Liquor at the golf course?
Survey reveals many local golfers would like a 19th hole

By Bill Donovan
Staff writer

GALLUP — A lot of local golfers who play at the municipal golf course would like to see a 19th hole at the course.

The 19th hole, of course, is an area where golfers can go to after playing golf where they could buy snacks and beer.

Twenty-eight of the 70 golfers who filled out a recent survey conducted by the city’s advisory golf committee said they were in favor of selling beer at the golf course with many of them pointing out that this is the practice at most golf courses throughout the nation.

More than half said they were in favor of creating a snack bar at the golf course that would sell hot food — such as hot dogs and hamburgers — as well as sandwiches.

Several golfers who took the survey were adamant that the worst thing the city could do would be to allow the sale of beer and wine at the course.

“Absolutely not,” said one respondent. “There are too many people who think that they know how to play golf and are rude. Adding beer would only make their behavior worse.”

Several of those who took the survey pointed out that they thought allowing beer sales at the golf course would be hypocritical since on one hand the city is saying Gallup has a major problem with liquor and on the other hand would be making money off the sale of liquor.

A couple of golfers pointed out in their survey that beer is already present on the golf course since golfers at special events already bring their own beer.

David Bischoff, head of the city’s advisory golf committee, said one of the problems with allowing beer on the course would be who would be responsible for monitoring it.

The logical person at the Gallup golf course would be the golf pro but he’s also responsible for maintaining the pro shop.

What happens at many golf courses, Bischoff said, is that the course has security personnel who work under the golf pro and monitor behavior of golfers, not only in the area of drinking, but to make sure that they are courteous to other golfers and follow the rules of the course.

As for the idea of a snack bar at the course, that’s a suggestion he has heard time and time again from golfers who can’t understand why the city doesn’t do that because it would increase revenue.

The closest thing that the city golf course has had to a snack bar, Bischoff said, was a hot dog machine but this was discontinued after officials for the area Environmental Health raised concerns.

He said the easiest way to go about this is to convert the locker area under the pro shop into a snack bar. This would allow golfers to drive right up to the snack bar to buy items.

“The locker area is used by just a few golfers,” he said, and then only to store their golf clubs. He said he doubts anyone uses it to change clothes.

If the locker area was changed to a snack bar, the lockers could be housed in the pro shop since there is a lot of unused space there.

As for the sale of beer, he said the snack bar issue should be resolved first before any discussion of liquor sales is undertaken.

One of those who filled out the survey suggested that someone could go around the course at regular intervals and sell snacks and drinks, which would also increase he revenue to the city.

Bischoff said he saw no reason why this can’t be done but it would have to be coordinated by the pro shop staff.

When asked if the advisory committee was going to recommend the city take action in either of these areas, Bischoff said that one thing people have to understand is that while the city has an advisory committee on golf issues, he has seen no indication that anyone in the city either listens to what the committee says or is concerned enough to ask the committee for its recommendation.

He pointed out that the committee was set up at a time that city officials were getting criticism from the media and the golfers about conditions at the course.

As a result, there is a feeling among many committee members, that the sole purpose of the committee is so that the city, instead of addressing any concerns, can just tell people to send these concerns to the golf committee.