Ann Arbor's Huron Hills and Leslie Park golf courses officially open for 2011 golf season
The city of Ann Arbor has announced the city-run Huron Hills and Leslie Park golf courses are officially open for the 2011 golf season.
Go online for a tee time at http://www.a2golf.org.
Rates to play 9 or 18 holes at Huron Hills today through Friday are $10 to walk, or $18 with cart. Spring rates start Saturday and the city is offering 18 holes with cart for $18 to seniors age 59 or older, and $20 for adults. The course is located at 3465 E. Huron River Drive.
The Leslie Park Golf Course is now open for the 2011 season.
City of Ann Arbor
Rates to play 9 or 18 holes at Leslie Park today through Friday are $12 to walk, or $20 with cart. Starting Saturday, rates will be $22 with cart for seniors and $28 for adults.
Leslie Park is located at 2120 Traver Road.
To download a copy of the new 80-page parks and recreation activities guide, including pages of information on junior and adult instruction classes at Huron Hills, tournaments and special events at Leslie Park, go to http://www.a2gov.org/parks.
Huron Hills has Wee Tee's designed for young and beginner golfers, as well as junior leagues and camps and a new parent-child class for children ages 6 and up.
The golf courses also offer specials and discounts through a Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/a2golf.
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 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.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's e-mail newsletters.
Comments
John Floyd
Mon, Apr 4, 2011 : 4:18 a.m.
Poohbah's last comment is the real take-away on this topic: Closing, outsourcing, selling. or "leasing" the golf course does not make the allocated costs go away. Those non-golf-related allocations - the bulk of golf course "loses" - will still be obligations of the city, with or with out the courses. The golf courses have been moving close to cash-generating operations recently. Let's see if that trend continues.
poohbah
Thu, Mar 31, 2011 : 3:04 p.m.
Hold up!! Let's not keep perpetuating the City's myth that the gold courses are losing hundreds of thousands of dollars every year. Think a minute -- how is it possible for two golf courses to lose more than $370,000? What sort of expenditures would run up a loss like that? Salaries? Staff? Ground keeping? Gold plating the tees? The answer is none of these! Here's what happening: Fiscal year data (6/08-6/09) show on a CASH/OPERATING basis --i.e., revenues less expenses -- that both courses lost just $60,000. However, the City ALLOCATES cash costs to these "enterprise operations" (only the golf courses are in this category - swimming pools, ice rinks, athletic fields, community centers, liveries, etc. costs are covered from the general fund). For the same fiscal year, these allocated non-cash costs were $410,000! These costs include: 1) general city overhead costs, 2) pension fund for ALL retired city employees (NOT just golf course staff), 3) depreciation and amortization. 4) information technology surcharge. Understand that these allocated costs are a percentage of the CITY-WIDE total costs associated with each of these categories and are not specific costs associated with golf course operations. As a result of this allocation, the two golf courses then "lost" about $470,000. But on a cash/operating basis, they almost broke even! Are these allocated costs fair? Looking back at the city overhead charge, you find that it has increased by 54% in the last two years. Total golf course revenue for the fiscal year was about one million dollars; the allocated costs then amount to 41% of revenue. How can you ever show a profit with such a high percentage of non-cash costs? You can't! And, finally, these are "allocated non-cash costs" based on total city operating expenses. If you get rid of the golf, these costs DO NOT GO AWAY. They just have to be allocated somewhere else.
Brian Kuehn
Fri, Apr 1, 2011 : 12:52 p.m.
Thank you!
Hmm
Thu, Mar 31, 2011 : 12:30 p.m.
Huzzah!
Brad
Thu, Mar 31, 2011 : 12:18 p.m.
Every park is a money-loser. Shall we just close them all then?
racerx
Thu, Mar 31, 2011 : 5:50 a.m.
A2.com attempts to present a story about news as nothing more than advertisment for the city's golf course. And Terminal's right. How much money will Huron Hills lose this year....again. Good grief. Talk about poor city managment of our tax dollars.
Terminal
Thu, Mar 31, 2011 : 1:33 a.m.
How much more money will the golf courses lose this year?
steve reynolds
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 9:22 p.m.
if you lowered the rates just a bit more people would play doesnt it make sense that if 20 people played at 25 dollars a round 100 people would play at 15 do the math
Brian Kuehn
Thu, Mar 31, 2011 : 12:12 a.m.
Certainly more people might play at $15 versus $25. A 40 percent reduction in the green fees, however, is not guaranteed to increase the number of paying customers by over 40 percent. When one considers the "specials" run by both courses as well as the discounts that are available, the rates are reasonably competitive.
a2miguy
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 8:54 p.m.
did huron hills clean up last year's snow-preserved goose doo-doo?
Brian Kuehn
Thu, Mar 31, 2011 : 12:15 a.m.
When you want to get a fix for your golf Jones, a little goose poo is not a problem.
Bertha Venation
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 8:01 p.m.
Yea! The rights of Spring! Meet you at the Rock Pile with my clubs!
Brian Kuehn
Thu, Mar 31, 2011 : 12:16 a.m.
Rites of Spring, you said it! If you played the Rock Pile chances are pretty good you qualify for Senior rates.