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Minutes 07-29-15MINUTES OF THE GOLF COURSE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY HALL 100 E. BOYNTON BEACH BOULEVARD, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2015 AT 2:00 P.M. PRESENT: Jack Ekelchik Steven Braten Nathaniel Clark Terry Aperavich Mark Frederick, Alternate Pam Rothman, County Alternate ABSENT: Herb Suss Openings Ron Tapper, Golf Course Manager Glenn Landgraf, Golf Course Superintendent A. Call to Order by Golf Course Manager, Ron Tapper Ron Tapper, Golf Course Manager, called the meeting to order at 2:05 p.m. He advised Board Member Pam Rothman was en route to the meeting. He noted Herb Suss was not present and a Chair and Vice Chair should be elected every year. Mark Frederick, an Alternate, would sit as a voting member during the meeting. He noted all members and alternates could participate in the meeting discussions. B. Election of Golf Advisory Board Officers from Members 1. Golf Advisory Board Chairperson 2. Golf Advisory Board Vice Chairperson Mr. Ekelchik nominated Terry Aperavich as Chair and Steve Braten as Vice Chair. Mr. Braten seconded the motion. There were no other nominations made and the nominations were accepted. (Pam Rothman arrived at 2:06 p.m.) C. Agenda/Minutes Approval 1. Additions, Deletions, Corrections Mr. Tapper noted the previous Committee meeting minutes should be amended to reflect the officers elected at the May 2014 meeting were in an acting -only capacity due to being alternates instead of regular members. Meeting Minutes Golf Course Advisory Committee Beach. Florida July 29, 2015 2. Adoption Motion Chair Aperavich moved the minutes be entered as read. Mr. Ekelchik seconded the motion that unanimously passed. D. Public Audience None. II. Reports A. Golf Course Superintendent Report 1. Current Condition of the Golf Course Golf Course Superintendent, Glen Landgraf reviewed he has been at the golf course almost two years and it is a very enjoyable and challenging position. The last time the Committee met, the greens had Tif Dwarf grass which was seen in the 60s and most golf courses have Tif Eagle or Champion. They are managing and double cutting the greens at least twice a week to improve rolling surfaces. They would like to get another roller to help increase the speed to compete with the grass on other golf courses. The greens, generally, are doing better. The tees have improved. They leveled a few last year and still have a few that need to be leveled which he named. The fairways were re-contoured last year and they improved areas with nemotodes. There were some areas that had thinned which should be filled in by the start of the season. They try to keep an edge on the bunkers. In the past, they edged by spraying which gave an irregular, uneven edge that was not visually appealing, and in some cases the bunker lost its original design. Presently, they edge once per month or every six weeks. Staff was addressing the bunker faces. Last year they completed 22 bunkers. Mr. Landrgaf wanted to finish the bunkers on the Champion course and currently they were addressing six this week. He advised they can do this in-house without purchasing sand, it was just taking the bunkers back to the way they were originally designed. It would be easier on the mower and it looks much better. He pointed out some were hidden from view. They increased aeration of the fairways and greens twice a year to increase water and air penetration. The members had previously discussed water. There were some drought areas last year. Mr. Landgraf spoke with the South Florida Regional Water Management District, and they allowed them to take water from the culvert on Hole 1, thereby alleviating water shortage problems during the year and saving 27 million gallons of water from the prior year. Conserving water was part of the Audubon Certification. The lake banks were up three or four feet, and staff was maintaining them at four to six inches in accordance with Audubon stipulations in the playing areas. They have areas where wildlife have vibrant habitats in non-playing areas. Aquatic control for weeds and invasive plants is done in-house through the pesticide license they have. 2 Meeting Minutes Golf Course Advisory Committee Beach. Florida July 2, 2015 They addressed the weeds in two areas post and pre -emergently. Mr. Landgraff explained they want to get away from addressing weeds on a post emergent basis. A good, solid pre -emergent program is a three application per year process over the entire golf course. This also helps the budget because it saves money. A few years ago, weeds were out of control and now they are down at least 80% over the entire course. They attack insects in the larvae stage in late May and early June. Mole crickets eat roots and can be devastating. Red ants bite. By having that one application a year over the majority of the golf course, they can control the golf course for the entire year and would only have to spot treat. This also saves a lot of money. 