The Back Story article pertaining to the City of Boston’s two golf courses does not give an accurate picture of the city’s decision to operate the courses itself or the current financial environment or operation. I am fascinated about being criticized for maintaining city assets at a high level. The needs of capital investment in the courses requires every penny we earn to sustain them!

While the city chose to contract with a private operator during a booming economy and a period of growth for the golf industry, this is not the 1990s.  There is absolutely no guarantee or indication that a private operator could or would offer the city the same amount of revenue in this new economy. Golf courses are closing today, not expanding. 

In addition, our courses are not losing money – we had a modest surplus in 2009 which was reinvested in the courses. We also continue pay off the capital debt service for the new irrigation systems. We provide low rates and fees, particularly to seniors, dual course access, and youth golf programs. The decision to assume management of the courses and invest in their capital needs was a policy decision to provide a better service to our customers.  If we allow the courses to deteriorate, no one will come.

The investment we continue to make in our courses has gained us award winning rankings and positive press coverage. George Wright was in deplorable condition when we regained the operation. We were losing golfers because of the condition of the course.

On June 11, 2009 Michael Whitmer of The Boston Globe wrote an article under the headline “Righting George Wright — Golf course goes from joke to gem.” In the story, Whitmer wrote: “It reached a point a decade ago that avid supporters of George Wright Municipal Golf Course were going somewhere else to play, fed up with deteriorating conditions that had turned their Hyde Park treasure into a brown, burned-out embarrassment.”

Similarly, William Devine was suffering from extensive wear and tear from heavy use and needed more investment. Unless there is on-going capital investment and an acceptable level of maintenance in these open spaces, they will deteriorate to a point that dissuades golfers from coming to use them. 

It has become abundantly clear that in an era of golf course foreclosures and failures, the city’s ability to properly maintain its recreational assets has allowed both golf courses to flourish in these tough economic times. The private operator model of the 90’s was neither realistic nor sustainable for the long-term in this business.

We have a professional staff taking care of these courses and we are attracting new golfers daily, which is directly correlated to our ability to properly maintain and care for these facilities.

Golf Digest deemed George Wright the “Best Municipal Golf Course in Massachusetts in 2009” and Golf Week listed it as one of the “50 Best Municipal Courses in the Country in 2010.”  This year we hosted the Junior PGA Tour at William Devine and continue to receive accolades, including Golf Digest awarding it one of the “Best Places to Play” in 2007, 2008, and 2009.

Our fundamental charge is to provide affordable recreational opportunities for the citizens of Boston. We do that. We are not a for-profit operation. If you ask any of our recreational golfers in the region, there are only kind words to be said about the transformation of each facility and its ability to stay affordable. I am extremely proud of the golf operations given the current economic climate and challenges facing those of us in the recreation business. 

As for the writer’s information requests, the Fund for Parks and Recreation files its required forms with the Internal Revenue Service and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The fund is audited independently each year and complies with the all laws. We can request specific information from the auditors who prepare the filings regarding any questions, as we have done in the past.

The 990T forms were mistakenly not released but the writer suffered no detriment as all relevant forms were easily accessed by the IRS and the Commonwealth.

(Antonia M. Pollak is the commissioner of the city of Boston’s Parks and Recreation Department. She is also a trustee of the Fund for Parks and Recreation, the nonprofit that administers the George Wright and William Devine golf courses.)