[Dion]

Mounting financial losses par for the course for majority of City of Calgary golf courses

The City of Calgary confirms four of its six golf courses failed to turn a profit in any year in the period from 2015 to 2017 and the City lost nearly $2 million operating its courses during that time.

In response to a Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act request from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, the City released its revenue and expenses for the six golf courses for 2015, 2016 and 2017.

The following is the net (revenue minus expenses) for each of the City of Calgary golf courses according to the City of Calgary’s ‘Golf Revenue & Expenses by Course: 2015-2017’:

McCall Lake Golf Course experienced operating losses of $589,336 in 2017, $666,162 in 2016 and $457,350 in 2015

Shaganappi Point: +$1,158,786 (profits in 2015, 2016 and 2017)
Confederation: -$204,770 (profit in 2015)

Lakeview: -$239,852

Richmond Green: -$469,379

Maple Ridge: -$562,375

McCall Lake: -$1,712,848

Total: -$2,030,440

According to the City of Calgary, the profitability of the courses during that time was impacted by:

67 days lost to inclement weather in 2017 (32 per cent of the golf season)
65 days lost to inclement weather in 2016 (31 per cent of the golf season)

The economic downturn

Ward 13 councillor Diane Colley-Urquhart says the financial losses of the municipal courses were inevitable given the economic conditions of late and an unsustainable operating model. "We need to think beyond the box here nd look at different models for these golf courses in the future to be sustainable."

"We absolutely need to keep our public golf courses but we need a different operating model and we need the private sector involved."

https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/mounting-...rses-1.3929127