By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Golfers don’t have to be well practiced or well heeled to play at the Bowling Green Country Club. At 100 years old, the golf course has become an institution for local families teaching children to play, for teens perfecting their skills, and for retirees gathering to play a round.
On Monday, Bowling Green City Council heard from three BG Country Club members making pitches for a new lease on the city-owned golf course acreage that borders City Park.
Tim Harris, who recently took over the pro shop when he retired from banking, told council that renewed efforts are being made to run the operation profitably and work on improvements.
Harris described the BGCC as an important part of the community, referring to it good-naturedly as “senior center west.”
More than 10,000 rounds of golf have been played on the course so far this year, he said.
“The fees are very affordable. Families can afford to golf here,” Harris said.
“We’re not competition with Stone Ridge,” he said of the other golf course in Bowling Green.
Ryan Phipps, who learned to golf at BGCC and is now teaching his children to golf there, said the course is a “gift that rewards our entire community.”
“It’s a perfect place for children to learn the game and seniors to play at a pace that suits them,” he said.
And it’s a course for people on a budget, Phipps said. The average cost in the U.S. for playing 18 holes is $43, compared to $22 at the BG Country Club.
Norm Geer, who grew up across the street from the golf course, gave the history of the location – which started out as the county fairgrounds with a race track.
“One hundred years is a big deal,” Geer said, asking council to continue the city’s partnership with the BGCC for the community.
The new lease differs a bit from previous contracts. It requires the BG Country Club to pay the city $3,600 annually, plus pay the entirety of the property taxes each year. In the past, the city often paid a portion of the taxes when revenues were down for the BGCC. The new lease lasts 20 years, rather than the 25 years in prior agreements. And it reinforces efforts for the country club to work with BG Parks and Recreation on youth programming.
The new contract also states that if the agreement is terminated early, the city is obligated to purchase the clubhouse at appraisal value. This provision, according to City Attorney Hunter Brown, means BG Country Club’s investments are still secured while the city has a tangible asset if the contract is dissolved early.
Over the century, BG Country Club has survived the highs and lows of the sport. It enjoyed the peak of play in the 1920s, only to be hit by the Great Depression which left the majority of people without money to spare for golfing.
Later, when golf rebounded, the country club course thrived until the mid-1980s and 1990s, when a downward trend began. The development of more golf courses took players away from the older courses.
While some may view characteristics of the century-old BGCC golf course as negatives, others find the course perfect. The course is pretty flat, short with smaller greens, has some challenging holes, is dotted with mature trees, and is easy to walk. An honor box is available for golfers who play when the course is closed.
And best of all for some golfers, playing the tight nine hole course can easily be completed in 90 minutes or so.
In spite of grumbling that the acreage could be put to better use for the public, the lease agreement guarantees that the golf course be open to the public – not just to members of the country club.
The deal has always been that because the course sits on city land, it must be open to more than club members.
Mayor Mike Aspacher has heard complaints over the years from some citizens asking if the golf course is really the best use of the city’s acreage right next to City Park.
“I’m aware some people have raised questions if it’s the highest and best use for the property,” he said.
Aspacher believes it is, adding that the city’s park department does not have the money or the staffing to maintain another 70-plus acres.
City Council is expected to vote on the new lease agreement ordinance at its next meeting, Sept. 16.