2. Future Projects. Mr. Landgraf noted the bunkers were underway and they have 15 to 18 left to address. The golf course was awarded a UPS grant for trees and they will install 150 to 160 trees throughout the golf course that were lost during the last hurricanes. Planting will commence the end of September or early October with native trees ranging from 6 to 8 feet to 18 to 20 feet. The majority would be 6 to 8 feet and be Oak, Cypress with a few Saw Palmettos to enhance animal habitats for the Audubon Certification. The golf course contributed $2,500 for the trees and received $5,000 from the grant and staff was doing the labor. It will greatly enhance the course. Staff would also like to create a vista on the Family Course. He noted number five on that course has a clump of overgrown trees and evasive plants such as Florida Holly and Melaleuca. When addressed, golfers would be able to see through to Hole 3 and the lake. . The Links was recently recertified by the Audubon for another three years. The Audubon Society fosters international sanctuaries and it is a prestigious certification for the golf course to have. Scott Wahlin, the previous superintendent started it and this was the third certification. Part of the certification is to always have ongoing projects to enhance and improve the environment and wildlife. They constantly strive to improve and have educational components to keep the environment safe and reduce chemical usage as well. He noted they are the 104th course in the State to be certified and there are only 904 in the world to be certified. Mr. Ekelchik inquired about bunker drainage and learned the majority drain very well. There were a few that were a slow drain, but most bunkers are high. Only one bunker was problematic. Chair Aperavich asked if the summer projects were on schedule and learned they were. Creating a vista on the Family Course may be delayed. At the last meeting Mr. Ekelchik spoke about the pine straw in the parking area. He inquired if this was addressed. Mr. Landgraf noted they were high deciduous trees and not his choice. Mr. Tapper explained several years ago, the City would come to the golf course with a street sweeper and clear the parking lot. With the recent economy, that no longer occurred. Staff tries to remove the straw as much as possible, but it is difficult to remove every day. While they have two tractors with blowers, they are used on the course. It depends on the maintenance schedule. During budget cutbacks, working together was more important than ever. Mr. Tapper explained they have received assistance and equipment from other departments such as the Recreation and Parks Department, but The Links was not within City limits and was the last to be addressed. The cart path was a future 3 Meeting Minutes Golf Course Advisory Committee Beach. Florida July 29, 2015 project. All the paths in the entire golf course needed to be redone, extended, and new paths created. B. Golf Course Manager Report 1. Business Report Mr. Tapper expressed it was a pleasure to work with Mr. Landgraf. He is a working Superintendent who is out there with the team and they get the job done. The costs of the improvements made last year, including stripping, building, extending and leveling the tees, tree trimming totaled $70K and were done in-house. Funding was the biggest issue at The Links and the City as a whole. When they last met, Mr. Tapper asked for an across the Board rate increase which was approved. Since then, revenue increased 5.5% over the prior year, but play increased only on the Family Course and decreased at the Championship course. This amounted to the same amount of rounds played last year and the same revenue generated, with the same rain days. When Mr. Tapper compiles the budget he looks at a four-year span. He cannot control the weather. He still anticipated 60,000 rounds in total played. The Links needs between 65,000 to 70,000 rounds to be budget neutral even with the 5.5% increase. They have a lot of competition, but they did not pick up where they left off. They could not stay the status quo on everything each year and during recessions, costs still increase. Mr. Tapper advised The Links is in the best shape it has been in years. They put money in the budget for chemicals and fertilizers and the City helped. The City will take revenue from the General Fund to meet the golf course budget and they are not supposed to do that. For the last 30 years, the golf course has contributed over $1,000,000 to the General Fund without getting anything back, which was not brought up at the workshop. The City knows that it costs more to come back from a recession to a level playing field. Staff asked for $50,000 for equipment, but could use $300,000 because their equipment is 10 to 20 years old. Mr. Tapper explained they have many new faces at The Links and the improved course will attract new players. He will try to build a new customer base and entice former players to return. Mr. Tapper wanted an increase on the daily fees because they want a broader base to become a Club Card member or a permit holder. Currently, they have 103 permit holders, down from 114 from the prior year. There were 