Lago Vista golf advisory committee elects officers and hears irrigation timeline as rounds, revenue climb

The Lago Vista Golf Course Advisory Committee on Jan. 16 elected Larry Russell as chair, Jack Desjardins as vice chair and Susie Mumford as secretary, and heard from city staff that a contractor pre-construction meeting for a long-planned irrigation replacement is scheduled for Feb. 11.

The committee’s city council liaison, Paul Prince, and Greg, a golf operations staff member, told members the irrigation project and a related pond contract approved by the City Council should allow staff to irrigate more reliably and improve course condition. "We have our pre construction meeting February 11th," Greg said. "We will probably start sometime before March 1 on the irrigation side." He added that the project is expected to be staged so only one or two holes are out of play at a time and expressed a goal of having irrigation work mostly wrapped by Labor Day of this year.

The timeline matters because Greg said course play and revenue have risen sharply after changes to maintenance and staffing. "We're up approximately 53% in rounds and revenue year to date," he told the committee, citing year-to-date comparisons that include data through January. He said the course handled about 18,000 rounds per year when he arrived and that recent months have shown gains that could bring the course close to breaking even in fiscal 2026 if trends hold.

Why it matters: city officials and committee members told the group the irrigation replacement is the next practical step to stabilize turf conditions and free staff time for routine maintenance tasks—work that Greg described as necessary before larger renovation projects such as tee-box or bunker rebuilds. Prince, the council liaison, urged committee members to consider the golf course’s role in the city’s broader master plan and to review the consultant’s draft because there is a short window to provide input before the plan is finalized.

Committee business and votes The committee opened with introductions of several new members and moved immediately to elections. The panel approved officer positions by voice vote; there was no roll-call tally recorded in the meeting minutes. After elections, the committee approved minutes from its previous meeting.

Irrigation, ponds and operations: what staff told the committee Greg and the course superintendent, George, described several technical and operational points about the irrigation plan: - The irrigation contractor team is scheduled to begin site work in late February to mid-March, with a Feb. 11 pre-construction meeting confirmed. - Work will be staged by hole so the most holes closed at one time will be one or two; that approach is intended to preserve tee-time revenue and reduce disruption. - The project will use portions of the existing system and temporary water tanks to maintain watering during construction; staff said the plan reduces the risk that old lines and debris will compromise the new system and that head-cleaning and prioritization of green complexes are already improving conditions.

Prince reminded members that City Council recently approved a separate contract for pond work that supplies water to the course; staff said the first pond (identified in council materials as Pond 2) could take about four to six months after construction begins to deliver usable water.

Course condition and next steps Greg told the committee that greens have improved and that once irrigation is complete, staff can focus on tee boxes, fairways and other maintenance practices. He said that bunkers remain a longer-term, labor-intensive item.

Several committee members urged the advisory group to consider the golf course’s role in the city’s economic development and in the draft comprehensive/master plan. Prince said he would ask Council whether the committee should provide formal input on the draft plan before it is finalized.

What the committee directed or will do next - Committee members agreed to review the consultant’s draft comprehensive/parks master-plan materials in the weeks before the next meeting and to use an email discussion thread to prepare any formal input to City Council. - Prince said he would ask Council for any specific tasks it wants the committee to address this year and report back.

Context and constraints Prince reminded members that the advisory committee is advisory only; the committee cannot bind the city, award contracts or direct staff on personnel matters. He also summarized recent Council guidance that advisory committees have more flexibility than decision-making boards under the Texas Open Meetings Act, but he recommended prudence in scheduling public meetings and field visits.

The committee set a plan to reconvene next month to finalize a work plan that could include short-term items (master-plan input, marketing and non-golf clubhouse uses) and longer-term capital priorities (irrigation completion, tee-box and bunker work).

Ending note: members praised the recent rise in rounds and expressed optimism that the irrigation work, if completed on the timeline presented, will allow the course to continue improving and reduce the city’s subsidy over the next two fiscal years.