FORT WALTON BEACH —After more than a year of dealing with a greens-killing fungus, the city’s golf courses are rebounding slowly but surely.
The dry, sandy patches aren’t entirely gone, but the Fort Walton Beach Golf Club’s two courses are the healthiest they’ve been since the spring of 2012.
“This has been about a 14-month ordeal,” said Jeff Peters, the city’s recreation and cultural services director. “There is no comparison to the condition of the course a year ago.”
That healthy uptick, along with the City Council’s recent decision to move the Golf Club’s operational budget into the general fund, has city officials cautiously optimistic about the coming year. Instead of an unprofitable enterprise fund, the club will be on par with other city services that charge user fees.
The move also is expected to save the city $370,000.
“It gives the golf course its best opportunity to make money,” City Manager Michael Beedie said. “It allows us to operate the course the way it should have always been operated.”
Losing the greens
Golf Club officials began to worry after a pesticide application to ward off nematodes scorched most of the grounds in mid-2012. A fungus and hard-packed soil also didn’t help, said David Trimm, the club’s pro and business manager.
Some of the greens on the Pines course were there when the club opened in 1961, he said.
“The soil underneath doesn’t allow the water to percolate,” Trimm added.
Soon, the bright green of the club’s Oaks course was mottled with a faded, scrubby brown.
“We would actually tell (customers) our golf course wasn’t in good shape,” Trimm said. “That’s not really good, but you have to be honest or they’ll never be back.”
Trimm said many golfers will tolerate mediocre tees and fairways, but draw the line at bad greens.
“It takes all the fun out of it. … They will not put up with it,” he said. “When they get on the green, they want to make a putt and it needs to be smooth.”
Trimm relied on multiple temporary greens last summer to accommodate players.
“We cut it down, top dressed it and placed a hole in each one,” he said.
Losing the greens resulted in a significant loss of day-to-day traffic but had less effect on the club’s long-term membership, which stands at 650.
The 10-man ground crew’s meticulous care has been largely successful in restoring the courses, Trimm said.
“They have worked so hard in getting this place back,” he said. “It touches these guys personally.”
The Oaks course is the further along.
“The Pines Course is about two weeks behind that,” Peters said.
He said golfers have begun to return as news of the courses’ improved condition has spread.
Since June 1, customers have played 3,192 rounds of golf, a 30 percent increase over the same time period in 2012.
“If there is one good thing that’s come out of all of this, it’s that more people are playing The Oaks and more people appreciate the golf course now,” Trimm said.
Seeking new markets
Now Beedie is working with Peters and Trimm to boost the golf club’s marketing strategies.
Although it has loyal members, Beedie said he plans to go online to tap new markets.
“We’re going to hit Facebook, Twitter, all those popular social media sites,” he said. “That way we can snap pictures of the greens and show people how good they look.”
Trimm said an increasing number of golfers already book their tee times online, using the popular site www.golfnow.com.
Beedie said customers can be assured that the golf club’s shift from an enterprise fund to a standard recreational service won’t translate to higher greens fees.
“We’re not going to raise the rates,” he said.
The club is getting creative with specials — a $39 greens and cart fee — to compete with the area’s many other courses.
“We feel like we’re the most competitively priced golf course in this area,” Peters said.
Trimm said he views the Golf Club as an integral piece of the local tourist offerings.
“There are people who come here not only for the beach but also to play golf,” he said. “It just behooves us to have some really good (courses).”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari C. Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.