Skip to content

Weyburn Golf Club looks to fundraise for course improvements

The Weyburn Golf Club will be looking to do fundraising for some expensive upgrades for the golf course, particularly for the irrigation system, and is looking at the possibility of raising membership fees next year after finishing with a deficit for
Golf Club board

The Weyburn Golf Club will be looking to do fundraising for some expensive upgrades for the golf course, particularly for the irrigation system, and is looking at the possibility of raising membership fees next year after finishing with a deficit for the second year in a row.

There was a long discussion held with Golf Club members at their annual meeting on Thursday evening, with the clubhouse packed with over 60 members to hear the details and finances of the past year, and the plans for the coming year.

The Golf Club had a loss of about $15,000 from operations, which was down from the loss of $38,000 in 2016, members heard. The major issue for the Golf Club is the need to replace the irrigation system, which has an estimated cost of around $900,000.

Club president John Corrigan led into the discussion by laying out the situation the club experienced in recent years, along with an extremely dry year last year which showed the deficiencies of the irrigation system quite readily, with no rain received between June and September, plus days with extreme heat and high winds, which would have kept away a number of golfers who would otherwise have come out.

One bit of good news is that a new putting green is under development, due in large part to a donation from the Weyburn Oil Show board. There are also plans to possibly use any extra funds from that donation to start a turf-growing operation at the golf course, so when needs come up for turf repairs, they can be done with turf grown here, able to handle the climate of this golf course, said Corrigan.

“That’s not going to happen this year, but it’s a plan for the future. These sorts of projects don’t come from the revenues we generate, they come from donations. We’ve been fortunate to have groups like the Weyburn Oil Show who’ve made contributions to our organization,” said Corrigan.

The president also explained how the Golf Club also resolved the long-standing issue of the property taxes for the RM of Weyburn (which totaled $27,000 last year), and noted that an effort to have the City of Weyburn take over ownership of the course had failed as they were not interested in taking on the golf course.

They also requested an interest-free loan from the City to help with the irrigation system, if the golf club could negotiate an affordable payment plan to repay the loan. The initial offer by the golf club was to make payments of $25,000 a year, plus more payments if they were able to based on their revenues.

He noted the clubhouse was built with a loan for $600,000, and it was paid off in 12 years.

“To date, we have not come to an agreement with the City, and I doubt that we will, so in regard to that, we’re on our own,” said Corrigan, noting the Golf Course is the oldest recreation facility in the Weyburn area.

In regard to memberships, after holding some discussions about how competitive they are compared to golf courses in the area, a vote was taken of the members present if they would support an increase of $200 a year, and most of the members present raised their hands in support. If the Golf Club was able to keep a membership roll of 300 members, this would bring in an extra $60,000 a year.

Corrigan did say the board had not made any decision on raising membership fees, but wanted to first sound out the feelings of the members on the issue, and on the issue of what could be done to raise funds since it seems no help is forthcoming from the City.

Memberships for Weyburn are currently $1,025 for an adult, and by comparison, Mainprize is cheaper at $950, while others are mostly higher. Kenosee is at $1,300, Estevan is at $1,365, Moose Jaw is $1,450, and Tor Hill in Regina is $2,195.

On the issue of taxes, Corrigan noted that it is subject to assessment levels, which are set by SAMA (Saskatchewan Assessment Management Agency). The taxes have been as high as $38,000, and as low as $20,000. The high level of taxes was the reason why the Golf Club entered into discussions about them, and about possible ownership by the City, because no other golf course in the area has to pay taxes.

The irrigation system costs about $20,000 a year to operate, and in terms of a water source, the golf course now has a permanent pump in place on the Souris River.

“To do any sort of course improvements, it costs a significant amount of money,” said Corrigan, noting it will cost in the neighbourhood of $50-60,000 to do improvements on the greens, which accounts for capital costs such as to buy any new equipment like a greens mower.

One idea put forward was for corporate memberships, but Corrigan felt in the long run the course could actually lose money going that route with the number of rounds played.

Other ideas included incentives for new members, such as initially lower fees, encouraging more junior golfers to come out, incentives for referring new players to take out a membership, or doing a city-wide fundraising campaign that involves the entire community.

“We do have to think outside the box,” said Corrigan. “Our season runs from April to September, which is a busy time for everybody. It’s difficult to come up with that campaign that gets you a big return on the investment.”

Elmer Franks noted the Weyburn Beavers “lucked out” with their upcoming major fundraiser, as they are bringing in two former Blue Jays, Roberto Alomar and Jesse Barfield, for a sports dinner that sold out in 36 hours.

“It’s a short season, so it’s pretty tough to do, but if we hit the right one, it would sure help out,” said Franks.

Member Terry Chapelsky said raising membership fees might just bring the golf club to break even, and doesn’t address the need for major upgrades like the irrigation system, and suggested the members need “some crazy ideas, like raffling off a Corvette” or a major project that could bring in some funds.

Corrigan said he would like the members to form a committee on fundraising who could meet and come up with a list of fundraising ideas that can help the golf club raise some of the funds needed.

“If there are those willing to volunteer for a committee, let Brett know and we’ll form a committee. It’s not something that will happen tonight, but we need something to start,” he added.