The first increase in 17 years will see green fees at VA golf course rise by $1 on May 1.
The Murfreesboro City Council approved the rate hike during its regular meeting Feb. 25.
Beginning May 1, green fees at the Veterans Administration golf course will rise by $1, with a round of golf $7 for most players and $6 for a junior or senior green fee.
“We have been there since 1987,” Murfreesboro Director of Golf Tracy Wilkins explained. “There has been only one increase since 1992 until this one and that was in 2002. This will make the second increase in 17 years.
“During that time, just the cost of operation has gone up way more than that,” he added.
Wilkins said he and his staff try to hold down costs as much as possible but the course still has not reached a self-suppor3ting status.
“We try to hold things in line as much as possible,” the director said, but the course (VA) loses about $100,000 a year.
“This increase will only generate $25,000-$30,000,” he continued, “and only partially offsets the expenses of maintaining it in playable condition for the golfing public.”
The federal government owns the land on which the golf course sits, Murfreesboro City Manager Rob Lyons stated. The city has not yet been successful in obtaining a long-term lease on the property.
Because it doesn’t own the property, he continued, the city has been reluctant to invest in major course upgrades. The city remains interested in a long-term lease so the city can improve the golf course.
The course provides an excellent recreational venue for all ages, he stated. It also provides an opportunity to introduce the sport to new golfers who aren’t ready for longer and more challenging courses such as Old Fort.
Recent improvements include an irrigation system tapped into MWSD’s effluent water lines along U.S. 231 North.
“That was an expense but we think it’s going to help us in the long run because of the cost of effluent water vs. that of potable water,” Wilkins said.
Currently the VA Golf Course is open year-round and experiences approximately 25,000 nine-hole rounds per year. |
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