Cedarcrest Golf Course cuts back on watering the course

MARYSVILLE — Green is still good when it comes to golf courses, but it’s also OK to be brown.

Cedarcrest Golf Course in Marysville is finally in the green when it comes to making money. The management company Premier Golf Centers took over the course in March and quickly has turned the city course around financially.

But it’s also OK for a course to be brown.

“Brown is the new green,” Premier director of operations Matt Amundsen said at the City Council meeting June 22.

That was even evident at the U.S. Open last month in University Place. Water is expensive, so conserving it and having some brown areas is acceptable in golf now.

“We have the fastest greens in Snohomish County — and true,” said Shane Day, the new pro at Cedarcrest who spent 11 years as the assistant pro at Legion in Everett.

Premier has done many things besides cutting back on watering to turn the course around.

It has a central booking area online, so if a nearby course such as Legion doesn’t have a tee time someone wants, they can come here. Because they manage 13 Puget Sound courses, Premier can buy in bulk and even share employees.

Money made from green fees is up 35 percent this year, thanks to the great weather. But expenses also are way down, 33 percent, meaning profits are the best they’ve been in years.

Parks director Jim Ballew said June 24 that the city had to pay union wages and benefits when it operated the course so it was a “lean operation.” With Premier, it can actually have more employees who work flexible hours and can be seasonal.

Cedarcrest already is one of the firm’s top performers. It ranks fourth in green fees since Premier took over in March, and second in the past few months.

The course is offering food and beverage deals at the restaurant to add value to playing golf there. It also offers a new mobile phone application so golfers can use global positioning system on the course.

Ballew said Premier’s call center also has helped.

“If you miss a call, it’s like losing $240,” he said. “Here, you don’t miss a phone call.”

Premier also offers a Rewards card, which includes small discounts at other courses in the family.

“It’s new and you get to play different courses,” Ballew said.

One thing holding Premier back from having even more success is the course’s antiquated golf cart fleet, said its president Bill Schlicker. On Father’s Day, for example, all the working carts were taken by 9 a.m. On another afternoon, six of them broke down.

As a result, the council OK’d to have Premier trade in 35 old carts for new ones. Since Premier is one of Yamaha’s best customers nationwide, it will get a $1,000 trade in on each one.

Council Member Jeff Seibert was concerned that the city would be trading away its old carts and getting none in return, as the new ones would become Premier’s property. But Ballew said the old carts would only bring in a third of what Yamaha was taking in trade-in.

“There’s no value in the old fleet,” council member Stephen Muller added.

Ballew said a new fleet would bring in more golfers, so the money that could have been made by selling the old fleet would be made in no time at all.

Premier said it has held off on offering other specials because of the car woes.

Mayor Jon Nehring said he has heard of some pace of play complaints. But Schickler said that’s a good thing.

“If you don’t have pace of play complaints you don’t have enough golfers,” Phil said, adding he wants golfers of all abilities to feel comfortable playing at the course. He said if people want to play fast they need to come in the early mornings. If they come in the afternoon, they will have to wait some.

Schickler said he hopes to bring back the volunteer marshal program to keep play moving.

Ballew said the one area not doing well yet is pro shop sales. He added that area will improve when the old merchandise is rotated out.

The parks director said the city’s goal is to provide a new golfing experience. He’s especially glad to see families there.

“This new dynamic has brought new people to the course,” Ballew said.

BREAKOUT BOX

Premier Golf Centers operates 13 municipal golf courses in the Puget Sound area, including four in Snohomish County — Legion Memorial and Walter Hall in Everett, Lynnwood Golf Course, and Cedarcrest Golf Course in Marysville.