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Lago Vista golf pro: rounds and revenue up as irrigation mainline work advances
Summary
City staff reported year‑to‑date rounds up 11% and gross revenue up 23% as crews trench a new irrigation mainline; staff warned of short-term stress to greens during work and said a re-opening event is targeted for late 2027 or spring 2028.
Greg, the golf course pro for Lago Vista, told the Golf Course Advisory Committee on June 23 that rounds and revenue are rising while crews install a new irrigation mainline.
“We are up 11% in rounds year to date,” Greg said, adding that gross revenue is “23% up year to date.” He said June was unusually wet and then turned very hot, which has helped course visibility and patronage but created a window of risk once irrigation work pauses for the replacement project.
Greg described progress on the irrigation replacement as underway: contractors have started trenching the new mainline around parts of the course and a mainline hit earlier this week briefly interrupted watering until a part arrived and staff repaired the break. He said crews have staged the work to avoid closing holes where possible but warned that if watering is interrupted for a week “the greens would all turn brown.”
On finances, Greg reported a net operating income of about $49,903 through June 17 and said he is projecting roughly 35,000 rounds this year, with longer-term operational targets in the 40,000–45,000 range. He said the course was 17,000 rounds three years ago and has more than doubled play since then.
Staffing and capital needs were also on his list. Greg said he is short one maintenance worker and two-and-a-half indoor staff positions and that he has received bids to make modest clubhouse upgrades and to add a pavilion that could support larger events. He told the committee he planned to factor a USGA muni report and those capital items into next year’s budget.
Committee members asked whether the pump house work and related bids are approved; Greg said the pump house is “in the process,” likely tied to a city irrigation bond, but he had not seen the final bid approvals. He also described revenue drivers beyond green fees, including memberships and ancillary income such as the driving range and the clubhouse bar.
Greg said he hopes to stage a “re-grand opening” tied to course improvements and suggested fall 2027 or, ideally, spring 2028 around the Masters as a target if the project timeline and finances allow.
The committee did not take formal action on staff recommendations; members thanked Greg and moved into work-plan discussions.
