Council votes to close Richmond Green Golf Course at the end of the season

Richmond Green golf course operated at a loss of $469,379 between 2015 and 2017, according to a city report.

A city-owned golf course will be closed at the end of this season, council voted Monday.

Councillors voted nearly unanimously in favour of closing Richmond Green Golf Course, with Mayor Naheed Nenshi the lone vote in favour of keeping the southwest links open.

The par-three, nine-hole course is one of eight the city operates at six sites.

The motion to close the course was brought forward by Coun. Ward Sutherland and Coun. Diane Colley-Urquhart as a cost-saving measure.

A recent feasibility study looking at operation and maintenance expenditures found it costs the city about $150,000 per year to keep Richmond Green running.

Overall, the study showed four of the city’s six golf sites failed to make a profit between 2015 and 2017, costing about $2 million overall.

The following is the net (revenue minus expenses) for each of the City of Calgary golf course locations according to the City of Calgary’s ‘Golf Revenue and Expenses by Course: 2015-2017':

Profitability was also affected by a number of factors, including:

City officials are also looking at the future of the other courses.