FLINT -- It's tee-time at Flint’s Kearsley Lake golf course, and new management this season is driving a steady stream of business.
Golfers say, so far, the course is a hole in one.
"Right now it looks great,” James Amrich said. “We putted on the green there, and it looks fine and everything's green and looks real good."
Flint City Golf, LLC now manages the course, along with the city-owned Swartz Creek and Pierce Park courses. The start-up company jumped at the chance to give the poorly-maintained courses a facelift. and take the financial burden off the city.
"The condition here was not in the best of shape,” manager Adam Warda said.
The company signed a five-year lease in late March to manage and maintain the Kearsley Lake course, and spent about a month manicuring the greens before opening to the public. It also signed a two-year lease for Swartz Creek and a ten-year lease for Pierce Park.
"It allows the city then to at least get some money back and not have to worry about spending more money,” Warda said.
Upkeep doesn't come cheap. Between fertilizing, mowing and gassing up the golf carts, maintenance adds up to roughly $10,000 dollars a month.
But Warda says it's a small price to continue a legacy.
He said, “These courses have been here, 40, 50, 60 years and they're unique courses. These are not the country club courses. These are courses for everyday people to come out and just have a good time on it.”
Prices are relatively low. $20 for 18 holes and a cart, or $50 if you play with a buddy. Season passes are $700 and $500 for seniors. Rates go up June 1.
