Fees for the city’s two municipal golf courses are increasing this season.

City Commissioners unanimously approved the increases during their March 17 meeting.

The city annually reviews the fees, in coordination with CourseCo, to maintain operations, anticipate future demands, and promote the golfing community.

The city has contracted with CourseCo since December 2018 for golf course management, with a second extension being approved in January 2025 through January 2030 with an option to renew for another five years.

The fee increase will generate an estimate about $45,000 in additional revenue for the season, depending on the weather and play levels.

City Commissioners to vote on increasing golf fees [2025]

When CourseCo took over management of the city’s golf courses in 2019, the golf fund owed the city’s general fund about $1 million.

The golf fund is designed as an enterprise fund, meaning it’s supposed to be self-supporting through user fees. But over the years, golf suffered and the general fund subsidized the program.

In 2019, the city issued a request for proposals for course management in an attempt to make them financially stable and reduce pressure on the general fund.

City approves golf management agreement extension [2025]

Under the agreement extension, in 2025, the city pays CourseCo a $105,000 management fee and a $29,000 accounting fee. Those fees are adjusted annually by the consumer price index, but not to exceed 5 percent, through the term of the agreement.

Those fees have increased since the original 2019 agreement, but CourseCo has continued to increase revenue, a portion of which comes back to the city.

The city sold a portion of parkland to Pasta Montana in 2024 and used those proceeds to pay a portion of the golf debt.

CourseCo has also improved operations at the golf courses, increasing revenues, which have been used to pay down the golf debt and the final estimated balance of $20,000 is scheduled to be paid off in the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.

City approves increased golf fees [2024]

Once the debt is retired, CourseCo will establish a capital improvement plan to help with deferred capital projects at the gold courses.

In the management agreement approved in January 2025, CourseCo agreed to distribute $50,000 of its funds to the city toward capital equipment and improvements for the first five-year extension and another $50,000 toward the same if the second extension is approved.

Jeff Stange, manager of the city’s courses for CourseCo, said that the company was working with city staff to plan for several major projects that will be funded through golf course operations and not the city general fund, ensuring the golf program remains self-sustaining.

During the March 17 meeting, Butch Basto and Randy Golightly opposed the golf fee increases.

CourseCo gives golf update; commission approves fee increase [2022]

Basto said that most golfers at city courses are senior citizens on fixed incomes and increased fees would be a burden to them.

He thanked Stange for improvements to the courses and operations, but had concerns about ongoing maintenance issues, including the pump failure at Anaconda Hills, poor condition of the cart paths, and inadequate temporary repairs, such as gravel in potholes.

Golightly suggested reduced rates for senior golf passes.

Stange said staff understood the concern over the cart paths and that this spring, course staff are using a resurfacer to grind and level the cart paths.

The cost to pave the cart paths at both courses is an estimated $900,000, which will take planning and budgeting over time.

City renews golf management contract [2021]

Commissioner Shannon Wilson asked if they could add a senior rate.

Commissioner Rick Tryon said that he understood $1 or $2 could be a lot for some people, but the fees were “reasonable.”

He said that “one of the best decisions was bringing in a private company to manage the golf courses,” and that hopefully they could look at a senior discount during the budget process.

Commissioner Joe McKenney said he remembered how much of a financial drain the golf courses were on the city before he joined the commission.

The increased fees are: