Buffalo Grove Looks To Boost Its Golf Courses

May 27, 2016 – Finding ways to increase revenue and options to better promote the Buffalo Grove Golf Course will be a top priority for village officials in the months to come.

The 18-hole, par-72 course off Lake Cook Road near village hall was built in 1967. The 120-acre parcel, with 50% of the site in a floodway, possesses four sets of tees and is host to 17 leagues.

The facility saw its tees restored in 2015. The course contains 25 hitting stations, practice bunkers, putting green, chipping green, PGA/LPGA processional teaching staff and player development programs. It also hosts park district clinics.

The course features a restaurant in the Village Bar & Grill, which is open year-round and home to several events annually.

In 2015, over 35,000 rounds of golf were played at the course compared to slightly under 30,000 at another facility in the village, The Arboretum Club on Half Day Road.

Of those rounds at Buffalo Grove Golf Course, over 20,000 were played by non-residents while residents made up approximately 13,000 rounds.

In the last five years, Buffalo Grove Golf Course has generated over $1 million in revenue each year dating back to 2011, with 2012 the highest at over $1.1 million. Last year, the course generated slightly under $1.1 million.

From 2011-14, expenses for the course decreased from a little over $2.4 million in 2011 to slightly over $2 million in 2014. Expenses went back up a bit in 2015 to approximately $2.1 million.

Improvements made to the course in 2015 included green and fairway cutting height adjustments, cart path repairs, Emerald Ash Borer tree removal and restoration, driving range tee restoration and a new maintenance plan put into place.

Planned projects for this year include drainage restoration on several holes and addition of a grass berm on hole 18. Bridge plan replacement on holes 2 and 8 has been completed.

‘Long term, we look at annual trends in terms of revenue, and the board really has no issues,’ Village Manager Dane Bragg said.

Bragg pointed out that last year was the first year the golf industry posted any new growth in eight years. That was an encouraging sign for things to come.

According to Bragg, the Buffalo Grove course is more of a municipal level course and is positioned differently than The Arboretum Club. He said the two courses do not compete against one another since they are very much different and attract different types of golfers.