Elgin council tours golf course

Members of the Elgin City Council got a tour of Bowes Creek Country Club Wednesday complete with a ride around the golf course, a look at the maintenance building and a sample of food from Porter’s Pub, only recently under new management.

The goal for the special committee of the whole was to give council members a look at operations and clear up any misconceptions about the courses leading up to budget discussions.

Bowes Creek Country Club rests on more than 200 acres with 18 holes for golf and a stretch of protected wetlands. Assistant City Manager Rick Kozal said the golf course makes people rethink Elgin’s reputation as an old manufacturing community.

“That perception is changed the moment they come out here,” Kozal said.

But one concern council members discussed is the question of whether the entire community can really claim the facility. Councilwoman Anna Moeller said residents see it instead as a private facility funded with public money.

“In the long run, if we’re going to make this something that is a treasure of the true community, we need to find a way to make it feel more like a public space,” Moeller said.

Ways that might happen include inviting cross country skiing or disc golf teams to use the property in the winter or open up hiking trails for nongolfers.

The restaurant in the clubhouse, Porter’s Pub, has plans for its own marketing as a dining option always open to the public.

Director of Golf Operations Mike Lehman told council members he expects the golf fund will not need any subsidy from the general fund to operate next year — its first with completed courses. He also said Porter’s Pub shouldn’t need any subsidy from the recreation fund if everything goes according to plan.

That’s a point City Manager Sean Stegall made sure to highlight for council members.

“While on a given year we might have to subsidize it, overall, when it comes to our other quality of life amenities, it requires the least assistance by far,” Stegall said about golf operations.

In a list of subsidies from the general fund to Parks and Recreation, The Centre, The Hemmens, the Elgin Sports Complex, the Eastside Recreation Center and the Lords Park Aquatic Center all rank higher than the golf fund, which incorporates all three course the city owns and operates. And none of the courses have any debt from original purchases or development.

The long-term goal for the golf fund is to be making a profit within the next five years, according to Lehman.