Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Packet - January 25, 2007

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JAN07PR PGS.rev 12/27/06 6:30 PDI Page 37 states,"The key to the success and pirp ularity of our pay course is having a high quality facility designed by profes- sionals that's well maintained. We're attracting golfers from all over the Mid- west. Our revenues cover all of our maintenance expenses and more, allow- ing for continued course improve- ments," says Marsh. The county plans to expand the existing course by nine holes and add future courses.. Tournament Courses If the course is the right size, there's an opportunity to gain revenue by hosting tournaments in addition to local leagues. While these events will likely generate more expenses for the park and recreation budget, off -setting these w expenses can be as simple as charging o fees to reserve the course, shelter or toi- - , = let facilities. In many cases, loyal disc The sport is fun for a variety of ages golf volunteers and clubs can help run and abilities. these events with little or no compensa- and snack sales plus disc rentals. Pierson says, "This year we plan on moving and expanding our shop to near hole I and turning our present shop into a'19th hole'snack shop restaurant. This should allow us to dou- ble our current revenue stream over the next several years and help generate even more money for the cash-strapped city. Making this section of the park the most beautiful enhances property val- ues of nearby homeowners and gener- ates more than $50,000 for the city cof- fers olfern each year." If staff doesn't want to deal with merchandise sales, perhaps charging for greens fees seems appropriate. One effi- cient way is to use an unattended honor kiosk with pay envelopes and a lock box where random spot checks by a ranger or summer staff are all that's needed. That's worked well for Dane County's Vallarta-Ast Disc golf Course at Token Creek near Madison, Wis. Permanent and seasonal staff manages five shelters, campgrounds, dog exercise area and several trails in addition to monitoring the disc golf course - County Parks Director Darren Marsh tion. 'Ib find out if a course is capable of handling tournaments, pari: and recre- ation managers will need to consult a Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) rating system to assess the quality. Current course ratings are available online at lwvw_pdga.com/ courseleval/index.plip. The process is still in its initial phase with only about 1.00 courses evaluated. While the primary intent for the rat- ings is to help players determine which courses they might want to play in their local area or when traveling, the next step will be for these evaluations to determine which courses are suitable for hosting events at all levels, including major championships. Convention and visitors' bureaus are actively pursuing large sporting events for their areas. If a community is considering build- ing a course for tournament use, using a qualified course designer will go a long way toward achieving a safe and successful course, a good evaluation and increasing the potential for hosting higher level events. T he Disc Golf Course Designer (DGCD) group has more than 100 members dedicated to FOR MORE INFORMATION CIRCLE READER SERVICE NUMBER 11 pursuing excellence in course design. All members are dedicated to doing a good job and have knowledge of the Sport. Major Event Hosting Lest you think a large metro area is re- quired for major events, consider that Rocl: Hill, S.C., Peoria, Ill., and Augusta, Ga., were hosts of major events in 2006 with past hosts including Rochester, N.Y. and Flagstaff, Ariz. 111 2007, the Pro World Championships will be held in the small town of Highbridge, Wisc., which has a population of 42. So, is the timing right for park and recreation departments to make some money on disc golf? Maybe. Is it time your park and recreation department looked into some of these ideas? Per- haps. `fall to a park and recreation department with a disc golf course_ chances are, they think the facility is a real hole -in -one. e AR K S & R E C R c A T 1 0N' JANUARY 2007 37