HomeMy WebLinkAboutGolf Board - Minutes - 08/14/2019Golf Board
TYPE OF MEETING – (REGULAR)
August 14, 2019 6:00 PM
413 South Bryan Avenue
08/14/19 – MINUTES Page 1
1. CALL TO ORDER
• Kathy Meyer called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM
2. ROLL CALL
• Board Members Present
o Michael Hardisty
o Kathy Meyer
o Bob Pawlikowski
o James Penland
o Tom Rock
o Jon Schmunk
• Board Members Absent
o Ross Liggett
• Staff Members Present
o Mike Calhoon
o Scott Phelps
o Dawn Worth
3. AGENDA REVIEW
• No Changes to the Agenda
4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION
• No Citizen Participation
5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
On a motion by James Penland, seconded by Bob Pawlikowski, the Board voted (6:0)
to approve the April 10, 2019 minutes.
6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
• No Unfinished Business
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7. NEW BUSINESS
• Golf Manager
Mike introduced Scott Phelps, Manager of Golf. He mentioned that Scott started July
29. Scott came from Washington; however, he has ties to the area. Scott attended
CSU. He also mentioned that his father and brother are golf course architects. His
father was the architect for Mariana Butte Golf Course in Loveland.
• Golf Outings
The Board mentioned that they enjoyed the golf outings. They feel it’s a good way for
them to interact with the Maintenance staff and to see course projects. James
suggested visiting a competitor course to compare with ours. Tom stated that he
enjoyed meeting Ralph Miller, Assistant Superintendent at City Park Nine. They
commended the condition of City Park Nine. Mike said he would like to get
Councilmember Susan Gutowsky to our outings.
8. FINANCIALS
Mike reviewed the Golf Income Statement. He mentioned that he and Dawna are
reviewing the cart revenue. Mike said the usage was down due to fewer rounds play in
March and less revenue due to higher promotion of Off-Season discounts. He stated
that there were also some unanticipated expenses, like the carpet replacement at
Collindale. Mike said he wasn’t happy with the final product, so he’ll be meeting with the
vendor. Jon asked if we had sustained any hail damage during the last storm. Mike said
we still need to evaluate the buildings. Mike informed the Board that we have submitted
a requisition to replace 1/3 of the netting at SouthRidge, but after review, we feel it
might be in our best interest to replace the other 2/3. Scott mentioned that the skirting
for SouthRidge will be shipped at end of month.
Michael expressed his concerns that even though our green fee revenue increased, so
have our expenses, which will also continue to increase. Mike mentioned that he would
love for us to hit our 80,000 round goal, but he’s not certain we’ll make it. Michael
stated that it would be beneficial for us to better market our product. Mike said that we
have increased our Marketing budget by $8,000, which will help with these efforts. He
informed the Board that the Olde Course in Loveland is running an 18-hole special for
$35. Mike reminded the Board that we are currently offering our Heat of the Day
discount, but we also need to be careful with how much we discount our product. Jon
mentioned that we don’t seem to be pushing our specials like we should. Bob said he
receives notifications on Twitter. Mike said Emily is the person who maintains that. He
mentioned seeing advertisements for our specials in the Coloradoan. Scott informed
the Board that he will be discussing additional marketing ideas with the Golf
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Professionals. Bob suggested that we also consider texting specials. Mike said that is
along the lines of Dynamic Pricing, which we’ve considered looking into. Kathy stated
that it’s important to stay competitive with other courses in the area, so we don’t over or
under value ourselves. Mike mentioned that we do survey other courses to determine
that.
Mike thinks the Golf Professionals have done a great job promoting youth play. He
mentioned that our 17 & under pass sales have increased in 2019, which is very
encouraging. Michael suggests that we not promote the Premier Card as much due to it
being a discount during Prime Time. Tom said that by selling Premier Cards we are
getting people to invest. They are also buying carts and range balls, not just green fees.
Kathy also mentioned that we are receiving the funds upfront. Bob asked if Michael was
suggesting that we decrease the discount or not sell them at all. Michael stated that he
feels we should direct golfers to Annual Passes. James mentioned that the Premier
Card is more enticing since it carries over, unlike an Annual Pass. Bob mentioned that
one of the things in housing is determining your gross potential. He suggested that we
determined how much money we would generate if we filled every spot and compare
that to expenditures. Mike said he met with the Chief Financial Office to discuss his
concerns with them automatically ratcheting our goal by 1.5%.He explained that it
wasn’t a realistic goal in the golf environment, there are too many variables. Jon feels it
would be beneficial to also show golfers what projects we are utilizing funds towards,
they like to see what value they are getting. Mike stated that we will be working on the
2020 Work Plan so we can add a preliminary discussion regarding this.
9. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS
• Respectful Workplace Training
The Board felt the training was beneficial. Mike said it’s important that we all treat each
other with equity. Michael thought the training would include city employees. Kathy said
she saw some city employees in the session she attended. Mike said employees were
already invited to attend prior training sessions as well. Tom stated that it’s
understandable for an organization like the city to have these values and though we’re
not city employees, we do represent the city so it’s important for us to have an
understanding as well. Kathy mentioned that she had a conversation with Earl Gerlach,
PGA Director of Instruction regarding this and she feels it would be beneficial for all
Golf employees to attend this training.
10. OTHER BUSINESS
Michael mentioned that the old card readers at the courses appear to be an issue. Mike
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mentioned that we are currently working on getting chip readers.
11. ADJOURNMENT
On a motion by Kathy Meyer, seconded by Tom Rock, the Board adjourned at 7:30.