By Melissa Jenco, Chicago Tribune Reporter
6:14 p.m CDT, October 25, 2013
The Naperville Park District's two golf course clubhouses may be getting upgrades they hope will bring them up to par.
Park officials are exploring several options for the facilities constructed more than 20 years ago and say they hope the changes will entice golfers to stick around after they play.
"The focus groups, they say I don't see anything in this shack … basically, that you call a clubhouse," Park District Executive Director Ray McGury said.
He stressed the Park District will be aiming to give the clubhouses a face lift and the feel of sports bars. It will not be transforming them into upscale banquet facilities like those at Arrowhead Golf Club in Wheaton or the Bolingbrook Golf Club.
Most of Naperville Park District's focus is on Springbrook Golf Course the busier of the two courses. Three options are on the table. Option A would include new tables and chairs, fresh paint, more TVs and a limited bar. Ed Provow, director of golf, said the current tables and chairs are original to the facility and have been breaking.
"We've got our money out of them," he said. "It's time to upgrade a little bit."
On the outside, the Park District would update the patio and furnish it with TVs and more tables. Preliminary cost estimates put Option A at about $391,000.
Option B would include the upgrades from the first option on the inside, but would have a full-service bar with draft beer and mixed drinks. Outside, it calls for a covered patio.
"A solid porch certainly would help against the elements, it help with outside TVs," Provow said.
This option would cost about $670,000.
He called Option C the "lipstick option," and said it would include new paint, carpeting and chairs. It would cost about $95,000.
Regardless of which option is chosen, the Park District also is looking into purchasing new frying equipment that would allow Springbrook to expand the menu.
"I think we're looking at trying to utilize the concession area, more food and beverage, create sort of a bar type of atmosphere and more bar food so that people feel comfortable staying around after their round," Commissioner Marie Todd said.
At Naperbrook Golf Course, the Park District is considering new tables and chairs, paint and carpeting as well as additional TVs. Crews also would fix the pavers on the patio that have been buckling. Officials estimate the cost would be just over $189,000.
"Just dress it up, clean it up," Provow said.
Officials are still discussing how the renovation work would be funded. Typically golf course operations and projects come out of a golf fund, which gets its revenue from the fees golfers pay.
The Park District is discussing the possibility of a small rate increase at its courses, but McGury said that is to cover other expenses and is not tied to the proposed renovations.
Commissioner Bill Eagan said he is leaning toward Option B if the district moves forward with renovations, but he and others expressed concern over the future of golf.
"What if golf falls back in the next couple years, people don't come back to golfing?" he asked.
Todd said if the Park District expands its concessions, it would bring in more revenue even if the number of rounds does not increase. McGury also said golf operations are on track to be in the black this year.
Commissioners will vote on a renovation plan before the end of the year, according to McGury. If one is approved, the major work could start in the fall of 2014 and be ready during the 2015 golf season.
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