A city-owned golf course will be closed at the end of this season, council voted Monday.
Councillors voted nearly unanimously in favour of closing Richmond Green Golf Course, with Mayor Naheed Nenshi the lone vote in favour of keeping the southwest links open.
The par-three, nine-hole course is one of eight the city operates at six sites.
The motion to close the course was brought forward by Coun. Ward Sutherland and Coun. Diane Colley-Urquhart as a cost-saving measure.
A recent feasibility study looking at operation and maintenance expenditures found it costs the city about $150,000 per year to keep Richmond Green running.
Overall, the study showed four of the city’s six golf sites failed to make a profit between 2015 and 2017, costing about $2 million overall.
The following is the net (revenue minus expenses) for each of the City of Calgary golf course locations according to the City of Calgary’s ‘Golf Revenue and Expenses by Course: 2015-2017':
- Shaganappi Point: +$1,158,786 (profits in 2015, 2016 and 2017)
- Confederation: -$204,770 (profit in 2015)
- Lakeview: -$239,852
- Richmond Green: -$469,379
- Maple Ridge: -$562,375
- McCall Lake: -$1,712,848CTV
- Total: -$2,030,440
Profitability was also affected by a number of factors, including:
- 67 days lost to inclement weather in 2017 (32 per cent of the golf season)
- 65 days lost to inclement weather in 2016 (31 per cent of the golf season)
- The economic downturn
City officials are also looking at the future of the other courses.
