Jim Boockmeier, new manager of the Village Green Golf Course, speaks Monday, July 23, before the Howard village board. Kevin Boneske Photo
By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
HOWARD – The Howard village board received good news Monday, July 23, about the Village Green Golf Course’s operations for the first six months of 2018 with revenues exceeding expenses for the year by almost $16,000.
Village Director of Administrative Services Chris Haltom said the golf course is in its best financial shape “since Coaches Corner was renting the facility back in 2013.”
“As you can see on the report, we are amortizing those membership fees that we collected at the end of last year,” Haltom said. “We’re amortizing those over a 16-month period. That amounts to $33,750 in revenue that we’ve added to the golf course revenues, which helps overall.”
Haltom pointed out the operating income of just under $15,000 after six months this year compares to having operating losses for the same time period in each of the previous four years.
“So it’s definitely turning the corner,” he said. “The restaurant made money in the month of June. We did not make any money last year on the restaurant in any month. We did the year before.”
Haltom noted the restaurant reported just over $3,000 in operating income for the month of June, though it lost $8,140 over the first six months with the restaurant being closed January though most of April this year.
The unaudited golf course financial report through June 30 listed total operating revenue of $227,641 and total operating expenses of $212,892 along with total non-operating revenue of $1,199 for net income of $15,948.
New manager
The golf course’s new manager, Jim Boockmeier, also appeared before the board.
Boockmeier said he has been in the golf industry “my entire career” and a golf course manager and owner in a couple of states, most recently having owned a golf course for 16 years in Two Rivers that was sold in March before he started as the manager at Village Green the first week in May.
“I always tell people I don’t pretend to have all the answers in golf course management,” he said. “I can assure you I’ve made every mistake possible through the years, and I’ve learned my way.”
Boockmeier said he understands the importance of the Village Green Golf Course to the community.
“It’s really, truly an asset…,” he said. “You have a very, very nice little golf course here.”
Boockmeier said his No. 1 goal for the course, after last fall’s membership drive, is to manage new members and blend them in with the existing business to get them to renew their memberships.
“Along with those visits to the golf course, I want them to stay and enjoy the bar and grill,” he said. “Use them as the base of our business.”
Boockmeier said he wants the bar and grill to “become a destination spot for the village.”
“We’re not a restaurant, we’re a bar and grill,” he said. “We’re a village pub.”
By having a place where people can go to get a burger, chili, a sandwich or a pizza and have some drinks and watch football, Boockmeier said he believes that would attract non-golfers.
Boockmeier said he has been working with Haltom and Village Administrator Paul Evert to control expenses.
“That’s why these numbers are so much better,” Boockmeier said. “I want to build on what we have.”
Haltom said one of the reasons why the golf course operation has been making money this year is because
Boockmeier is “working his butt off in the restaurant and the golf side.”
“He’s taking a lot of hours, a lot of shifts, from his base salary that he gets,” Haltom said. “It’s one of the things that we tried to stress to some of our previous managers and Jim’s taking it to heart.”