HENDERSON, Ky. – It’s official: the city of Henderson has an 18-hole golf course and an operator to run it for them.
After the Henderson City Commission unanimously voted Tuesday evening to approve a contract with K&J Course Management, City Attorney Dawn Kelsey said the property sale is scheduled to be closed on at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
The means with the city of Henderson will own a 170-acre golf course — the old Players Club property being sold by former operator Danny McQueen — and will have a contract with experienced, private individuals in the golf business to run it.
Due to cooperation with the seller and K&J, course rehabilitation is already feverishly under way with an eye toward the onset of winter. But city officials say they expect no problem with having an opening of the once-abandoned facility by July 1, 2019.
Also of note: The facility that sat fallow for more than two years has a brand-new name: The Bridges Golf Course of Henderson.
“It’s been a major feat of bringing all the parties together and getting all this done in three months,” said City Manager Buzzy Newman, who was a member of the special city committee that worked to make the arrangements within a 90-day period after the city was the successful bidder on the land.
“It’s been a public, private and community partnership and I think it’s been amazing that we were able to get to this point that we can now officially buy the property and get a new golf course open.”
Newman said it’s also very notable that all the conditions and negotiations were met while racing the clock against the onset of winter. If the rehabilitation project had been delayed by even a few weeks, next summer’s opening wouldn’t be possible.
Meanwhile, while all on the commission voted to approve both the operating contract and the new name, everything wasn’t rosy Tuesday during the golf course discussion.
After the unanimous votes on both the contract and the new course name, City Commissioner Robert Pruitt said he wasn’t happy that the city didn’t require a community contribution of $300,000 being pledged mostly by golf course neighbors to be in fully hand before the deal was finalized.
That led to almost a 40-minute-long debate between Pruitt and the rest of the commission about that money.
“That was a big part of the whole plan that we had put together,” said Pruitt, who said he feared golf enthusiasts and Wolf Hills residents wouldn’t follow through. “I think we should have nailed that down more.”
Kelsey, the city attorney, said the $300,000 in community support was an expectation, but not a required condition, of the golf course purchase resolution approved by the city in July.
“We never, ever as a city committed to $300,000,” echoed Commissioner Patti Bugg.
Dave Chrisman, a spokesman for the neighborhood who was on the city golf committee, told the commission Tuesday evening that he’s got $285,000 in pledges so far. That money is being pledged toward multi-year golf passes, and he said even more will be coming now that a deal with a reputable operator is legally in place.
Meanwhile, what the city has done — after closing Wednesday — is purchase the old Players Club property for $750,000, with $50,000 of that price being donated by local resident Jim Marshall.
Marshall, a neighbor of the golf course, also donated $450,000 earmarked for rehabilitation of the course.
So the purchase price to the city is $700,000, which they expect to recoup within three or four years after closing down the city owned and operated Municipal 9-hole course, which loses roughly $230,000 per year.
Dylan Ward, city project manager, said of the community pledges, “ultimately, all that $300,000 is, you’re getting a commitment from people here saying, I want to play at this golf course and I’m going to pay you my money up front. I want to play at this golf course for the next three to five years.”
He said that money isn’t needed for either the rehab or purchase of the property, and most likely won’t be needed by the operators.
He said the operator views it as a “nest egg or security blanket” because while the city owns the course under this arrangement, it’s up to the K&J to run it as a profitable business.
Chrisman and others have said in the past that the community pledges will show lasting commitment to the success of the course, and also help give the community some input into how it is operated and maintained.
How much to play?
In the city documentation, annual pass pricing is detailed as follows:
- Youth (16 and under) $500
- Senior single $800
- Senior couple $1,050
- Single $1,100
- Family $1,650
- Rental cart pass $700
- Private Cart Trail Fee $450
Additional packages will be offered at a later date which would allow for utilization of our
other Kentucky facility as well.
Weekday greens fee with cart combos:
- 9 holes with cart: $20
- 18 holes with cart: $28
- twilight during peak daylight times after 3 pm: $22 for 18 holes with cart
- seniors rates Mon-Fri only 9 holes $18, and 18 holes $25 (with cart prices}
- juniors 16 and under- 9 hole $10 and 18 holes $18 (walking only)
Weekends greens fee with cart combo:
- 9 holes with cart: $25
- 18 holes with cart: $36
- after 3 pm twilight rate: $27
- Jr (walking only) – 9 holes: $18, 18 holes: $25
- Senior 9 holes $23, 18 holes $33
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