HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015 07-16 Keller Golf Course in Maplewood sees revenues jump since renovation PIONEER PRESS Keller Golf Course in Maplewood sees revenues jump since renovation
Updated:07/162015 08:45:40 PM CDT TwinCities.com
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Golfers are swarming Keller Golf Course since it reopened last summer,and Ramsey County has the numbers to prove it.
Revenues have shot up about$400,000 since the Maplewood course first debuted the results of its costly two-year makeover last July,according to
county staff. Meanwhile,the new and improved course has earned two awards from national golf publications.
"From the day we(reopened),we've been booked from dawn to dusk every day....We had to close early last year because the course was getting
loved to death,"said Jon Oyanagi, Ramsey County's director of parks and recreation."People are just really excited to get out there and see the
new course."
Renovations cost taxpayers about$12.2 million.About$4 million went toward rebuilding all of the 86-year-old course's greens,including reseeding
all of its grass and adding new drainage and irrigation systems.
The projecYs architect,Richard Mandell,preserved the course's unique layout.
The rest of the money paid for a new clubhouse,pro shop and parking lots.
Despite raising fees,the county has sold about 32,000 green fees for the course since reopening July 19,helping the course bring in about$1.3
million over the last year,according to Mark VanGerpen,a spokesperson for Ramsey County's parks and recreation department.
By comparison,it brought in about$920,000 in 2009. Revenues had fallen to about$820,000 at the aging course by the end of 2012,just before it
closed for renovations.
The overhaul's impact on the course's bottom line helped earn it Golf Inc.'s Renovation of the Year award in the California-based magazine's
July/August edition.
Twenty-two courses--most from within the United States--were entered in the decade-old competition and the publication gave nods to the 2014
projects that"transformed aging courses,making them more playable,eye-catching and efficient,"according to the digital and print magazine's
article announcing this year's winners.
.�� �w;�'z:_ �n��"�",�"' � "�= �"#' Keller,which is owned and operated by Ramsey County,beat out courses in �
� �J,� Thailand,Florida and Indonesia to eam the magazine's top honors among
�,,,,�,, _ �Y.;�„-�.,� public golf courses.Los Angeles'Brentwood Country Club won in the private I
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"0"'"� r °"�TM°�� 'o- �`' course category.
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�' "There was a lot done with a fairly decent amount of capital,but at the same
��;,„,�� K ::;', _ , � ��` time,they were on a budget and the judges were just very impressed that the
+� ° ;_; architect was able to go so far with this budget,"said Laira Martin,the
� w-1'�' associate editor of Cypress Magazines,which publishes Golf Inc.
_- � `� � _
�!' ";:+��� She added that MandelPs design really helped"unify the course."
9 � _
.gi, `� "One judge described everything as having a meaning and a purpose...I
` .� ` thought that was a nice way to sum it up,"Martin said.
�f � Golf Magazine also recognized Keller as having the"Best U.S.Municipal
,��,, . � , ,.E, �,,�,�,,:, � ., � ��; ., �„� Renovation of 2014,"back in January,according to county staff.
"We knew this was a special project,and iYs really had tremendous results,so iYs nice to get that validation from national publications,"Oyanagi
said.
Acknowledging that the course's honeymoon period likely won't last forever,Oyanagi said he thinks the course will still sustain its increased
revenues into the future.
"There are just so many holes that you find yourself standing there,saying,'Wow.'I think that will keep people coming back,"Oyanagi said.
The Keller course is by far the most popular of the five operated by the county,with the others yielding less than$1 million a year in revenue,
Oyanagi said.
Sarah Horner can be reached at 651-228-5539.Follow her at twitter.com/hornsarah.