Golf Course Renovation Master P
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MEMORANDUM
April 28, 2004
TO:
The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM:
Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Work Session - May 3, 2004
Golf Course Renovation Master Plan
Attached is the material for the Golf Course Renovation Master Plan Work Session to
be held Monday, May 3, 2004 at 5:00 p.m.
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Michael C. Van Milligen
MCVM/jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Gil D. Spence, leisure Services Manager
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CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
MEMORANDUM
April 28, 2004
TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: GilD, Spence, leisure Services Managf'
SUBJECT: Golf Course Renovation Master Plan
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memorandum is to communicate background information to the City
Council for the work session to be held May 3rd on the Bunker Hill Golf Course Renovation
Master Plan,
BACKGROUND
The Fiscal Year 2003 capital improvement budget contained $29,000 to conduct a
renovation study of the Bunker Hill Golf Course, Competition within the golf business has
greatly increased the last five to ten years and the renovation study was needed to identify
shortcomings of the course and what should be done to position the course to compete in
the future, Specific recommendations are made on course improvements that will remedy
deficient agronomic and design conditions, improve playability and golfer enjoyment,
improve turf quality, and decrease maintenance costs,
Budget guidelines require the golf course to be 100% self-supporting, including
administrative overhead, equipment, and improvements to the course. This is becoming
more difficult as the number of rounds played per year continues to decrease. This is a
national trend that reflects that too many golf courses have been constructed over the last
ten years, golfer demographic changes, and golfer expectations.
Gill Miller Golf Course Architects was hired to conduct the study and develop the master
plan for improvements. The following is a list of City staff, Park and Recreation Advisory
Commission members, and citizen representatives that volunteered to work with the
architect on the study:
continued
Gil Spence .......................
Patrick Prevenas ..............
George Stephenson .........
Bill Burke ..............,..,.......
Chuck Duggan ................,
Gary Harjehausen ...........,
Paul Hoffmann ....,..,........,
Tom Schrobilgen ..............
lyle Galliart .....................,
John Kirk ..........................
Tom Reavell ................,....
leisure Services Manager
Recreation Division Manager
Golf Professional
Golf Course Superintendent
Park & Recreation Advisory Commission
Park & Recreation Advisory Commission
Park & Recreation Advisory Commission
Park & Recreation Advisory Commission
Citizen Representative
Citizen Representative
Citizen Representative
The committee worked through 2003 on development ofthe master plan, Throughout the
study the primary mission of the Bunker Hill Golf Course was kept in mind, to provide a
quality golfing experience for the citizens of Dubuque with a target user group of average
and below skilled golfers,
An evaluation of the course by the consultant found the following issues:
. The current irrigation system is old, inefficient and inadequate to meet the requirements
of today's golf course. Overall the irrigation system pump station is undersized, the
golf course piping is inadequate to meet current demands and the control system is
outdated,
. Conditions of the turf in the fairways, greens, and tees are areas of concern, The once
bluegrass fairways have been invaded by a substantial population of poa annua, The
negative side to significant stands of poa annua is the likelihood that the poa will die off
under prolonged periods of heat stress or cold open winters,
. Most of the greens are constructed out of material native to the site, Many of the
greens are in poor agronomic state as a result of excess shade, poor soil conditions,
and the lack of air circulation.
. Current tees are small and need to be closed in the fall to allow them to be overseeded
and recover from excess use. This results in increased maintenance costs,
. Using today's standards, the course is considered to be a short course, The overall
size of the property does not allow space to expand the course to championship length,
However, any increase in length and par will help in the marketing of the course to
outside play,
. The maintenance building is undersized and is in a poor location next to hole number 4
and the main parking lot.
DISCUSSION
The Bunker Hill Golf Course is a unique golf experience, The course has many attributes
that are very difficult to replace: central location, great views, mature trees, and a
challenging yet fun layout. Architecturally, the golf course is well routed and generally
safe. Improvements necessary to increase the course's status as a popular public, daily
fee course in today's market include:
. Replacing the irrigation system and pumping station
. Rebuilding all greens to meet current USGA construction standards and size
recommendations
. Rebuilding all tees and establishing a true multiple tee system to better meet the needs
of women, juniors and seniors and enlarge tee areas to meet USGA recommendations
Incorporating natural areas to reduce maintenance and better define or buffer adjacent
golf holes
. Regrading fairways to improve contour and improve turfgrass
. Improving drainage, particularly the channel that runs along holes 15, 16, 17 and 18
. lengthen the course to meet the needs of the longer and stronger golf market
. Maintenance building and storage be relocated to North Grandview Avenue, The
present building be used for golf cart storage and the two storage buildings be removed
and the main parking lot be expanded.
The United States Golf Association has recommendations on the size of tees and greens
based on the number of rounds played on your golf course, Bunker Hill has 80,039 square
feet of tee area and the USGA recommendation is that we have 124,000 square feet, a
shortage of 43,961, We have a total of 75,446 square feet of green area and the USGA
recommendation is that we should have 97,200 square feet, a shortage of 21,754, The
USGA also has recommended construction standards for tees and greens, None of the
greens or tees on our course meets those standards.
These recommendations are provided to allow multiple pin placements on the greens,
multiple tee locations, and construction standards that provide quality turf and consistent
playing conditions. Paul Vermeulen, an agronomist with the USGA, visited the course as
part of the study and his report is included in the final report from Gill Miller. His
recommendations are incorporated into the master plan.
Erik Christiansen Design Group, l TO was hired as part of the study to do an analysis of
the irrigation system, That full report is also included in the final report from Gill Miller. Mr.
Christiansen's analysis recommends the entire system be replaced, He identified the
following issues:
. With a twenty-year life expectancy, our tee and green system is past and the fairway
system is approaching its life expectancy, Age is an issue,
. The main piping and booster pumps are undersized.
. Tees and greens are not controlled separately and the central control is outdated,
. Satellite controllers are deteriorating and parts availability is becoming an issue.
. Our fairway high-pressure heads provide poor water distribution,
To address all the issues identified in the study, we would almost be building a new golf
course. A detailed cost estimate is included in the report and estimates the total project
cost at $3,585,968. This includes a new maintenance facility ($536,900) and a new
irrigation system ($507,000). The committee is very pleased with the result of the study
and that 855 yards is added to the length of the course, making it 6,171 yards and a par
70,
The Park and Recreation Commission is not asking the City Council to take any action at
this time. The Commission would like to have more discussions on financing options, if the
work can and/or should be phased over a few years, and when would be the best time to
present the project to the voters, We do not feel this is the time to move forward and be
successful with any level of bond issue.
We look forward to fully discussing this project with the City Council on May 3rd,
GDS:et