"The Patch" loses money every year.
Augusta State University has money and needs land to expand.
But a proposal being floated for Augusta to sell its city-owned golf course to the university system is getting only mixed reactions from area officials.
The course has operated in the red for several years, and lost $157,000 in 2009, said Commissioner Bill Lockett, the chairman of a subcommittee tasked with examining operations at the course.
Committee members were surprised when, in February, Augusta State Coordinator for Academic and Master Planning Kathy Hamrick began attending the golf course meetings, said Keven Mack, who serves on the committee.
And Tuesday, Hamrick expressed ASU's willingness to acquire the course, for a potential expansion of university facilities at the Damascus Road site, Mack said.
The 18-hole course nicknamed "The Patch," located at 2023 Highland Ave., borders Daniel Field airport to the south. Across Damascus Road is University Village, Augusta State's student apartments. Augusta State's main campus on Walton Way is landlocked and cannot grow.
The university is looking for a direction in which to expand and has considered spreading south along Highland Avenue, University President William Bloodworth said Wednesday.
"There's no other reason, other than the availability of land, that Augusta State can't be the size of Valdosta State," Bloodworth said.
As it develops a new master plan for university growth, officials are "starting to look at potential property acquisition," Bloodworth said.
"Augusta's an attractive place for people to go off to school. We want to be able to handle the growth that could easily come our way."
But for ASU to build on the course, it would have to close, eventually, or shrink drastically.
The answer to that concern could be another of the Augusta area's 12 public golf courses -- Forest Hills, owned by the Board of Regents.
Lockett, whose commission ward includes The Patch and surrounding neighborhoods, said he would be receptive to Augusta State expanding its facilities into the area.
"First of all, I want to try to do what's best for my constituents. At the same time, I can understand the need that Augusta State has," he said. "They anticipate their enrollment is going to double.
"I would love to have Augusta State on Highland Avenue."
A recent appraisal put the value of the course, built in 1928, at approximately $2 million, Lockett said.
ASU has proposed allowing Patch members to be "grandfathered in" as members at Forest Hills, if the sale went forward, Lockett said.
The Patch currently has about 150 members.
"From the meeting yesterday, I think that they (at ASU) feel that if it did become available, they would have the funds to make the purchase," Lockett said.
However, committee members are willing to explore other options for keeping the course intact, including adding food and liquor sales and increasing membership and green fees, Lockett said.
"My main concern is that we have affordable golf, that we maintain some form of a municipal golf course," said Mack. "At this point, I am in favor of the golf course remaining open."
Commissioner Joe Bowles, whose practice at The Patch helped him to earn a college golf scholarship, said Augusta should hang on to the course, but that management should be turned over to a private firm.
"I'm not looking for the course to be profitable, I'm just looking for it to break even and not be a burden on the taxpayers," Bowles said.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010. All Rights Reserved.
Thank you Joe. Let's keep the patch, I mean wasn't there a huge article with all the ASU folks crying about cuts in programs? Now we see that there MUST be moneny INSIDE the system, it is just ear-marked for 'expansion' instead of teaching.
Until the budget is back on track ALL this 'Master Plan' non-sense and 'growth' should be put on hold.
Funny, one day they act like the sky is falling and thousands of students will be dropped, the next they are talking about buying a $2,000,000.00 golf course so we can be 'as big as Valdosta State.'
Cut the damned DDA and all these other leeches on our backs BEFORE something useful like a golf course that helps produce citizens like Joe Bowles is cut or sold.
Brad
Well, I was going to post a comment, but after reading Brad's, I don't need to. 'nuff said!
Why not look downtown for property? Can you imagine what student housing would do to the downtown area. Look at downtown Athens & Birmingham. A college can do wonders for a downtown area.
Ok let me see if I read the 1st part right "Augusta State University has money and needs land to expand". Is this not the same school that just said last week they need to cut programs? Only in backwards Georgia (or Augusta) where golf is more important than nursing. Gezzz give me a freakin break folks. If Augusta State buys this land there needs to be an uproar and a whole lot of questions asked.
My2cents, I've brought that up, too. I agree it could work wonders. Look at the College of Charleston for an example of how to spread out from the campus all over the city.
asu pr in overtime
First, save the nursing school, the theatre, music and arts departments, and then think about buying land.
Brad's comment says it all.
Sell the patch. It's a miserable excuse for a golf course, loses money, and all to sustain a membership of 150?
Only in Augusta: refuse an offer of $2mil to continue losing 150-200k a yr. For a horrible golf course.
jshsmmfh
ASU should have at least had the sense to wait until the uproar over cutting programs died down before announcing that they were looking to expand. This makes me sick, where are their priorities???
It is like telling your banker you can't make your loan payment, but then running into him/her while dining at a fancy restaraunt. Talk about where priorities are at!
