Golf in Sun City Texas

As we announced last year at the Developer Town Hall, we made the commitment to conduct a full analysis of adding another golf course into Sun City Texas. The analysis was conducted by a group of residents as part of the Expansion Task Force. This group examined the possibility of adding more golf and the possibility of renovating our existing courses. While this group did not make a recommendation either way, they did point out the positives and negatives of both scenarios.

We also made the commitment that we would examine the final 2014 golf rounds along with the 2015 rounds and revenue. The golf industry has been on a steady decline for several years and we are not immune from this decline. Our total rounds declined from 2013 to 2014 and again rounds will decline from 2014 to 2015. Our residents and the population in general are playing less golf. A copy of our 2013-2015 golf rounds data is published on the website here for all residents to view (resident login required). This data is key in understanding our current golfing outlook in the community.

There was also a recent survey conducted by MOSAK, which many residents participated in, to give us data on future and existing amenities. On the questions related to golf, the dominant reason for playing less was related to physical limitations. Adding more golf would not change the dynamic that we have an aging population and playing 18 holes of golf multiple times per week is being replaced with less frequent 9-hole rounds.

In the end, the data clearly shows that adding a fourth golf course, and the $1 million plus of annual operating expenses, is not something the community is likely to support in the long term given the current trends in golf. We will lose a substantial amount of money this year in golf which will be paid for by the Developer. The long-term trends on revenue are concerning while costs of golf maintenance are also concerning given the volatility of labor, gasoline, and water costs.

Given that the decision has been made not to add a fourth golf course, we can now focus on making improvements to our existing three courses. The Developer will contribute $1 million to making our courses more playable, less expensive to operate, and faster to play. The first step will be to hire a golf course architect who can help the community with ideas on improving conditions, pace of play, and long-term operating costs. This project will be managed by the CA Staff with assistance from members of the golf committee.

I want to thank all of the residents who helped with the golf analysis and know that the long-term sustainability of golf was their key focus. The three courses we have today are great golf courses and with this upcoming project we hope to take them to the next level.

Sincerely,

Brent Baker
Vice President, Pulte Group