Corpus Christi courses all set to record profits after several years
The city of Corpus Christi, for the first time in several years, is all set to record profits for the current fiscal year, after witnessing an upsurge in the earnings due to increased number of rounds and members.
The economic recession that has been lingering on the economy for almost four years, dealt a severe blow to the popularity of the sport. As a result, the golf courses, both private and municipal, recorded a downslide in earnings. Many of the once sprawling
private courses had to either submit to a closure or were forfeited by the banks.
The coastal city in Southern Texas was once the epi-center of golf tourneys in the state but gradually faded into obscurity due to the over-stretched economic vows. The city later decided to hire the Foresight Golf, a course and club Management Company,
to look over and straighten out the operational slack to make a turn around.
The agreement was signed for 10 years, where Foresight Golf agreed to bear all the losses during its tenure as the course management company and sharing half of the profits with the city government. The company was hired primarily to manage two of
the most important courses in the city, the Oso Beach Course and the Gabe Lozano Golf Course.
Foresight Golf started working on both these courses in February this year after a preliminary four-month trial period and has recently announced 2000 more rounds of golf which have been played as compared to the stats for the same time last year.
“They're keeping it in great shape,” said Dwaine Buster, who has played Oso Beach for about 40 years. “The fairway is nice. The rough is nice.”
Many golf critics, who have long been serious opponents of privatizing the municipal golf courses, have pointed towards the increased membership fee but have also admitted the better turn out for the current year.
The City Council defends its decision to rolling out the courses to private firms after incurring colossal losses of $1.8-million in the last decade and was still hoping to see any respite in recent times. The new agreement is set to bring $90,000
in terms of revenue for the year and it will be the first precedent that the courses will be making profits after 2006.
Foresight Golf, soon after taking over the courses, took some drastic steps to invigorate a new spirit. The company not only hired new staff but also brought in a regular maintenance schedule of the courses. The company also designed new course logos,
clothing apparel and equipment to kick off a new era of branded course accessories available to the members.
The most notable of all the changes that Foresight Golf has successfully been able to incorporate is the exclusive personal customer service which is extended to its members during their visits. A designated staff member not only greets the members
in the parking lot but also helps them carry their bag to the golf carts.
“We want to give them an overall exemplary experience,” said Lewis Fry, a Foresight Golf superintendent who takes care of the management of Oso Beach and Gabe Lozano.
The City Courses peaked the earnings in 1998, during the era of rampaging Tiger Woods with annual gross earnings of $200,000 with 150,000 rounds of golf. The year 2006 was the last year when the courses made a profit, largely due to a nasty surcharge
fee which was levied to increase the earnings. With the current boost in the number of rounds, the City will make a handsome profit despite of reeling economic crisis.
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