Source: The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.)
Since the renovated Links at Galloway golf course reopened in 2002, Mickey Barker, the golf pro at the city-owned course, hadn't called a staff meeting until Tuesday.
At 4 p.m., near the end of an ideal day for golf in East Memphis, he and 14 part-time employees met on the patio and Barker revealed what he called "the worst-kept secret" at Galloway.
All 14 of the part-timers will be without a job next week, leaving Barker and five other full-time employees to run the pro shop, work the snack bar, serve as starters, keep the grounds and wrangle golf carts for 12 to 14 hours a day.
"I don't think any of us know how it's going to affect operations," said Barker, who hasn't been told if the layoffs will mean shorter hours for golfers.
"We'll have to come earlier and probably stay later to bring the carts out and put them up. We're going to do the absolute best we can not to inconvenience the golfers and keep it open where they won't see any dropoff in service."
The layoffs are the latest effort in the Herenton administration's plan to shave $28 million from the city budget for the current fiscal year. Herenton previously ordered 20 percent cuts across all departments, but that still left a $6.4 million void.
On Friday, the city announced all temporary city employees except crossing guards, forensic nurses and emergency technicians will be cut, along with some services and programs.
Employees at several other city golf courses said Tuesday they too expected to lay off temporary workers but were not allowed to comment. Park Services Director Robert Fouche could not be reached, despite several phone calls.
Park Services runs five 18-hole golf courses, including Galloway, and two 9-hole courses.
"I know that with two employees it's going to be very difficult to operate at full capacity here," Barker said, referring to the clubhouse. "I know that other golf courses don't have as many part-time employees as we do, but we are probably the busiest."
The mood among the workers was light despite the bad news. Some talked of volunteering in exchange for free golf.
Bob White, a retiree working two days a week since Galloway reopened three years ago after a $3.5 million renovation, said he thinks the city will restore the part-timers when it faces losing greens fees and other money that helps pay for the renovation.
"I think it will change back as soon as the weather gets hot and people start coming out here in droves, like they have been in hot weather. There's no way they can handle it," said White, who is considering volunteering.
"Maybe they can cut some of those pricey salaries downtown, you know, that they just raised," he said in reference to pay raises for some mayoral staffers.
As the meeting broke up and employees moved to a nearby green, Kurt Crawford steadied his golf bag on the patio after finishing a round.
Crawford said he believed the layoffs will be "detrimental to the upkeep of the golf course."
"They spent all this money redesigning the course," Crawford said, "and then lay off temporary workers and let it go downhill."
