(KCPW News) The Salt Lake City Council will begin discussions today about a proposal to close the Jordan River Par 3 Golf Course in Rose Park as part of the city’s annual budgeting process. Council Chairman Soren Simonsen says the course is losing tens of thousands of dollars each year, and it’s money that could be put to better use.
“I’ve raised the issue for a number of years of ‘is it really worthwhile to continue to subsidize this when we have so many unmet capital needs at other courses?’ It may be better off to not continue to subsidize this course, and instead to use revenue generated at other courses to make sure those courses are in great condition,” says Simonsen.
The proposal calls for the course’s practice area, as well as several holes, to remain open for golf training. Simonsen says the Jordan River course is great for beginning golfers to learn the game, and that’s the drawback to closing it. However, he says the city can make up for that.
“There are probably other ways that we can address new learners throughout our other courses, and maybe even develop some training programs here with this course, but just not use it as a full executive par 3 course,” says Simonsen.
The property the course sits on is currently zoned for open space. However, if it’s shut down, there are no other plans in place to address how it will be used.
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