Kent State University Golf Course closure to save up to $200,000 per year

David Romano, Taylor Kerns

[pullquote]“It’s been losing money for five years or more”[/pullquote]

Kent State University is set to save up to $200,000 per year following the closure of the Kent State University Golf Course, according to Kent State Athletics Senior Fiscal Manager Colin Miller. The course was purchased by Kent State in 1966 and was open to the public, but was unable to support itself financially.

Ohio House Bill 64 requires public colleges to develop plans to reduce costs by five percent without negatively impacting student experience. In compliance with the bill, a review of affordability and efficiency of Kent State’s non-essential assets was conducted in 2016, and the decision was made to close the course.

“It’s been losing money for five years or more,” Miller said.

Miller added that the practice facility attached to the course will remain in operation.

There are currently no plans for the property, according to University Facilities Management Associate Vice President Tom Euclide.

“It’s all way too early,” Euclide said. “By fall we should have a better understanding of the potential uses, whether it’s for academic needs or private business, whether they want to sell it — all the options are open to us right now, but we haven’t even really listed what those opportunities are.”

“We haven’t used Kent State University Golf Course as our home golf course for 35 years”

“We’re stalling developers until we have a better understanding of what our opportunities are as we work through our master planning process,” he said.

Herb Page, Director of Golf at Kent State, said the course’s closure will have minimal impact on the university’s golf teams.

“I think what everybody’s missed out on is we haven’t used Kent State University Golf Course as our home golf course for 35 years. It really hasn’t been our home course,” Page said. “Windmill Lakes Golf Course has been our home course since 1978.”

Page is part owner of Windmill Lakes, located in Ravenna, about nine miles from Kent’s campus. He said Kent State’s golf teams have been able to play there for free since he was named head golf coach in 1978.

“For 39 years, the men’s and women’s teams have never been charged a nickel,” Page said.

Page said that while he’s sad to see the Kent State University Golf Course go, he believes closing it is the right thing to do.

“The Kent State Golf Course has been losing money for I’d say close to ten years. They tried to maintain it for the students and the community and it just kept losing money and losing money,” he said. “From a financial standpoint, the right decision.”