Eagle Valley Golf Course management praised at city meeting

Representatives from the company managing the Eagle Valley Golf Course were optimistic about the future of the city-owned course at the Carson City Parks and Recreation Commission meeting on Tuesday.

Perhaps more importantly, city officials and users of the course were happy with Duncan Golf Management’s operations so far.

“I was actually out on the west course this afternoon,” said resident Gregg Swift, “and it was absolutely swamped … I can’t believe how many people. It was a great afternoon, weather-wise, in December.”

Swift added, “In general, as a local resident, I’m just really happy to have 36 holes out there that were in really good shape this year.”

Parks and Recreation Director Jennifer Budge publicly thanked Duncan Golf for its work.

“You’ve really turned this course around,” she said. “When I first got here, it was a little scary, and you guys are really invested in it, not only with improvements, but with staff and a lot of heart. I think it’s a great public-private partnership. The city would not be able to operate this facility for the public at the low cost that they’re able to do it with the resources we have.”

First hired by the city in 2017 to manage the golf course, Duncan Golf’s current license agreement extends to Dec. 31, 2027, according to the city. The current agreement stipulates Duncan Golf must invest in capital equipment, which the city will own at the end of the agreement. The city and Duncan Golf also work together on improvements to the site.

“Per the agreement, Duncan Golf is required to reinvest 10 percent of their net operating Income back into capital improvements of the golf course, and the city must match that reinvestment,” Budge told the Appeal by email. “This was not triggered until after year 3 of the agreement, after an extensive performance review process. In addition to the capital reinvestment, there is a required $90,000 annual investment by Duncan toward capital equipment, to ultimately be owned by the city upon termination of the agreement. Both parties have exceeded these requirements.”

Budge said joint capital improvements have included bunker rehabilitation, course signage, pumps, irrigation and clubhouse improvements like fire sprinklers and plumbing and sewer upgrades, among other projects.

The city has also been rehabilitating cart paths and has a long-term plan to keep up the work.

“The city has spent $82,756 from the Capital Projects Fund on cart paths, and $75,000 is budgeted for this fiscal year, for spring 2024 construction,” she said. “The initial plan was for an anticipated annual investment of $75,000 toward cart paths. Some cart paths received damage from last year’s severe winter, and the plan will likely need revisiting (for future Board of Supervisors consideration) during the budget process as well as due to increasing construction costs, which have almost doubled since the initial plan. The west course would take approximately eight years for replacement. The east course improvements would begin upon nearing completion of the west course.”

Scott Wackowski, director of operations for Duncan Golf Management, told the parks commission Tuesday the company has invested nearly $800,000 in maintenance equipment, a fleet that will be owned by the city in the future.

“We have had steady growth and then pretty remarkable growth,” he said of revenues. “Our first year here, we were just under a million and a half, and now we’re getting close to two and a half million…when you keep in mind that we have not raised rates one penny since we’ve been there. We have held true to what we said in the beginning that this needs to be a golf course for the city residents and needs to be affordable.”

For information visit https://www.eaglevalleygolfcourse.com/.