County’s golf program site turns a profit
FORT SMITH — The site of Sebastian County’s junior golf program is on track to make money from its first full year of operation.
Jay Randolph, county park administrator and golf course superintendent, said Tuesday the county is estimating a profit for 2021 at the Ben Geren Community Complex.
The complex received $64,292 in revenue against $40,517 in expenses from January to November of this year — a year-to-date profit of $23,775, according to financial figures Randolph provided.
The complex is at 6100 Golf Course Loop, next to Sebastian County’s Ben Geren Golf Course. It used to be the site of the First Tee of Fort Smith, a nonprofit youth golf program that ended in late 2019. The property then reverted back to the county, which takes care of it.
Randolph said a county priority when First Tee closed was continuing a golf program that could get youth in the region outside and active. However, the facility’s name comes from the fact it’s intended for the whole community.
“This golf course that we have up here is a shorter golf course, so it’s perfect for super seniors maybe that don’t hit it as far anymore that can come up here and play,” Randolph said. “It’s great for beginning golfers, whether you’re youth or adult, whether you’re male or female, whatever. This is a great place to start golf at because it’s not a super long golf course.”
Ben Geren golf professional Matt Brown estimated the complex opened in September 2020. It includes a nine-hole golf course, driving range, a short-game area and a putting green.
The Ben Geren Youth Golf Academy had 350 children this past season under Brown’s direction, according to Randolph.
John Martini, a volunteer coach for the academy, said the program ran from the spring through the fall. He believes it gives the community’s youth an opportunity to learn a sport they can play throughout their lives.
“Some of them may not realize how good they really can be,” Martini said. “We’ve had some who found out they’re really, really good, and they’re probably going to be on high school teams and possibly get scholarships to go to college. That’s a great thing.”
Brown said Ben Geren also has a Junior League program at the community complex supported by the Professional Golfers’ Association of America. This program had 32 boys and girls — four teams of eight — who played against each other this season. Eight of the children were assembled into an “all-star team” and played in a district qualifying tournament for the PGA Junior
League championship in Hot Springs Village in August.
Lance Gregory, a volunteer coach for the Junior League program, said the tournament helped the children learn what it’s like to play competitive golf. He considers the first year of the program a success and sees it growing in the future. He also expressed hope the program will compete more frequently against other teams.
This season saw about 42 girls participate in the community complex’s Girls Golf program as well, according to Brown. It was facilitiated through the LPGA and the U.S. Golf Association. The complex was also home to a 12-week program called Ladies Night Out, which offered classes for women, with 10-16 participating on average.
Brown said Ben Geren also worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs in Fayetteville to provide a PGA Helping Our Patriots Everywhere program at the complex. This involved helping disabled veterans learn how to play golf in weekly sessions over six weeks. Five participated this season.
Ben Geren is looking forward to working with the VA to continue it next year, Randolph said. Its the only PGA program of its kind in Arkansas.
Aside from the golf course, the complex features a clubhouse with a small nature center and space that can be rented for meetings and other events. However, Randolph said the ongoing covid-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the prospect of facility rental there.
“We’re hoping that going forward into next year, we can get a lot more rentals up here at this facility in those rooms,” Randolph said.
Randolph noted seven area high schools and the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith used the community complex this year.
The positive revenue for the facility is in keeping with what’s been reported from the county’s larger, 27-hole Ben Geren Golf Course for 2021. The course has generated $803,270 in total revenue from January to November against expenses of $616,531 during the same time, according to a comparison Randolph provided. Additional revenue from the gas well at the golf course was listed at $8,807.