Wildcreek Golf Course is the preferred sight for a new high school. If the Washoe County School District decides to purchase the property, the golf course would be the sixth one to close since 2006.
"If Wildcreek closes, that will be 99 holes of golf in Washoe County and it's all affordable golf," Mike Mazzaferri, PGA Golf Professional said. "All the entry level, the things that we use to sustain the game, locally here, are going to be going away."
Brookside Golf Course closed in 2006. The nine-hole course was a casualty of a new air traffic control tower at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Northgate closed in northwest Reno in 2009, which is now a large regional park. Crystal Peak, in Verdi, closed after a land dispute in 2010. D'Andrea closed 2012 after the east Sparks course ran into financial trouble. Rosewood Lakes closed two years ago to make way for the SouthEast Connector, but it may re-open as a nine-hole course. Wildcreek could be the third one to close because of infrastructure.
"I think it's terrible because every time we lose a golf course, they don't come back and we're down to a couple of affordable golf courses now," Robert Chavez, Reno resident said. "The poor working guy, it gets a little tough to enjoy the game."
Nothing is decided yet, but WCSD could have a decision on the high school by early December. The Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority bought the property in 1974 as a way to increase tourism, but Washoe County has the title. Reno and Sparks have many more golf options than they did back then.
"Now, there's almost 500 holes of golf within an hour of the airport, so this golf course is no longer a tourist draw for the RSCVA and our mission," Ben McDonald, RSCVA Communication Manager said.
McDonald says the RSCVA loses $200,000-$300,000 each year in operating costs. That means golfers are essentially subsidized by the RSCVA, which gets its funding through a hotel room tax.
Mazzaferri says any time a golf course closes, it puts pressure on other courses and golfers. Fewer courses could mean higher fees and could make it harder to get a tee time.
"The problem is we don't have a place to perpetuate the game, bringing new golfers, high school golf, junior golf, affordable senior golf," Mazzaferri said.
Mazzaferri says some of these golf courses are closing as a result of saturation, despite population growth.
"Every developer in the 80s and 90s put a golf course in, and the golf courses are big and fancy, cost a lot to maintain, but it put a lot of pressure on the municipal courses and the public courses because they're not as fancy and now it's starting to shake out," Mazzaferri said.
Mazzaferri says it is very unlikely that anyone will build new golf courses in the next 10-15 years, simply because of the cost of land, water rights, and construction. He says it would cost about $25 million to build a golf course like Wildcreek, today.
"It's stacked up too high to see a public golf course with $20-25 million invested in the future," Mazzaferri said. "That's not going to happen."
Mazzaferri is one of the presenters at Wednesday's State of the Golf Union. Golf experts will discuss the Wildcreek situation and the local golf market. A public forum runs from 6:45-7:30 p.m. at the Reno Elks Club at 597 Kumle Lane. The "Save Wildcreek" Association will present from 7:45-8:30 p.m.
