ROCHELLE — The City of Rochelle and the Flagg-Rochelle Community Park District recently approved a new agreement for operation of Fairways Golf Course through the 2024 golf season. 

The city and park district have partnered to own and operate the golf course for the past seven years. The previous agreement expired at the end of the 2023 season. During the next year, a survey will be done to establish a capital improvement plan for the course before a multi-year agreement will be looked at in fall 2024. 

Fairways has seen improving numbers of golf rounds since the COVID-19 pandemic when golf was one of the few activities available to the public amid closures. Fairways Superintendent Mitch Hamilton said those new golfers have been retained in recent years and 2023 saw the course hit 16,000 rounds, the highest it’s ever seen. 

“Our numbers are up and the highest they've ever been,” City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh said. “I think most of that is due to Mitch and his staff and how well they run that course. The rest of it is due to the fact that we've got a team approach and the park district and the city work well together. That relationship has been fruitful. I think one of the reasons we've been able to keep the course open is that it's kept in great condition and it's run well in things like golf outings. There's a large number of people coming from outside our ZIP code to play it. I think the relationship has been fantastic with the park district and we look forward to a long-term relationship.”

Hamilton said efforts to retain new golfers included being more welcoming and inclusive to patrons. With golf being a sport that can be intimidating to newcomers, Hamilton talked with regular golfers and staff about teaching new golfers the right things to do at Fairways. 

“We're keeping new golfers around now,” Hamilton said. “That is due to our change in approach and our experienced golfers being accommodating. People were afraid to try it out. People can think golf is expensive or that they'll get made fun of while they're new to it. COVID-19 made people try something new. People wanted to be outside and everybody kind of relaxed their demeanor around other people. It attracted people and they got out there and as a facility we tried to match that by being accommodating to new golfers. That's helped a ton and it changed our vision of how to treat golfers.”

Fairways already has improvement plans for 2024 that include bunker renovation work, tee renovations on holes four and six, and ongoing tree work. The course has seen the removal of dead and dangerous trees in recent years that affected how the course played. Those efforts have now been reduced to tree trimming. 

Golfers will have input on longer-term projects in a coming survey, and that survey will also include other items to attract people to the facility that are not golf-related, Hamilton said. 

Fiegenschuh called the golf course “a huge asset” to the community, citing that it brings golfers from outside the city and area that patronize other Rochelle businesses. 

Higher numbers of rounds lessen the subsidy money that the city and park district give to the course. During the early years of the joint ownership agreement, the city and park district each contributed $75,000 to the golf fund to cover any deficit. In 2022, the entities each decreased contributions to $60,000 due to the improved financial position of the course. In 2023, the deficit was decreased to approximately $40,000 with the remainder of the two contributions being utilized for capital projects.

Hamilton said that Fairways has seen support from the city and park district that other small-town courses have not. 

“When the city and park district decided to take ownership of the golf course, I think they noticed it was an asset,” Hamilton said. “And not just as a golf course. With the other small-town courses that have closed their doors over the years, there wasn't someone behind the scenes that knew it would be important to the area. The city and park district noticed that. The city can go on without the golf course, but it does bring an added bonus to it. And I think some of these smaller towns that have these courses are realizing what kind of asset they are to the community.” 

The city manager praised Hamilton and his staff for their work at Fairways in recent years. 

“I do think we have probably the best golf course superintendent in Northern Illinois,” Fiegenschuh said. “It helps when you have a great staff running it that knows what they're doing and believes in the course. I know Mitch and his team give everything they have to make that course look good and providing good customer service. The staff plays as big of a part in success as the ownership does.”