Dreams with no money
Golf course expert: Golf course plan is a wish list with no budget

A prairie dog hole is marked by a sign in 12th fairway of Fox Run Golf Course Wednesday.— © 2009 Gallup Independent / Cable Hoover

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent
By Alan Arthur
Sports editor

GALLUP — A person who many consider to be an expert on building golf courses around the world says the recently released six-year rehabilitation plan for the Fox Run Golf Course is nothing more than a ‘wish list.’

Tom Noe, a Gallup native who says he has built 32 golf courses in such locales as Japan, Thailand and Australia, as well as around the United States, talked to the Independent this week after reviewing the plan that was released earlier this month by Director of Golf Operations Bob Weekes.

“That’s a concept,” Noe said of the plan. “It’s somebody’s idea of what they want to do with no budget.”

Noe said the biggest problem that he has with the plan is that there is no budget in place for the work that needs to be done.

“I asked in January if (the city) has started a budget for the reconstruction plan,” Noe said, who had a meeting with city officials that included Weekes at the start of the year. “I couldn’t get a confirmed answer.”

When contacted by the Independent on Thursday, Weekes refused comment.

But Weekes was quoted in the recent news release as saying, “Fox Run Golf Course has a lot of potential, and this plan is a projection of how that potential could be realized.”

The news release also stated that “to secure the funding necessary for success of the plan, the city is currently pursuing grants from the United States Golf Association.”

The release added that the city will pursue aggressive marketing campaigns aimed at Gallup area youth and tourists and that “increased revenues from the business efforts will help fund reconstruction projects.”

Noe said, “The first phase should be the budget. You have to figure out the budget.”

The first step in the plan was discussed on Tuesday night at the Gallup City Council work session, with the council asked to fund a feasibility study by the National Golf Foundation.

At the session, Weekes said the study would cost approximately $17,000.

Noe questioned why the city would want to pay so much for the study, when he feels they could get the study done cheaper elsewhere.

“Why would the city want to pay $17,000 for the study when the USGA (United States Golf Association) will provide the same services for a lot less money.”

According to the USGA Web site (www.usga.org), the association offers an on-site course visit with a regular fee of $2,300 for a half-day visit and $3,100 for a full-day visit. With a pre-May 15 discount, the prices are $1,800 and $2,600 respectively.

“Shouldn’t there be three competitive bids?” Noe asked.

The rehabilitation plan contains two phases. Phase one consists of repairing equipment and training staff, temporary actions to enhance the quality of current play and preparation of long-term rehabilitation. Phase two will be done over the course of two years, allowing half the course to be played while the other half is rebuilt and allowed time to mature, according to the release.

Noe had problems with the timing of some of the tasks, specifically dealing with irrigation. The irrigation system design is planned for July through October in 2009 and building the integrated irrigation system from October 2009 to January 2010. That is followed by the rebuilding of the course, beginning with the front nine rebuild from March through December 2010.

“Why are you putting in the irrigation system before you rebuild the course?” Noe said. “You’re going to end up having to dig up the irrigation system (that was installed).”

He added, “The first phase should be to figure out the budget, then get an architectural design which should show the drainage and irrigation. Then send the plans out to irrigation companies for a free quote.” Noe said many companies do offer a free quote.

The irrigation could be done at a cheaper price with the installation of a single-row system instead of a multi-row system, Noe continued.

Noe added that during the meeting in January, Weekes said “he had a five-year plan and I suggested he put it in the public eye. I said that would solve a lot of the discontent of the golfers if he would let them know what to do.”

Noe said that there continues to be problems with the golf course, specifically with conditions on many holes. He pointed out hole No. 7, where there are bare spots in the fairway and greens, as an example.

“Why hasn’t anybody done anything about number seven,” Noe questioned? “The green has been that way for four years.”

And with the wording of the plan, Noe also wondered, “Does that mean you’re going to leave number seven the way it is for three more years until reconstruction?”

In the proposal by Weekes, he says that he does not expect any improvements for the next two years because the course needs to be rebuilt in three years. Noe says that work can be started on immediately and, for approximately $500,000, the course can be improved.

Noe mentioned that he feels rebuilding greens could cost approximately $10,000 a green and rebuilding the irrigation with a single-row system could cost approximately $200,000. Noe feels the work can be done in about one year, with three holes being worked on a time and temporary greens set up in the meantime to minimize the inconvenience to the golfers. He said it would cost $1.8 million to $10 million to totally rebuild the course. The first priority, Noe said, is the pump and irrigation at a price tag of $750,000. He said new sod is about 17 cents per square foot and 60 acres of sod would be required for the project.

He said fill dirt costs about $1.88 a cubic yard.

Noe also questions on why the city has some equipment that appears to not be used. He says the city has an aerator that is intended to break up the clay and eventually help drain the course. To his knowledge, this aerator has never been used.

In Weekes’ proposal, he says that “some aeration techniques have been tried to address the standing water issue, but these are labor intensive and impractical as a long-term solution.”

Noe also talks about a hyrdo-mulcher and a large turf tractor to pull the mulcher that the city has.

“I have done 32 golf courses around the world and no golf course, public or private, owns their own hydro-mulcher,” Noe said, adding that the price for the hydro-mulcher and tractor runs about $38,000 which could be used to help improve the golf course.

Noe adds that proposal appears to be nothing more a “retirement plan” for Weekes.