A notice of motion coming to council on Monday could see a city-owned golf course shuttered.

Coun. Ward Sutherland and Coun. Diane Colley-Urquhart will present the notice of motion at Monday’s regular meeting, asking that Richmond Green golf course be closed at the end of this season as a cost-saving measure.

“The land is not developable," said Sutherland. "There is a lot of utilities underneath that we need, however we can repurpose it into something like a driving range, golf pro shop, that kind of stuff, and generate some revenue.”

Sutherland adds that selling the course to the private sector is currently not a possibility due to City of Calgary union contracts. "We'd like to do that option because we've had private companies say they can actually make them profitable."

Janis Kostiuk has been golfing at Richmond Greens for several years and is disappointed by the prospect of the course closing. "I'm really sad about it. It's such a great place for all levels," said Kostiuk. "I taught my daughter to golf here. It's great for kids."

Barbara Hickey echoes Kostiuk's disappointment but understands the city's rationale. "Anytime I come here, it's never busy. It just suited me, up until now, but I can see that its not feasible."

City officials have spent the last year doing a feasibility study on eight city-owned courses at six locations, looking at the cost of operation and maintenance.

It found that four of the six sites failed to make a profit between 2015 and 2017, and overall, operating the courses cost the city about $2 million.

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: -$1,712,848
  • 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