Senate committee advances state takeover of golf courses
State Environment and Conservation Commissioner Jim Fyke emphasized that the four courses should be seen within the department’s “hospitality section,” which also includes inns, marinas and restaurants. That segment currently pays 96 percent of its own bills and is expected to reach total self sufficiency by 2008, he said.
The Senate Environment, Conservation & Tourism Subcommittee grudgingly advanced the request, with the caveat that further efforts are made for private partnerships to manage the Jack Nicklaus-designed “Bear Trace” courses located on state parkland.
“We need to satisfy the taxpayers when we do these things with their money, since the state doesn’t really exist to manage golf course,” said Sen. Mae Beavers, R-Mt. Juliet.
The state took over the courses from Houston-based Redstone Golf Management in December, after the private company declined to maintain its operating agreement with the state as a $2 million debt service payment was about to come due.
The state couldn’t find another private manager to assume the risk, and didn’t want to let the courses get overgrown and unusable. Selling the courses outright is problematic because they are on state park land.
“I feel very strongly if we had decided not to (take them over), we’d be sitting in here right now, explaining why we are letting these course and greens go to waste,” Fyke said.
The timing of the state takeover is also difficult, said state Comptroller John Morgan.
“Here we are at the end of the budget year and beginning of the golf season,” Morgan said. “The worst thing we could do is drop it now.”
Sen. Don McLeary acknowledged that the state doesn’t appear to have many choices.
“The options aren’t very good,” said McLeary, R-Jackson. “My opinion is that you have to take it for two years and see what happens.”
The Legislature in 1993 authorized $20 million worth of general obligation bonds to develop the golf courses in existing state parks. The courses are located at the Harrison Bay, Cumberland Mountain, Tims Ford and Chickasaw parks.
The state also operates eight other 18-hole golf courses.
Critics have said the courses aren’t more popular because they were located in rural areas based on politics instead of more accessible areas. The Chickasaw course, for example, is 20 miles from Interstate 40 in the state Senate district of Lt. Gov. John Wilder.
The takeover plan now advances to the full Senate Environment, Conservation and Tourism Committee.
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On the Net:
Bear Trace: http://www.beartrace.com/
Department of Environment and Conservation: http://www.state.tn.us/environment/