The Myrtle Beach, S.C., property will be under new management by October 31. Long range plans for the property include updates to the clubhouse and cart barn, and upgrading the irrigation system.
The city-owned Whispering Pines Golf Course in Myrtle Beach, S.C., will be operated by Atlantic Golf Management beginning on October 31 after Myrtle Beach City Council approved a concessionaire agreement, the Myrtle Beach-based Sun News reported.
Atlantic Golf owner Chip Smith said he has no plans to raise the rates. City Council selected Atlantic Golf from a field of seven firms who applied to operate the course, which C&RB reported on earlier this month (“Seven Firms Vie for Whispering Pines GC Management“).
Smith said he has done some work on the course, mostly cleaning up the golf cart barn and clubhouse, but was waiting until the agreement was official before doing too much, the News reported.
The National Park Service recently approved the agreement between Myrtle Beach and Atlantic Golf. The park service had to approve the plan because the U.S. government gave the former Air Force base golf course to the city when the base closed in 1993. The course must be used for golf or other recreation and cannot be leased to another entity, the News reported.
Smith also has printed up some marketing materials to highlight the course’s close proximity to Myrtle Beach International Airport. “A great way to start or end your Myrtle Beach vacation,” reads a flier advertising the course.
“When you look at the flight schedule, it’s hard to land and get to your hotel and play the same day,” Smith said. “You lose a day. … I’m working with beach bags and hotels to [spread the word].”
The concessionaire agreement allows a six-month transition period for the course’s employees, where the city will pay the difference between the rate those working at Whispering Pines currently receive and the compensation that comparable private sector positions receive, the News reported.
The city pays Whispering Pines employees an average of $14.72 per hour. Smith, who also owns TPC Myrtle Beach, pays $9 per hour, assistant city manager Ron Andrews said. After the six months, employees can inquire about working for Atlantic Golf or find employment elsewhere. There also may be opportunities for employees to find other positions within the city, the News reported.
There also are about 15 temporary employees working at Whispering Pines who had agreed to leave their positions when the transition is made, the News reported.
Smith said his longer-range plans for the course include updates to the clubhouse and the cart barn, as well as upgrading the irrigation system. Andrews also said that Smith plans to continue whatever loyalty programs are currently offered at the course, the News reported.
“He’s not going to discontinue anything immediately,” Andrews said. “Whatever we have done as a city, he’ll continue to honor. And if he doesn’t [customers], can come to me and I’ll deal with it.”
Additionally, Atlantic Golf will pay the city 3.5 percent of gross revenues once the course makes more than $1.1 million. City officials say the course has operated at a loss of about $250,000 a year for the past four years. Andrews said the city had been spending about $1.1 million annually to maintain and operate the course, the News reported.
The agreement also establishes a capital improvement program where Atlantic Golf will contribute money to the city annually if the course makes more than $1 million in gross revenue. The city will set that money aside to be used for a list of projects for improvement, with the first being the replacement or improvement of the existing clubhouse, the News reported.
City Council also approved an agreement Tuesday with Atlantic Golf to operate and maintain the driving range adjacent to the golf course. The city has leased the driving range from Horry County for $22,700 a year. Atlantic Golf will reimburse that cost as well as pay the city 10 percent of any revenue exceeding $22,700, the News reported.
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