The fifth meeting of City Council’s Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee made a significant decision regarding River Road Golf Course. The committee, by a vote of 9 to 5, decided to shut down golf operations at River Road. An earlier vote in the evening, brought forward by Councilor Paul Van Meerbergen, looked at pushing talks of municipal golf to a meeting no later than February of 2021. This was rejected, 9 voting against and 5 voting for.
River Road Golf Course is municipally operated, and runs on a ‘golf pays for golf’ system. This means London’s municipal course is self-sustained, paying for itself through greens fees, membership fees, and every other profit acquired through the course itself. This seems ideal as it keeps the strain away from the taxpayer. Some claim the numbers tell a different story though.
River Road Golf Course has had its rounds played down approximately 37% since 2012. This significant drop has been a result of gradual decreases year by year. The pandemic has played a part in the 2020 decrease, as the city was forced to spread out tee times to ensure social distancing in the clubhouse, and on the course. The city’s golf program lost $106-thousand last year alone, and was operating at a $315-thousand deficit during this time.
River Road Golf Course Clubhouse
The meeting saw public participation, with two individuals discussing the importance of keeping River Road open. Chris Loughry, a representative from Golf Ontario, stressed the increase in golfing during the pandemic, a trend he believes would continue in the future. According to Loughry, golf contributes $6-billion yearly to Ontario, with over $60-million coming from the London area alone.
Dozens of letters have also been sent to City Hall over the past couple weeks from concerned Londoner’s who want to keep River Road Golf Course in operation. The city estimates they can sell the property for $1.8-million.
City Councilors expressed favor for both sides of the issue. Councilor Stephen Hillier considered the land itself, and the dangers of selling it for purposes other than golfing.
“If we lose the property, we might never have a chance to find a property such as this again.” said Hillier.
On top of the fiscal benefits, golf has been shown to be an excellent way to promote mental and physical health.
Councilor Paul Van Meerbergen stressed the importance of the River Road Golf Course and its accessibility to all Londoner’s, especially those who have no vehicle and rely on bicycles or public transit to get to and from the course. He brought up the idea of seeing where the 2021 season will take the city.
“These are the courses we provide for them. The private sector courses cannot provide for these people, so there’s the inclusivity. I say we give it a shot, I think we’ll be very surprised by what we see. We don’t have all the data, and we’re going to make this very drastic decision tonight. So let’s open it up, and see where we’re at in a year from now.”
Another vote during the meeting saw the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee vote 13 to 1, ensuring the proceeds from any sale of the land would be allocated to the municipal golf reserve fund.
London has other courses within the city, including Fanshawe Golf Course and the Thames Valley Golf Club. Managing Director of Parks and Recreation, Scott Stafford, was questioned whether Londoner’s would be able to hit the greens this year with COVID-19 variants and a potential third-wave on the horizon.
“We do anticipate we’ll be able to open golf courses with COVID considerations this summer or spring.” mentioned Stafford.
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