Selling RedTail could jeopardize Portland’s public golf courses, committee says

It’s still unclear if the city of Portland will sell RedTail Golf Course to the Portland Diamond Project as a potential home for a Major League Baseball stadium. But Portland’s golf community says doing so could be a disaster for the city’s other courses.

Members of the Portland Golf Advisory Committee sent a letter to Mayor Ted Wheeler’s chief of staff, Bobby Lee, on April 7 asking the city to make clear that none of its golf courses — including RedTail — are for sale.

The Portland Diamond Project, a group of investors looking to bring the MLB to Oregon, said it wants to purchase the 164-acre golf course, which would be the largest land development in league history.

It’s been a controversial selection from the start. Residents, politicians and industry experts have expressed doubts about the viability of a stadium in Beaverton, particularly regarding how fans would get to the stadium, given the lack of public transportation in the area.

The Golf Advisory Committee is the latest group to take issue. In a copy of the letter obtained by OPB, the members said that selling the golf course, which is one of the city’s most profitable, could financially undermine the entire system.

The golf committee also took issue with the city’s public handling of the stadium conversation. They pointed to an OPB article detailing how the city unsuccessfully offered Rose City Golf Course as an alternative stadium site within Portland city limits, and claimed Lee had told them RedTail would not be sold.

Reached for comment, a spokesperson from Wheeler’s office said the Portland City Council has not yet reached a decision on RedTail. Wheeler has said he would prefer a stadium in the Lloyd District as a way to revive Portland’s urban core.

Related: Portland Diamond Project wants to bring MLB to Beaverton. How will people get there?

Established in 1918, Portland’s golf program is self-funding, relying on fees collected from rounds of golf, concessions and stores at each course to fund the program’s expenses, all without taxpayer assistance.

RedTail, the committee argued, plays an important role in that ecosystem.

“Without RedTail subsidizing the rest of the system, the golf program would need significantly higher greens fees, maintenance cuts, and a new taxpayer funding source to survive,” the committee members wrote.

Golf Advisory Committee chair Tom Williams said RedTail has a popular driving range and classes that aren’t available at every course, making it very profitable for the entire system.

The city estimates that the golf program will earn about $512,000 in profit this fiscal year and $15 million in total revenue, according to budgets obtained by OPB. By comparison, RedTail is projected to earn $670,000 in profit alone.

Portland’s golf courses have long faced scrutiny for the amount of money they make, and whether they are sustainable for the city to operate.

That came to a head in 2019, when a city audit found the golf program was struggling to financially keep afloat. It said the Portland City Council provided an $800,000 “bailout,” going against the program’s self-sustaining model.

Since then, the golf program’s finances seemingly have improved, thanks in part to a renewed interest in golf that started during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Williams said having to raise fees could reverse the trend locally, discouraging future players from using city-owned courses, since many start playing the sport at public courses.

“Many golfers in this region begin their golfing journey on city of Portland golf courses, because they are the most welcoming to new golfers and they are the most affordable,” he said.

Related: City of Portland unsuccessfully pitches Rose City Golf Course as MLB stadium site

Eighteen holes of golf at RedTail cost around $45, while private courses such as Portland Golf Club charge guests $150 for the same number of holes, and guests must be accompanied by a member.

Portland Parks & Recreation spokesman Mark Ross said if the city does sell RedTail or other golf courses are sold, it would “adjust the program’s business model to fill any funding gaps.