Golf course thrives during the pandemic
Diablo Creek hosts 40% more rounds; popularity fuels need for upgrades
When Diablo Creek Golf Course was allowed to reopen last year during the coronavirus pandemic, the tee times at its spacious greens saw a “remarkable and unpredictable uptick,” according to a city official.
Because golf is the ultimate physical distance sport, the course thrived, hosting 40% more rounds than in past years as people tired of being cooped up under stay-home health orders sought outdoor refuge. Officials believe they’ll net more than $300,000 at the city-owned course when the fiscal year ends this month.
But all that play also has brought more attention to an aging clubhouse that doesn’t always meet customers’ expectations, course director Joe Fernandez acknowledged in a recent interview. For starters, the clubhouse is too small and the greens are outdated.
If the crowds keep coming, he and city officials will have to make upgrades sooner than later.
“The clubhouse was built in 1963,” Fernandez said. “It’s had two face-lifts — we’ve painted it and replaced the flooring — but it’s dated compared to a lot of modern buildings, and long-term there’s got to be a plan of eventually replacing that building.”
The 18-hole course features a
professional sporting goods shop, as well as a bar and grill. Fernandez said it’s time to expand the fairway and greens, since modern golf club technology enable golfers to take bigger swings that launch balls farther than ever.
Another catalyst for the golf course improvements would be the long-awaited mixed-use development of the nearby former naval weapons station site, which should lead to expansion of a road that connects to Port Chicago Highway, where the course is located. Eventual construction will require developers to cut through the southern portion of the course.
“What’s unique about that is it will provide us with the opportunity to redesign the course,” Steve Voorhies, Concord’s director of parks and recreation, said in an interview. “At the very least, it could mean a redesign of the whole architecture.”
If Diablo Creek does get a makeover, the Concord City Council may need to set up a capital improvement fund to cover the costs, which will be reimbursed over time. The council established a $2 million fund in the late 1990s to finance irrigation system improvements, among other upgrades.
Though owned by the city, Diablo Creek operates like a typical business that relies on paying customers, not taxpayers, to exist.
But unlike many businesses hurt by closures and capacity restrictions imposed by pandemic health orders, Diablo Creek weathered the rough times so well that what qualified as a “crisis” was a temporary shortage of driving-range golf balls, Fernandez said, citing high customer demand coronavirus-related supply disruptions as reasons.
All in all, the pandemic “turned out to be a real bright spot” for the golf course, Voorhies agreed. “People were able to play the sport in a safe way during the pandemic, and I think that was partially responsible for the resurgence of golf as a recreational activity.”
He said Diablo Creek hasn’t been this busy since the late 1990s when Tiger Woods’ rise to icon status spurred the creation of other golf courses in Contra Costa County.
Now that the pandemic finally appears to be waning and people are no longer hampered by public health orders, however, other outside attractions will compete with other golf courses for public attention.
But Fernandez, a golfer with PGA-level experience, says he’s counting on the resurgent interest in golf to keep people hitting the greens.
“I’m hoping we did our due diligence on gathering info, so we can continue promoting the facility and keep our customers here,” he said.