550 Club Card holders last year and this year they increased to 601. New players are replacing former players or becoming Club Card holders. All clubs have reward cards. Permits were dying out. He advised they have fierce competition. Mr. Tapper's concern was to stay competitive with pricing from other courses. He was worried about the price increase from last year, but the Board suggested going higher, and they did not lose anyone over the daily fee. He commented tourists would pay $75 to play. He was attempting to show the value of a permit or Club Card to stay at The Links. He noted the County courses are subsidized; The Links is not. There are specials offered every day, but he would not offer a special lower than the Club Card or permit. Some courses do. The biggest concern was over the $1.2 million for payroll and benefits at the golf course which was eating up profits. Payroll and pensions were increasing faster than the revenue. At the workshop, there was $343,000 coming from the General Fund and they reduced it to $203,000. 0 Meeting Minutes Golf Course Advisory Committee Beach. Florida July 29, 2015 They had to eliminate some top paid positions at the golf course because the City will not contribute money every year. Upper management, he and Mr. Landgraf will determine what to do. The cuts are over with and he could not predict the future. They still have to reduce expenses.. 2. Course improvements This was discussed earlier in the meeting by Mr. Landgraf. 3. GPS Status Mr. Tapper advised they replaced their golf carts and GPS was added to them on July 1St. They were looking to replace the golf carts after three years. It is a great asset to the golf course and the customer. 4. Events FY 2014-2015 a) Play for P.I.N.K The Play for Pink event raised over $6,200, and since inception, over $104,000 for breast cancer research. b) Park Vista High School Invitational Tournament Mr. Tapper advised this event is done every year and they give $1,000 in scholarships. The winner receives $500, with second and third place at $300 and $200 respectively. The youth, who could be from different schools, cash it in when they are ready to use it. c) Ladies Palm Beach County Interclub The Ladies Palm Beach County Interclub travels around and likes to play at The Links. d) Palm Beach County Jr. Golf Association Tournament Mr. Tapper advised this event just took place and he would like to have more Interclub and Palm Beach County Jr Golf Association events. In the past, they also had a parent/child tournament but it was not a money maker. Mr. Ekelchik asked if the course buys or leases the golf carts and learned they are on a lease purchase arrangement. They have 89 carts comprised of 85 for customers and four player assistant carts. After four years, it is a dollar per cart and they get a dollar trading value. Mr. Tapper explained they do not want carts longer than four years. Mr. Ekelchik explained there are some very interesting leasing deals available where they do not have to purchase the carts at the end. They are all guaranteed bumper -to -bumper including batteries He negotiated a lease and they have 125 carts. It does not pay to purchase. III. New Business A. Proposed Daily Fee Rate Increase 5 Meeting Minutes Golf Course Advisory Committee Beach. Florida July 29, 2015 Mr. Tapper distributed a handout reflecting proposed increases and explained they were looking to increase revenues on the daily fee side to fortify a customer base. The rounds played and proposed rates from October with the same daily fees on both courses was almost $32,000. They have an all-inclusive permit for $3,400. Some players were interested in it, but they did not want to put the money upfront. Of the 103 permit holders, there are about 25 to 27 that are year-round players. The others are present three to five months of the year. Chair Aperavich inquired where the biggest growth occurred and learned it was the Club Card. Mr. Tapper explained the Card was the rack rate compared to other courses and unlike other courses, the prices are good seven days a week. Mr. Tapper compares all the surrounding golf courses that are open to the public, and they all have different specials. They have their own programs and they have troubles too. The only thing that was hard to compete against was a course that was subsidized. Mr. Braten asked what the course was doing to market its services to the public. Mr. Tapper responded they have a two-way sign out front along Jog Road that is a year old. They are on the CBS12.com website, on Facebook, on the City's website, on the Computee time system in the footnotes, and they have coupon books for rewards which is a quantifiable source. They used to be on the Golf channel, but they did not see an increase in revenue. He commented advertising is expensive. Mr. Braten asked what portion of their budget was allocated to marketing and Mr. Tapper responded it was $7,000 down from $10,000. Mr. Braten inquired if there was any thought to partnering with other local organizations to drive tournaments to the golf course, such as the Chamber of Commerce or COBWRA