Dec. 2—WATERTOWN — Councilman Robert O. Kimball warned Monday evening that the city needs to think carefully about keeping the Thompson Park Golf Course open after the city-owned facility lost about $259,000 last summer .
He and Councilwoman Lisa A. Ruggiero discussed the golf course’s success at Monday night’s council meeting.
Golf Course Superintendent Jordan Northrop attended the meeting to provide the board with a report on how the season was going.
This was the second season that the Parks and Recreation Department operated the historic 18-hole course. This has been the subject of debate since the city purchased the facility for $3.4 million in January 2023.
Kimball said the council should consider the future of the golf course during budget deliberations next spring, as the city faces difficult financial decisions.
In defending the facility’s financial situation, Ruggiero said it’s not fair to continue to paint a bleak picture of the golf course.
She proclaimed it was time to end the politics around the golf course, noting that negative comments have only hurt its success.
“It’s all about the money,” Kimball retorted.
Ruggiero congratulated Northrop and his staff on what residents told him was “a better year than the year before.” She heard compliments that the course was in better shape than it had been in years.
“It’s not fair to the employees who have worked hard to keep the negative things going,” she said.
The golf course lost $259,341, compared to $306,590 in the red in the first year.
The season struggled a bit during what was one of the wettest summers on record.
A total of 35 inches of rain fell on site, according to a written report from Northrop.
Due to the rainy summer, “golf cart rentals and driving range experienced more limitations compared to the previous season,” Northrop wrote.
The 17 days of rain resulted in a loss of about $20,000 in golf cart revenue, he told council members.
The course also saw competition from the reopening of the Ives Hill Country Club last summer. Businessman Jake Johnson purchased and reopened the 9-hole course.
But there were benefits, too, Northrop said. The pro shop made about $15,000 more than the first year. The course also hosted 18 tournaments, increasing revenue by $22,600. The golf course welcomed nine in 2023.
Golf fee revenue also increased, from $398,859 to $421,197. A total of 180 season passes were sold and golfers played 12,421 rounds of golf this summer.
Councilor Benjamin P. Shoen, who played the course this summer, suggested that Northrop consider holding clinics and classes in-house.
Stressing that he was impressed with the way the city championship was organized, Shoen also recommended that the course not be closed for golfing during the event. He thinks it should be open to golfers.
Northrop agreed, saying about 70 people followed participating golfers during the event.
Ruggiero also said the golf course should not be criticized as a waste of money for the city since the Watertown Municipal Arena loses about $1 million for the city each year, she said.
