Operations, august 2, 2013

     It appears that the city of Brigantine, New Jersey will soon seek an operator for its 18-hole golf course. The Links at Brigantine Beach, a course co-designed by Wayne Stiles and John Van Kleek, needs an estimated $2.5 million in upgrades and may not attract even 16,000 rounds this season, according to the Press of Atlantic City. What’s more, Brigantine is on the hook for more than $2 million in mortgage payments on the property. To free itself of these financial headaches, the island city is expected to seek counsel from a golf course architect and then, based on his recommendations, look for a management company with deep pockets. The firm that wins the contract can expect to remain in place for at least 20 years.

     Just months after the departure of KemperSports, Billy Casper Golf has assumed control of Hiddenbrooke Golf Club in Vallejo, California. “We look forward to Hiddenbrooke re-connecting with the community,” Peter Hill, the CEO of BCG, said in a press release. The community to which Hill refers spreads over 1,300 acres, has sprouted more than 1,200 houses, and features an 18-year-old, Arnold Palmer-designed golf course. Hiddenbrooke is BCG’s 11th daily-fee or private golf property in the Golden State.

     CourseCo has agreed to take on a formidable task: Turning a profit at the city of Napa, California’s golf course. Over the past 10 years, according to a report in the Napa Valley Register, Napa Golf Course has operated in the black just once, and the surplus in that year was less than $5,000. “This is relieving the city of a huge financial burden,” Larry Mazzuca, the director of the city’s parks and recreation department, said happily. CourseCo knows what it’s getting into, because it’s operated the course since 1999. The Petaluma, California-based firm has signed a 10-year lease on the property and hopes that beefed-up marketing will attract parties, events, and other new sources of revenue.

     A homeowners’ group in Aurora, Colorado has turned over its entire operation, including its 18-hole golf course, to OB Sports. Heritage Eagle Bend, a 750-acre seniors-only community, features more than 1,400 houses, a 35,000-square-foot clubhouse, and a 7,105-yard, Arthur Hills-designed layout. “We look forward to providing the residents, members, and guests of Heritage Eagle Bend with tremendous services, amenities, and playing conditions,” OB Sports president, C. A. Roberts, said in a press release. The community, which is home to 2,800 people, is being developed by Lennar/U.S. Home.

     Touchstone Golf and a hotel management firm have teamed up to operate Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa, a 6,800-acre spread in Galena, Illinois. Eagle Ridge’s primary golf attraction, the well-regarded General course, was co-designed by Roger Packard and Andy North. The resort also features three other Packard-designed 18-hole courses as well as vacation houses, an inn, meeting space, a spa, riding trails, and other reasons to get away from it all. Touchstone will oversee the golf operations, while The Brickton Group tends to the rest of the property. “We’re working towards the same goal: a superlative golf and travel experience for anyone who visits the resort,” Mark Luthman, Touchstone’s chief operating officer, said in a press release. In recent months, Austin, Texas-based Touchstone has begun managing StoneRidge Country Club in Poway, California and Monument Hill Country Club in suburban Colorado Springs, Colorado. All told, the company reportedly manages 27 golf properties in 11 states.

     Elected officials in Sanford, North Carolina may be ready to throw in the towel on their golf operation. The city has solicited proposals from private-sector parties that might be interested in operating or leasing the municipal golf course, an 18-hole track whose original nine was designed by Donald Ross and opened in 1934. “We need to know how we can do things better, and we may learn something from this,” a councilmember told the Sanford Herald. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Specifically, the city is looking for an individual or group that can boost the course’s revenues, reduce its expenses, and invest in capital improvements. The deadline for responses to the city’s request for information is September 3, 2013.