City Council asked for $13,000 to help winterize golf course
By Neal A. Shipman
Farmer Editor
The financial woes of the Fox Hills Golf Course took center stage at the Watford City City Council Meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 8, as Lance Madsen, course manager, asked the council for $13,000 to help purchase chemicals and sand to winterize the course.
“It’s hard to sugarcoat it, but we’re out of money,” stated Madsen. “The course isn’t generating the revenue to cover expenses.”
Madsen told the council that accounts payable are outdistancing revenue and to try to make ends meet, the course is cutting back on pro shop labor costs.
“We need $13,000 to close the course for the winter,” stated Madsen. “We need to protect the investment that has been made in the golf course.”
According to Madsen, who was hired by the city to manage the course, the golf course faced several challenges including less revenue from membership, poor weather that limited play, as well as increased costs associated with the grow-in of the new holes.
While Madsen says that the golf course plans to host a few events in September and October, which could help generate more revenue, there just isn’t enough money available to purchase the supplies they need to winterize the course.
“The credit card is maxxed out and we need to buy the chemicals to have the supplies on hand so we can close the course,” stated Madsen. “And we haven’t paid Landscape Architects for their September billing.”