There is good news and bad news on the golf front in Omaha.
First, some background. Omaha's public golf courses (three 18-holers and four nine-holers) -- like most golf facilities in the U.S. right now -- are struggling to make a profit. Reports in the city's press indicate the 18-hole courses are profitable, while the nine-holers collectively lost about $320,000 last year.
So what's the good news? According to this story in the Omaha World-Herald, city officials have abandoned plans to turn over the management of the nine-holers to a private company.
“We're going to see, in a year, if we can't get golf to make money,” Melinda Pearson, who began work last month as the city's parks and recreation director, says in the story. “I think it's possible.”
That sounds a like a government committed to golf as a recreational pursuit. We like that. But here's the bad news: the first step towards profitability taken by city officials was to fire the four golf pros who managed the nine-hole courses. Those facilities will now be run by part-time employees, with the help of an on-line tee time reservation system. According the World-Herald, the elimination of the pros -- all of whom were PGA of America members -- will save $250,000.
-- G.R.
