City, golf board at odds over more course funding
By Neal A. Shipman
Farmer Editor
The reluctance of the Watford City City Council to continue to pour money into the Watford City golf course came to a head on Monday, Nov. 18, as the council tabled a request from the Fox Hills Golf Course board for additional funds and a change to their agreement with the city.
The council’s decision, approved during a special city council meeting, followed a meeting between the golf course board and the city’s Finance Committee.
The golf course has struggled financially the past three years and their problems were compounded on Oct. 27, when Landscapes Unlimited Golf Management terminated its management agreement with the board. That termination forced the golf board to close the clubhouse and restaurant for an indefinite period of time.
While David Johnson of the golf course board told the city’s Finance Committee the construction of the new 18-hole golf course is completed and will be fully open next summer, the board is lacking the funds to cover the grow-in costs of the new course.
“We knew that it was going to be difficult financially for the first two years,” stated Johnson. “We anticipated $200,000 in losses for the first two years, not for four years.”
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