf Course has a bright future ahead.
Sources
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/golf/clevelands-highland-park-golfcourse-rebounds-under-city-management-moves-toward-breaking-even/ar-BB1fPbhy
https://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/2021/04/clevelands-highland-parkgolf-course-rebounds-under-city-management-looks-to-break-even.html
