Guilford Lakes Golf Commission Wants to Hire Golf Pro

By Jack Kramer, Correspondent

GUILFORD, CT — The Guilford Lakes Golf Course Commission recently approved a budget for next season which includes the hiring of a golf pro from April 1-November 15th 2017, at a cost of $25,000, with the goal of the professional creating a junior’s program for the 9-hole course that has struggled financially.

The 17-year-old golf course is popular – more than 13,000 players used it last year. But, it isn’t a money-maker for Guilford.

Golf Course commission members estimate the town has been losing, in recent years, about $60,000 to $70,000 annually because of the cost of maintaining the links.

In an effort to shore up the course’s finances, the hiring of the contracted professional, was one of the moves the commission included in its recommended budget which was unanimously approved at its December meeting.

The budget will eventually have to be approved by the town’s Board of Selectmen.

Besides the contracted professional, the establishment of the junior’s program, the commission’s budget recommendations, also include:

-- Reduction of inside clubhouse part‐time hours expense to 20 hrs/week at $16,000 for the season;

-- Increase revenue for league play of $2,500.00 Increase revenue of green fees of $10,000;

-- Additional revenue anticipated from a food service of $2,000;

-- Merchandise revenue removed (would fall within the pro’s contracted services).

These 2017 golf year budget moves come in addition to several measures taken last year to try and shore up the course’s fiscal health.

Last year membership fees increased from $250 to $350 for a Guilford resident adult, from $600 to $670 for a resident family, from $300 to $400 for a single non-resident, and from $700 to $770 for a non-resident family rate. Senior and junior rates were also added last year for residents ($300) and non-residents ($350).

Besides starting junior programs, increasing fees, other ideas such as starting a disc golf league have been discussed in recent months, to try and help generate more funds for the golf course.

Disc golf is played much like traditional golf. Instead of a ball and clubs, however, players use a flying disc or Frisbee.

The sport was formalized in the 1970's, and shares with "ball golf’’ the object of completing each hole in the fewest strokes (or, in the case of disc golf, fewest throws).

Patch file photo