By the numbers
$2.2M: Estimated value of Reid Park Golf Course, according to a real estate appraisal.
36: Holes at the golf course.
380: Acreage at the golf course.
$560,000: Extra money the city has given NTPRD over the last four years to cover losses.
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The city of Springfield wants to get out of the golf business as it looks to sell or lease its Reid Park Golf Course.
A request for proposals has been posted to either sell or lease the 36-hole, 380-acre course located at 1325 S. Bird Road. All legal uses for all or part of the property will be considered, the RFP says.
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“Because of a decline in state support for local government and because there are ample public golf facilities in the community, the City Commission has determined that it can no longer subsidize golf at taxpayer expense,” the request for proposal says.
Reid Park Golf Course opened in the late 1960s. The National Trail Parks and Recreation District currently runs it for the city. The district closed Snyder Park Golf Course in January 2014 after years of financial struggles there.
The city has given National Trail about $560,000 in extra money over the past four years, primarily to cover losses at the golf courses. It can’t afford to continue to lose money on golf, City Manager Jim Bodenmiller said.
“Most people tell us, ‘Stop spending my tax money on golf,’ which I understand completely,” he said.
Reid Park includes two 18-hole courses, service and maintenance facilities and a recreation park with shelter houses, restrooms and woods.
Proposals to buy or lease it are due to the city on Sept. 2. The city may accept one or more proposals, or reject them all, according to the request. It also has the right to negotiate changes.
The proposals will be evaluated by Bodenmiller, Finance Director Mark Beckdahl and Law Director Jerry Strozdas. The process will be subjective and factors to be considered include economic benefit to the city, non-economic benefit such as keeping it a community amenity and project feasibility.
The property is valued at about $2.2 million, according to an appraisal completed last month. The most likely buyer would be a housing developer, the appraisal says.
The city-owned property is currently tax-exempt. If purchased by a new owner or leased to a management company, it could lose its tax-exempt status. The tax valuation of the 11 total parcels are more than $16 million. The city has filed a complaint with the Clark County Board of Revision, the RFP says.
Clark County currently has nine golf courses for a total of 189 holes.
Reid Park and Locust Hills each have 36 holes, while National Golf Links, Rocky Lakes, Sugar Isle and Windy Knoll all have 18 holes — all open to the public. Springfield Country Club and the Elks Lodge each have an 18-hole course, while Mitchell Hills has a nine-hole course — all private.
“There’s an oversupply and there’s a lot less demand,” Bodenmiller said. “People aren’t willing to commit the time and effort it takes to play a whole lot of golf like they used to.”
Last year Reid saw about 36,300 rounds, down about 600 rounds from 2014. Through July 31 of this year, the courses are at about 19,860 rounds — an increase of about 360 rounds from the same time a year ago.
The district raised daily rates this year for non-members by $1.
Reid has four full-time employees, including a golf pro, superintendent and two maintenance workers. The course also employs 32 seasonal workers for its pro shop, restaurant and course maintenance.
“We’ve done everything we can to cut costs over the course of the years, as well as keep in line with fees, and rounds continued to decline every year,” National Trail Director Leann Castillo said. “It’s been an ongoing trend for more than a decade.”
Springfield City Commissioner Kevin O’Neill hopes the park can remain a golf course under a management company.
“I hope we can accomplish what we want to accomplish, which is keep the golf course operating under private management with a little bit of city help when necessary,” he said. “I think it will be an asset to the community.”
The golf course can be profitable under private ownership, O’Neill said, but not in the hands of the city.
“I don’t feel we have the expertise to do so,” O’Neill said. “We have our hands in too many things … We’re second removed. It’s hard to make decisions that are beneficial when all these different entities are in the way.”
Local golfer Anderson Dudley plays at Reid Park about three to four times per week, he said. After losing Snyder Park a few years ago, Dudley doesn’t want to see Reid go as well.
“Obviously we’d have to go to other courses and I think that would be a loss to the city,” Dudley said. “We love the course so we want to keep it.”
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