A synoptic view of golf course management

Abstract

The maintenance, construction, and redesign of private, public, and municipal golf courses in the United States is a multi‐billion dollar industry. The entire golf course maintenance market, according to the National Golf Foundation, was $6.2 billion per year in 1991. The average maintenance cost in the United States was approximately $40,000 per hole per year for the over 15,000 golf courses in the United States in 1991. Golf course maintenance costs have risen 500 percent from 1971 to 1991. These costs are projected to continue to increase at a rate of 8 percent per year due to the demand for quality playing surfaces, increased use of non‐potable water, and taxes on water and chemicals required to maintain turfgrass. The golf course construction and redesign market continues to maintain a rate of over 300 new golf courses and redesigned courses completed each year. The average construction costs run from $4 to $6 million and the average redesign costs $2 to $3 million per course. In order to create a pe...