Trade "the patch" for the "Golf Hall of Same and Gardens". How many "golf courses" does ASU need? Didn't the "U S Military give them the "Oliver General Hospital Course"? Didn't the U S Military give Augusta Daniel Field and Bush Field? Didn't the U S Military give the "barracks on Damascus Rd. to the city of Augusta? It seems that "Fort Gordon" is keeping Augusta Alive!!!! Dysfunction Junction. All Aboooard!!! At least we have "Uncle Joe" to keep the locals on track. LOL
Joe Bowles, Mr. Libertarian himself, should know better. There is NO reason for government to be in the business of managing a golf course. Unless, of course, the governing class believes it provides the opportunity for personal gain for themselves or their cronies. Mark it down: as long as the city maintains ownership of what should be a private enterprise it WILL be a drain on the taxpayers Mr. Libertarian purports to represent.
Funding at all universities does not come from the BOR. We look at ASU like they have one big checkbook. There are funds for projects like this that by law are separate from academic services which the BOR controls. If ASU has the money let them purchase the property and develope that area. If you are so concerned about saving the Patch, then go use it weekly.
Brad has done it again. Said something that makes great sense and should be reported on all media outlets. It is shameful for ASU to talk about buying a golf course for expansion when the legislative folks just talked about slowing down or halting the MCG expansion in Athens. Do students really matter to all involved. These dollars can be used to fund the Nurses program. All capitol expansion in the University System should be halted for the next 18 months unless shovels are already in the ground.
First off, AMEN Brad!!! Second, DON'T give them the patch, keep it for the city, tell ASU they can expand downtown, give them that pension property of the Golf & Gardens property. Like others have said, having some of the college downtown would do WONDERS for that area.
Stanley is right folks. The GBoard of Regions was the one who said the programs COULD be cut. If you don't know, this was a scare tactic that said if you make the Universities cut their funds this is what valuable programs and other options the schools will loose. Read the article about the cuts over again. The money that ASU has to expand will ensure the programs will stay.
My reasons for wanting the Patch to stay open are selfish. I learned to play golf there in the early 60's and have many memories of family and friends playing there. But it is still a very affordable place to play and whenever I return to Augusta for visits I still enjoy the place. Raise the green fees if you must but please don't abandon the place.
WHATMISTAKE, should we close down all recreation centers??? The tennis center and the aquatic center??? There is something to say about quality of life functions of a city, don't you think????
huh. isn't forrest hills better? let's ask the 150 members if they'd rather be grandfathered in there. if they can keep paying their patch rates for a membership at forrest hills, i bet they'd go for it.
that can't be the real joe bowles. is that you, joe, speaking up for parks??? next you're gonna be worried about public transportation.
A great spot to build university facilities such as dorms and classrooms. Right at the end of a runway. Theres a reason that spot was never built up.
On the save The Patch issue, raising the fees won't save it, using it will save it. The people who use it now do so in order to play golf cheaply. If the fees are raised, the people who do play it now, may not in the future.
For the programs that are proposed to be cut, why are we shooting the messenger? MCG and ASU are only following orders from the GA BOR (appointed by our governer)and the Legislative folks (we voted for).
Mary Ditz, I am for recreation facilities that are passive, as for the Adult and Child care centers that the city runs, I am opposed. If communities want them then they should run them like, The Jamestown Center and the Hickman Park facility. This would save the taxpayers about 3 Million dollars a year and then we could give the Sheriff the funds needed to protect our community. As for transit, we need to have a management company run that as well.
There are obviously some very arrogant, stupid, and out of touch folks running ASU. Who's in charge of the voice/noise coming from that place?
A-RC is supposed to lose $157,000 for the benefit of 150 people? What?
One point we may be overlooking is that the ASU lady who presented the idea on TV carefully explained that she knew this was not going to happen any time soon. She acknowledged the same concerns that were voiced here about the cutbacks with the programs and so on. She was very understanding of the issues.
I think we all may be jumping on ASU a little too much when she clearly said this would be poor timing for expansion, but if in the future the city was going to get rid of the property, ASU could be interested for future expansion of the Wrightsboro Rd campus. Didn’t any of y’all see the interview?
Wow 2 Million dollars worth of assets for 150 members. It would appear the taxpayers subsidize each member a little over $1,000 a year. But of course that isn't the same as welfare is it. Does the city own any bowling alleys, mini golf coursee, Horse stables, Go cart tracks or heaven forbid dragstrips? We may need to buy some to make sure everyones sport is being subsidized.
By the way, what do you do if you are in charge of an activity that is laying people off, suspending services and closing buildings? Why, you go out and buy more assets. That is the way to add points to your yearly perfromance bonus.
Seriously folks?!?! Sentimental value in a time of economic crisis?!?! Hmm...$2 million to the city; increased revenues from a growing ASU student body; more residents (i.e., ASU staff and faculty hires) moving to Augusta (or nearby); increased small business development (e.g., restaurants, speciality shops; etc) around the Highland Park / Damascus / Wrightsboro Rd area to cater to student demands; increasing home values in the area; and, 150 Patch members get to go to a better course. The ASU plan may not be the "best plan," but gee whez....we can ill-afford to be cynical every time someone proposes something that might actually help the city. Curmudgeons are we?