It’s not low-cost to maintain a golf course.
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If you’re like many golfers, you don’t hassle monitoring each cent you spend on this beguiling recreation. Green charges? Maybe. But what about journey, golf equipment, equipment, classes, wagers, scorching canine at the flip? The greatest you can in all probability give us is a guesstimate.
Superintendents don’t have that luxurious.
On prime of each day duties like mowing greens and slicing holes, supers additionally draw up detailed upkeep budgets that cowl every little thing from equipment and staffing to fertilizer, gasoline and fungicides.
So, what does it cost to sustain a course?
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The reply varies with a vary of things, reminiscent of local weather, competitors and kind of membership.
But each tremendous is aware of his or her quantity.
With assist from Terry Buchen, a longtime superintendent-turned-industry guide, and knowledge from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, right here’s a birdie’s-eye view of the averages annual bills for 18-hole programs in the United States.
Total Maintenance Costs by Course Type
Municipal: $621,190
Semi-Private: $567,346
Private: $1,083,647
Daily Fee: $556,613
Overall Average: $810,254
Labor Expenses by Course Type
Municipal: $349,839
Semi-Private: $312,476
Private: $630,104
Daily Fee: $294,456
Overall Average: $463,163
Fun Fact: According to Buchen, public-access programs usually have 12 to 18 upkeep workers, which incorporates seasonal workers the place relevant. At non-public golf equipment, the typical vary is eighteen to 25 upkeep staffers.
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Largest Expense Categories
Labor: 56.74%
Fertilizer: 5.05%
Equipment Lease Expense: 5.01%
Repair Maintenance/Equipment: 4.56%
Fungicides: 4.28%
Fuel and Lubricants: 2.65%
What about water?
Water is a important upkeep cost as nicely, however not all programs have to pay for it, relying as a substitute on sources reminiscent of wells, ponds, creeks and rivers. According to a GCSAA survey, 26 % of programs purchase water, at a 13 % cost of their upkeep finances. Not surprisingly, water prices range broadly by area. The common nationwide outlay is $107,000 yearly, with the costliest area being the Southwest, the place programs spend a median of $238,000 a yr.
How a lot does gear cost?
Equipment prices are usually based mostly on engine horsepower. The bigger the engine, the costlier the machine. Rough mowers, as an illustration, are anticipated to fetch about $100,000 in 2023, with fairway mowers coming in at round $80,000; triplex mowers at $50,000; and walk-mowers at $20,000. An exception to the horsepower rule is sprayers, which, relying on the dimension of the tank and the built-in know-how, can cost about the similar as a tough mower.
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To purchase or to lease?
When it comes to upkeep gear, that’s the query. Buchen says the reply usually depends upon whether or not that gear is used every single day, or once in a while. Every-day machines, reminiscent of mowers, sprayers, and riding-bunker rakes, are usually leased for 3 to 5 years, after which changed when that expires. Equipment that’s not used every single day — suppose aerifiers, vacuums, over-seeders, dump vans and such — is often bought. A course ranging from scratch wants a lot of apparatus. Buchen says that a new non-public membership usually spends $2 million-plus to get itself totally outfitted.
Sweating the small stuff
Course equipment, like flags, tee markers and ball washers, don’t qualify as a main expense. But each little bit provides up. On common, programs spend roughly $4,000 a yr on these things.
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