Golf course continues to curb expenses

Rudy Sparks, chairman of the Atchafalaya Golf Course Commission, gave the St. Mary Parish Council an annual overview of the facility’s current status Wednesday.
“It looks like we have bottomed out from 2018,” Sparks said. “Our total income from all activity related to the course including the restaurant, is up slightly to $1,593,00, up from $1,161,000 from the prior year.”
He said that green fee and AdLink—an advertising system installed on carts—continue to trend downward a bit. “Not making excuses, but we all recognize at least the past couple months have been terrible weather conditions and that has affected play,” Sparks said.
That amounted to green fee revenue this year of $229,000, down from $243,000 last year. Annual pass holder income has dropped, “I think in part due to a downturn in the economy and the fact that we just unfortunately don’t have quite as many people in St. Mary Parish as we had just a few years ago.”
AdLink revenue has fallen from $129,000 to $125,000.
“We expect that to pick up as the economy picks up,” Sparks said.
Tournament revenue is down $2,000, but “about where we were in 2016…we’re holding our own on that. We’ve lost a couple of good tournaments, just competition from other courses, but we’ve also picked up several nice tournaments this past year and have a few scheduled for this year coming.”
Play packages have been instituted that have helped play numbers, and have not changed. Food and beverage sales at the restaurant have increased from $860,000 to $926,000.
The clubhouse and restaurant continues to host events such as weddings throughout the year, Sparks said.
Sales tax remitted to the parish from the course totaled $67,000.
Total operating expenses are being controlled, with a reduction from $1,103,000 to $1,044,000, including all expenses at the facility.
“I don’t think we can take it much lower without some negative impact,” Sparks said.
He said 52% of players were from the parish, 37% were regional and 11% out-of-state play.
High school golf programs are continuing, including the Terrebonne Parish area and others. The course also hosted a new Women’s All Pro Tour, a semi-pro tour and others. There were nine fundraiser tournaments that generated $140,000.
Economic impact of the course on St. Mary Parish is a plus of $340,000 from tournament play, and from all activities, $440,000.
Sparks said the course is searching for an individual to help market the facility, and is interviewing applicants. A consultant on course maintenance is being paid through donations.
Councilman Glen Hidalgo, a proponent of hiring a management company for the course, said, “Not much has changed in about 11 years. Are you not thinking any more about a management company?” He noted that some companies previously submitting proposals claimed they could have the course “in the black in three years.”
Sparks said he respected Hidalgo’s comment, but that the commission has also reached out to other golf courses that have brought in outside firms and “some were successful, some turned out to be a nightmare, depending on the circumstances. In some instances management companies were hired and fired within a year, costing the owner lots and lots of money.”
He said he believes the commission has done a good job managing the course. “It’s our opinion that we can do a better job of managing this golf course through this seven-member commission that costs the parish council nothing more than it would be to bring in a management company that’s going to cost you $100,000 a year, up front, before he does anything. He’d have to make you an additional $100,000 to get you back where you were, and we just don’t think that’s possible.”
He said there is more competition, and that golf is “falling out of vogue”, having contracted by 10-15%.
Hidalgo said, “Without trying we don’t know. That’s what’s so frustrating, you’re not even giving them a chance to come in here and see if they can turn it around. I’ve talked to mayors, recreation department heads that have had management companies come in, and they’ve turned them around within five years when they were millions of dollars a year in debt. Without this commission not every trying it in 11 years, I don’t get it.”
Sparks replied that he knew of many courses that have had the opposite results.
Chairman Gabriel Beadle said in proposals he’s seen, “Every single one of those assume they’re going to make money. Not one of them give you a plan if they don’t make money. If they don’t, then what happens? Do we shut down the golf course and pay back all the money that we got from the state, that we got for the grant? Because that’s what happens.”
Councilman Kevin Voisin complained that getting the budget proposal 10 minutes before the meeting isn’t enough time to study it.
The council referred the golf course’s budget proposal to its next meeting.