Experts say golf club activity has been dropping and courses have been closing.
In the last 10 or so years, an oversupply of courses has not kept up with demand, according to Golf Operator Magazine. Reporter John Eidukot wrote in July that many of these courses were built to sell condos and estate homes, or to sell hotel rooms.
It’s not just a problem in the United States. Eidokot reported the Trump Turnberry course lost $36.1 million in 2016, even though it’s in the heart of golf world: Ayrshire, Scotland.
Golf.com writer Dylan Dethier reported in May that 737 golf courses have closed since 2011, citing a U.S. Golf Economy Report.
“All country clubs are hurting,” Ron Elliott, president of the Futlon Country Club board said. “Maybe because young people, under the age of 30, are playing golf on their phones. They just do it differently than we did.”
So it’s no wonder the two golf courses in Fulton are having problems. On Monday, members of the Fulton County Club board of directors met the problem head on, and in the end, voted to keep the facility open.
“It’s not closing down; we’re just regrouping,” Elliott said. “They voted the right way to keep it going.”
The Fulton Country Club is about a century old. Located at 701 E. 10th St. across from Veterans Park, it includes a brick clubhouse, dining, summer swimming and of course, the golf course. It acts as host to the weekly Fulton Rotary Club meetings, and includes a restaurant for lunch and dinner. Every 4th of July, fireworks are shot off from the course.
Tanglewood Golf Club, on the other side of Fulton, is an 18-hole course owned by the city. For years, this course has under performed financially, and city officials are trying to find a way to make it work. One recent idea was to create an improved dining experience—beyond the hot dogs and hamburgers — by finding a restaurateur to lease the bar/grill area.
Fulton city officials have been looking for the right person to take over clubhouse operations, to include the pro shop. The deadline to apply was Wednesday and according to city Administrator Bill Johnson, nothing had come in by 1 p.m.
“I’m not thinking a lot of people are interested,” he said. “If we are unsuccessful, we’ll hire a manager back like we had the last several years.”
Fulton Mayor LeRoy Benton discussed the golf course at a City Council meeting in November, stating the grounds of the course would continue to be managed by city workers even if this management changes.
Elliott said country clubs used to be places for members and others to get together, play a round of golf, and socialize. Lives spent on social media — and just general business — might be replacing that, he added.
“From the time we wake up, we’re at a dead run,” he said. “I don’t know what the future is going to look like.”
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