Creek will renovate Boundary Oak Golf Course

"As long as our debt financing is something we can afford on an annual basis, lets go!" said Councilman Gary Skrel, noting that he is a golf enthusiast. "I am for the most improvements that we can afford. This is Walnut Creek and this community expects a high-quality facility."

And city leaders say there is good reason to believe that profits from the course will be enough to pay back the loans.

families would hang out as they wait for a golf game to be over, said Councilwoman Kristina Lawson.

Exactly what will be included in the remodel is not clear yet because it will depend on how much Walnut Creek can Titleist 910 D2 Driver afford when it comes to financing. City leaders are considering revenue bonds, which would be paid back by profits from the golf course not tax dollars. The cost for improvements could be more than $5 million.

Other improvements could include a reconfiguration to the upstairs of the clubhouse where events take place.

While the golf side of the business looks to remain relatively flat, city leaders think there is room for real growth on the food and beverage side -- specifically, in the business of holding weddings and tournaments at the course. This past year there were around 250 events held at the course.

The city and the company CourseCo, which operates Boundary Oak, have created a five-year rolling long-range Mizuno MP-69 Irons financial plan, which forecasts revenue and expenses.

Improvements include structural and mechanical repairs and bringing the facility into ADA compliance. The council was also interested in relocating the cart barn from the west to the east side of the building and replacing it with the grill and pro shop. Council members believed that if the grill was a nicer place to have a meal, more golfers would eat there and spend more money. And

CourseCo predicts Boundary Oak's food and beverage business will grow 25 percent this year, said Tom Isaak, president of CourseCo. Revenues for food and beverage services are projected to be around $1.5 million by the end of this fiscal year and 1.7 million by next fiscal year.

This would not be the first time the discount golf clubs city issued bonds to pay for improvements at the course. Bonds were used in 1997 to pay for new cart paths and an irrigation system.

"It's a forecast based on what we think given the market and the physical facility," Isaak said. "We think its going to take several years to realize that potential. We are kind of catching up with the market."

"I think we would improve access to the golf course for a wide variety of people by making improvements to these facilities," she said. "And over time that means (the course would make more) money."