HARLINGEN — City leaders Wednesday fell short in their plans to fund the Tony Butler Golf Course’s proposed $3.1 million make-over.
During a joint meeting with city commissioners, members of the Harlingen Community Improvement Board voted to pump their full $1.8 million budget, funded through a one-eighth-cent sales tax earmarked to finance quality-of-life projects, into the project.
Now, commissioners will determine whether they’re going to dip into the city’s budget to fund the entire project.
For about three years, officials have debated overhauling the golf course to help draw more players — and money — after the 91-year-old icon’s run in the red for about eight years.
As part of the overall project, City Manager Dan Serna is calling for a $1.9 million overhaul of the golf course’s old irrigation system.
Meanwhile, the project is also calling for a $575,575 upgrade of the grounds, aimed at pushing up the greens while pumping $264,000 into developing drainage in low-lying areas.
Tight budget
Earlier this year, the improvement board drained much of its budget after members agreed to fund the expanding Lon C. Hill destination park’s $4.1 million second phase.
During Wednesday’s meeting, the board’s decision to pump its remaining $1.8 million into the golf course’s overhaul was based on projections showing the city’s sales tax revenue is expected to climb by about $4.4 million by August 2023, when officials expect to complete the super park’s second phase.
Five-hole sale in limbo
Officials are counting on upgrades to draw more players to the golf course lugging a $400,000 deficit.
Since 2011, the golf course’s rounds of play have plunged from 59,132 to 16,418.
Last year, city commissioners agreed to scale back the 27-hole golf course to 18 holes to help cut maintenance costs.
As part of their plan, city commissioners voted to close the nine-hole short course while trying to sell the 30-acre tract running across holes 19-23, prime land along Interstate 69’s frontage road with an estimated value of about $5 million.
Under the proposal, they planned to use the money to fund upgrades, based on a national consultant’s recommendations.
But officials turned up a decades-old city resolution restricting the land’s use to parks and recreation, City Commissioner Frank Puente said, adding voters would have to decide whether the city could sell the land.
More than a year later, the question of whether the city will sell the nine-hole short course hangs in limbo.
Consultant’s recommendations
In 2019, officials paid $22,000 to hire the National Golf Foundation, a national golf consulting firm, to recommend upgrades aimed pulling the golf course out of the hole.
In a 97-page report, the consultants recommended as much as $3.7 million to $7 million worth of improvements aimed at overhauling much of the golf course.
“We found that course conditions were poor, with partial turf loss on greens, hard, crusty bunkers, drainage problems throughout and an irrigation system that doesn’t keep up with demand in hot summer months to keep the course green,” the report states.
“Based on our evaluation, we believe that Tony Butler Golf Course finds itself in the position of needing to replace nearly all its infrastructure just to survive and remain in business with a functioning golf course.”
Recommendations included rebuilding or replacing “major infrastructure components of the 18-hole course — greens, irrigation system, bunkers, drainage” at a cost of $3.75 million, the report states.
“We recommend, at a minimum, replacing and/or upgrading all major infrastructure components, including greens, irrigation system, bunkers, drainage and tees.”
In-house work
For months, Jeff Hart, the golf course’s new general manager and golf pro, has been working to improve the course.
On the playing field, Hart and his crew are aerating greens while adding fertilizer along with pesticides to kill nematodes — pests that eat up turf.
Along the 163-acre golf course, Hart is aerating the greens while new irrigation equipment has increased the water’s acidity to reduce the soil’s high alkaline content.
Across the rolling grounds, weed control has helped spruce up the fairways, which crews mow to two inches.
