Park Board To Discuss Lake Bluff Golf Club's Future

LAKE BLUFF, IL — Discussions about the future of the Lake Bluff Golf Club will head to the park district board Monday, as commissioners will develop a timeline for a future decision about what to do with the money-losing course. The board meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the recreation center at 355 W. Washington Ave. It will feature an opportunity for public comment prior to the discussion by the board and follows two public input meetings over the past month, according to a letter from Lake Bluff Park District Board President Rob Douglass.

No vote will be taken at the March 19 meeting, and the board is committed to engaging the community as it continues to look at the question of whether to offer golf at the club, Douglass said.

The club's contract with golf management company Billy Casper Golf expires at the end of the season, the clubhouse needs to be shut down for remodeling in January and it is the most heavily subsidized portion of the district's budget, according to a presentation from Douglass.

From 2006 to 2017, the club lost more than $3 million, audited statements show. It is projected to cost $5.4 million over the next 10 years, unless the board makes some changes. It has offered up a handful of options, involving possible adjustments to the course and clubhouse.

According to the district, if the board decides to close the golf club and no one else wants to operate it on the current location, the question of what to do with the land would then be "decided through an intensive and comprehensive community planning process."

No matter what the board decides to do, the club will remain open for the duration of the 2018 season and honor all memberships people have bought.

Find more information about the board's decision-making process and a list of frequency asked questions from the Lake Bluff Park District website or watch the meetings that have already taken place below.

UPDATE: Licensing Deal Gives Lake Bluff Golf Course 5-Year Lease On Life

Watch: Presentation by Lake Bluff Park District Board President Rob Douglass, and Executive Director Ron Salski about the golf club and its future:

Watch: Park Board Special Meeting Presentation March 5, 2018.

Watch: Park Board Special Meeting Presentation February 26, 2018.