Rounds down at city golf courses

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) - The amount of rounds played at Albuquerque's four municipal golf courses are down roughly 16 percent since 2008.

According to the city's website 295,083 rounds were played in FY 2008 compared to 246,218 rounds in FY 2012.

"Golf rounds are down nationally, we're trending down on average of about 2 percent a year," said Albuquerque's Chief Operations Officer John Soladay.

In an interview with News 13 Soladay attributed the decrease in rounds to the economy and fierce competition from from private courses around the region.

With fewer golfers showing up the city has had to help foot some of the golf division's $4 million a year budget,
the division is supposed to be self-supporting.  

"It's designed for the revenues to cover the operating costs and to enable us to reinvest in the courses," Soladay said.

In order to get back on course at least financially the golf board recommended and the city implemented a rate increase.

The new rates went into effect this summer and Soladay said already the new prices are chipping away at the need to borrow more green from the city.     

"What we have been able to do is make the golf operation a true enterprise self supporting," he said.

Soladay says since the rate increase they have not experienced a dramatic drop in rounds.

However,  with no guaranteed increase in rounds on the horizon News 13 asked Soladay if the city has considered closing any of the courses.

"Actually no we haven't we're very competitive," Soladay said.

The current rate increase should hold for a few years according to Soladay.

Another increase though is not ouf of the question should it be needed in the future.

In the meantime all four of the city's courses are offering winter specials to entice golfers back to the links.