as it pertained to having repetitive events. Mr. Tapper explained their biggest problem was the restaurant cannot accommodate 100 people. With large events, they have a City tent they set up, but they do not have the same food services. Mr. Tapper commented tournaments are not money makers. They had an event on Monday which was the Palm Beach County Jr. Golf Association that had 37 youth. The organizer thanked him, because it was hard to find golf courses to play on, but The Links will not block tee times out for four or five hours because it alienates the regular golfer. If booking a tournament on a Monday or Tuesday, as opposed to the weekend, it was a very different story. Years ago, they always had pro tournaments. The golf course is an enterprise fund and they want to be self-sustaining. There will be a major reorganization at the golf course. They already had one and there was more to come which could affect personnel. Payroll and benefits is the big issue. Chair Aperavich inquired if this was something that happened over time. Mr. Tapper explained the income generated is very good, but they have to get the golf course under control and they have a lot of full-time employees. Chair Aperavich noted at Boca Greens they had a program where full-time employees were reduced to 32 hours to fall below the benefit threshold, but those 32 -hour employees could not do the work or have adequate customer skills and there was high turnover. Mr. Clark asked why the City was trying to make money when it should be a break even proposition. Mr. Tapper explained the City helps out all year long with the sanitation and dumpster. The golf course cannot make up the deficit with a $2 increase. Ms. Rothman noted there are six new developments near the golf course. She thought they should go where the base was starting to grow and people were coming in younger. None of those developments was under $300K and The Links was still a deal. She agreed advertising 0 Meeting Minutes Golf Course Advisory Committee Beach. Florida July 29, 2015 to target where there are groups that would like to play was helpful. There is a woman who organizes women who do not want to be in the Women's Association and she brings in 20 to 30 players during season. There are smaller modules out there that could bring players to stay. She noted they like The Links. Mr. Tapper visited Osprey Point when it was under construction and dropped off brochures and price sheets at the sales office to give to residents. Ms. Rothman advised he should now approach HOA presidents and find out if they formed any clubs. She pointed out if they are successful once out of every three times, Mr. Tapper would start generating a base. Mr. Tapper explained the golf course took a major hit two years ago, but many more players were returning. They have a great staff and pace of play. He just did not have enough of an advertising budget. An assistant, Rick Novak held clinics for developments that do not have golf courses, and then they played golf. There are many choices at this time of year. Many private courses that never had players in the summer were opened to the public during the summer months. They cannot have golf leagues at 5 p.m. Mr. Tapper commented his staff works in shifts and maintenance staff goes home by 7:30 p.m. before the leagues are finished. B. Restaurant Concessionaire Request for Proposal A Request for Proposal was issued for the restaurant and the deadline is August 25th with a tour be replaced. The structures have to adhere to Americans with Disabilities (ADA) standards. The buildings do not and it is a future concern. Engineers agreed the infrastructure was a concern. Mr. Tapper explained as a first priority, they were budgeting $2 million for the Clubhouse, but Mr. Tapper pointed out players do not come to the golf course for the Clubhouse. They come for the golf course. He tried to derail that at budget workshop and wanted to Board to be aware of upcoming issues. Mr. Tapper invited all to tour the course. Chair Aperavich commented he would call for a tour.. Motion Chair Aperavich moved the prices be accepted if they are acceptable to staff and they will cover expenses and make enough to move the golf course in the direction staff wants it to go. Mr. Tapper explained it would not cover expenses. If keeping the same number of rounds at 60,000 rounds played, it would be a difference of about $30,000. If they can increase the rounds played to 65,000 - 70,000 rounds, with the increases, they could reach the target amount, but it had to be made up between November through April. It would not be made it up between May and October. Chair Aperavich agreed. Motion Mr. Frederick seconded the motion that unanimously passed Mr. Tapper thanked the Committee IV. Old Business None. I►] Meeting Minutes Golf Course Advisory Committee Beach. Florida July 29, 2015 V. Adjournment Motion There being no further to discuss, Chair Aperavich moved to adjourn. Mr. Frederick seconded the motion that unanimously passed. The meeting was adjourned at 3:10 p.m. %" Catherine Cherry Minutes Specialist 092815 092815 4 hrs 0