Time and Debt Catches Up To Cedar Hill

Averaging more than 80,000 rounds of golf each year, the 5,200-yard Cedar Hill Municipal Golf Course operates on a first come first serve basis with Green fees ranging from a season high of $40.00, to a twilight fee of $25.00.

Faced with a deficit of more than $27,000 and needing funds for required course improvements Saanich Council is considering increases as high as 35%.

According to findings by an independent consulting firm, TruStar Golf Inc., Cedar Hill's operational expenses are appropriate for the golf course, however, revenues do not meet expenditure requirements

In an article produced by the local Saanich News, a TruStar report summation claims: "The largest contributing factor to the current situation is ... revenue and yield management practices to allow appropriate access at appropriate times ... for the various user groups."

In the report, Paul Murray, director of finance with Saanich, is quoted as saying that the best way to do that is by adjusting the mix of people with annual passes and those who pay regular green fees.

"If the municipality adopts the proposal, the course's regular golfers can expect a four per cent increase for annual passes accompanied by a reduction in priority tee times available to them."

Currently, buying a pass offers significantly lower green fees and allows dibs on a large portion of the course's prime tee times during the peak summer season. This forces public players to book less desired times, such as evening hours when the normal posted rates aren't applicable.

"What would happen is people would wait for the (cheaper) twilight fee, so that ends up backing up the twilight list. So they ended up letting people out at 2 (p.m.) or 1 (p.m.) for the twilight rate," Cedar Hill club director Val Mieras told the Saanich News.

One of the other changes she would like to see is bookable tee times seven days a week, something that hasn't been the case at the municipally-owned course, which expanded from a nine hole layout to an 18-hole course in 1952.

"Up until now, Cedar Hill hasn't had tee times. What it is now is you go in and you get on a list to play," she said.

The report says the current first come first served booking approach should be eliminated and upgraded to an electronic reservation system. That's something Murray said the golf course is already working towards.

"We need to try and expand the accessibility. Hopefully that will translate to more folks coming to pay green fees, which would mean a better yield for the course. Anything we can do to improve accessibility, awareness, marketing - that's what we need to do."

Cedar Hill club president Arthur Smith agrees, adding that this change will hopefully make up for some of the lost revenues.

"We've always been very popular, very reasonably priced golf. We're trying to keep that in place. By implementing booking and green fees, it should help work toward financial sustainability," he said.

Cedar Hill Golf Course has been losing money over the last two years, Murray said.

"We need to get the course back to financial sustainability. Which means, obviously, being in the black in terms of operation of the club, and setting aside enough money each year, as the consultants recommended, for capital replacements. I know it involves a lot of change, but that's what we're here to hear about. We're looking at long-term financial stability. I think this is a good action plan for the future."

An open meeting and presentation of the report takes place tonight at 5:30 p.m. at the Cedar Hill clubhouse (1400 Derby Rd.) and members of the public will have an opportunity to ask questions or comment on the report before staff presents the information to council. A final decision is expected before April.