A Record Year For Public Golf Courses

Greenfield Park Golf Course. File photo by Dave Reid.

Milwaukee County Parks is having a record year at its public golf courses.

With, potentially, a month of golf-able weather still ahead, Parks reported that it has already hit more than $10 million in revenue from its 13 public golf courses. The amount, presented to the county board’s Budget Committee Thursday, is equivalent to approximately 20% of the system’s operating budget in 2023.

Parks has never had a year with more than $10 million in golf revenue before. This figure also does not include the food and beverage sales at golf courses, which, to date, total approximately $1.5 million, according to Parks.

The prior record for golf revenue was set in 2021, when the department collected approximately $9.8 million, in 2022 it brought it $9.3 million.

Parks, like much of county government, has had to weather decades of cuts as state shared revenues were held stagnant and the county’s pension system dragged down budgets. With more than 15,000 acres and more than 150 parks, the system has struggled to properly staff its facilities and maintain its infrastructure. It has a backlog of infrastructure maintenance that is estimated at approximately $500 million.

One consequence is that the department has had to get creative with its limited funds. an outcome of which was creation and expansion of the county’s beer gardens. In 2022, the department generated more than 50% of its own funding. And golf has proven a critical component of Parks annual budget.

“Hats off to the parks department; 53% self-generated funding,” said Sup. Peter Burgelis at the budget committee meeting. “If every county department could do that we’d have a much different budget picture, but it’s impressive that golf has had its record year.”

It’s not only rounds of golf and concessions sales. Golf cart rentals have proven lucrative for the department. In recent years, the average revenue generated by a single golf cart was estimated at approximately $3,000.

Once, golf helped rescue the department from a budget deficit. In August 2020, the department was looking at a $2.4 million shortfall. But CJ Pahl, financial services manager for the comptroller’s office, said an unseasonably warm fall extended the golfing season and helped the department close the budget gap. It finished the year with a surplus.