In response to the letter, "Give the city double bogey for care of courses" (Aug. 5), I would like to state that under the leadership of Parks Commissioner Jim Francesconi, Portland Parks & Recreation takes great pride in our golf program, boasting five courses nationally recognized for their condition, quality, challenge and customer service.
Our courses are enterprise funded, requiring no tax dollars for their support. They have been recognized by Golf Digest magazine on numerous occasions and by the United States Golf Association, which has awarded four of their prestigious championships to the City of Portland.
Few other American cities have received such recognition over the years. We are honored when out-of-town visitors approach us with comments such as, "I can't believe this is a city-owned course," or, "These courses look like country clubs."
And while awards and anecdotes won't prevent an occasional, less-than-satisfying experience, it does ensure that on the whole, we are able to provide our customers an enjoyable and affordable golf experience.
We regret the fact the letter writer had a bad experience when he visited Rose City Golf Course on a recent Friday. He cited the lack of a beverage cart, early removal of the flagsticks and what he felt was an early closure of the clubhouse and snack bar.
As is the case at most public courses, beverage carts at city courses operate only when the courses are reasonably full. Unfortunately, Friday evenings are usually slow and don't warrant the presence of a cart employee. To do otherwise would result in overhead not recoverable through sales and would have to be passed on to the customers.
A couple of years ago, Rose City Golf Course began to experience a rash of thefts of the flagsticks, with an average of a dozen stolen per incident. The cost for each incident was several hundred dollars and a decision was made to gather the flagsticks each evening. These flagsticks are picked up at sunset so that the customer is not inconvenienced. Upon occasion, an energetic staff member who assumes that the course is empty might make the mistake of gathering them a bit too early.
The clubhouse is open until sunset and offers hot food while a cook is on duty and packaged food and beverages at other times.
A 40-year-old irrigation system is in the process of being replaced at Rose City Golf Course and the construction is resulting in some inconvenience to the public. We ask that you pardon our dust and we promise a wonderful new experience upon its completion next spring.
Another ongoing project is the remodeling of the sand bunkers at Heron Lakes Greenback course. The 35-year-old bunkers have begun to erode, making them difficult to maintain. The cost to do these bunkers all at once would be approximately $500,000, so the city chose to complete about three holes per year in order to absorb the cost in its normal operating budget. The sixth and seventh holes mentioned were completed over a year ago and the bunkers are much more maintainable and aesthetically pleasing.
Finally, the downturn in the economy has resulted in a corresponding lag in the golf industry. During the past three years, rounds have dropped nationwide from 10 to 20 percent each year and as a result, so have our operating budgets. Last year, Portland's golf program was forced to cut its operating budget by about $1 million, some of which was restored when we experienced a good March, April and May. The cuts are still substantial, but we are determined to become more efficient, work harder and continue to offer the best value for golfers.
We are proud of our public golf courses and hope that Portlanders are as well. Portland Parks & Recreation will continue to strive to provide the best golf experience possible to all that visit and play our courses.
Source: The Oregonian