Later this week, elected officials in St. Paul, Minnesota may agree to seek private-sector operators for two of their three golf properties.
The number of rounds played at the city’s courses has fallen by 27 percent since 2005, and this year the trio – Como Golf Course, Phalen Golf Course and the 27-hole Highland National golf complex – are expected to lose $1 million.
“Running golf courses in St. Paul has been a big loser since 2005, to the tune of several hundred thousand dollars a year,” a spokesman for the parks and recreation department told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “We’ve been looking at ways to make it successful, and it just hasn’t been.”
If the city council approves a proposal that’s been put on the table, the 18-hole Como and Phalen courses will be put out for bid.
For now, the parks and recreation department plans to continue operating the courses in Highland Park – the newspaper says they’re “on slightly better financial footing” – but they may eventually need professional help as well.