butler park pitch and putt

[futureman 22444]

https://www.statesman.com/news/20190620/longtime-operators-of-butler-pitch-and-putt-out-after-council-vote?template=ampart

city council votes to take away the lease from original austin family over a technicality.  just terrible. 

[Tailgate 3021]

That’s a bad lie.

[Steel Shank 9421]

I hate our city council.

[Deej 76755]

I'm sure at least one of our council members got a few extra dollars in their pocket for that.

And it will be condos within five years. 

Edited June 21, 2019 by Deej

[Steel Shank 9421]

Condos for the homeless!!

[3adays 454]

Will the new operator still allow players to try and hit cars on Barton Springs with wedges? 

[tx 3 putt 76872]

24 minutes ago, Deej said:

I'm sure at least one of our council members got a few extra dollars in their pocket for that.

And it will be condos within five years. 

Council member Jimmy Flannigan was the most vocal in support of awarding the contract to the winning bidder, Pecan Grove Partners. 

Flannigan said that it would set a bad precedent and open up the procurement process to political pressure if the council did not award the contract to Pecan Grove Partners, one of two groups considered for the operations contract.

[Longhorn 145]

27 minutes ago, Steel Shank said:

I hate our city council.

Hopefully you hate them for only being paid $87k per year for someone to operate/lease/use that property. That maybe the worst deal I have ever heard of.

They should totally figure out what to do with that land before ever touching Lions. Unreal. 

[Deej 76755]

3 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

Council member Jimmy Flannigan was the most vocal in support of awarding the contract to the winning bidder, Pecan Grove Partners. 

Flannigan said that it would set a bad precedent and open up the procurement process to political pressure if the council did not award the contract to Pecan Grove Partners, one of two groups considered for the operations contract.

Flannigan will be moving to a nicer home, soon.

[DCA_HORN 725]

A sad day. What is left of old Austin?

[Deej 76755]

Not much.

[Victor Lazlo 1776]

Sure, Austin is a big city now, but damn. Screwing the family with 70 years of history on the site over a technicality is brutal.

In a sane world, someone in authority would say “hey, you forgot to sign this paperwork. I’m sure it’s just an oversight.”

 

[Deej 76755]

[phdhorn 6224]

Fuck every one of those fucking assholes.  "Technicality" my ass.

Thank God I'm no longer subject to those fucktards, what a bunch of fucked up shitheads.  Collectively they're not worth smallest dump I've taken in the last 30 years.

[gsoda3 3246]

I'm torn. Butler pitch and putt was an integral part of my college experience. But we have got to do something with that patch of real estate that generates more than $87,000 in revenue per year.

[Longhorn 145]

“Unless something goes awry in contract negotiations, Pecan Grove Partners will lease the course from the city at no cost and give 18% of both admissions and concessions to the city, which realized $87,367 in revenue in 2018. The operator pays for all maintenance and operations, including course upkeep.”

 

It makes me ragey that for 70 years this family was netting $480k a year on Butler Pitch and Putt. Taking zero risk (no fixed payments), using public property. WTF????

 

 

[Deej 76755]

Less than houses on Lake Austin were fucking the city over for annually. 

[gsoda3 3246]

I took that to read the park grossed $87,000 in revenue last year. Not that $87,000 would have been 18% of revenue. There's no way Butler makes that much money. Have you seen their prices?

[Longhorn 145]

1 minute ago, gsoda3 said:

I took that to read the park grossed $87,000 in revenue last year. Not that $87,000 would have been 18% of revenue. There's no way Butler makes that much money. Have you seen their prices?

Ok. Then that means the city netted $15k on that piece of land? That would save my rage on the previous family but double my rage on how dumb the city is business-wise.

[immamac 42837]

8700 @$10 per head?

That's 23 ppl per day, that's easy. There is no doubt in my mind that they do closer to half a million a year. 

47000 @$10 per head 

That's around 130 people per day. That sounds more accurate. 

[El Diablo 4232]

2 minutes ago, Longhorn said:

Ok. Then that means the city netted $15k on that piece of land? That would save my rage on the previous family but double my rage on how dumb the city is business-wise.

Are you of the opinion that every decision that a city makes on use of land should be based on best financial outcome? Because if so then fuck every park in every town in America. 

[gsoda3 3246]

Ok. Then that means the city netted $15k on that piece of land? That would save my rage on the previous family but double my rage on how dumb the city is business-wise.

I did a quick Google search, I think you were right originally.

8700 @$10 per head?
That's 23 ppl per day, that's easy. There is no doubt in my mind that they do closer to half a million a year. 
47000 @$10 per head 
That's around 130 people per day. That sounds more accurate. 

Yeah I think you're right. Found this on an article from March.

"Now 71 years later, it’s a thriving course with 35,000 golfers each year."

[Longhorn 145]

Just now, El Diablo said:

Are you of the opinion that every decision that a city makes on use of land should be based on best financial outcome? Because if so then fuck every park in every town in America. 

No. But after seeing that ONE family had it for all that time and gets it for 18% of what it generates, with no risk, fix cost etc... and clears $480k while the city makes $87k is unreal.

[El Diablo 4232]

2 minutes ago, Longhorn said:

No. But after seeing that ONE family had it for all that time and gets it for 18% of what it generates, with no risk, fix cost etc... and clears $480k while the city makes $87k is unreal.

So after paying the city the family grosses what, tree fiddy? How much should it cost to staff and maintain a golf course 7 days a week year round? In your opinion. 

[Longhorn 145]

4 minutes ago, El Diablo said:

So after paying the city the family grosses what, tree fiddy? How much should it cost to staff and maintain a golf course 7 days a week year round? In your opinion. 

A golf course? Or butler pitch n putt? The family are the only employees. So $0 for labor. To mow the grass? Maybe $25k a year in expenses?

[Beau Vine 54207]

[El Diablo 4232]

This story has a little more info on the new company and their plans plus it gives a figure of roughly a half million that the city has earned on the deal over the last 15 years while leasing to the Kinser's. That does not break down to $87K a year but I suck at the math.

https://www.kut.org/post/austin-parks-board-recommends-new-golf-vendor-perhaps-ending-familys-70-year-run

[tx 3 putt 76872]

130 players a day would be pretty damn high traffic 

[tx 3 putt 76872]

The City of Austin has earned $493,000 from the current contract, which began in 2004 and has been extended twice. 

[El Diablo 4232]

Anybody played that course at night with just a nine iron?

[Anastasis 23463]

1 hour ago, Longhorn said:

“Unless something goes awry in contract negotiations, Pecan Grove Partners will lease the course from the city at no cost and give 18% of both admissions and concessions to the city, which realized $87,367 in revenue in 2018. The operator pays for all maintenance and operations, including course upkeep.”

  

 It makes me ragey that for 70 years this family was netting $480k a year on Butler Pitch and Putt. Taking zero risk (no fixed payments), using public property. WTF????

 

1 hour ago, Longhorn said:

No. But after seeing that ONE family had it for all that time and gets it for 18% of what it generates, with no risk, fix cost etc... and clears $480k while the city makes $87k is unreal.

 

Reading is fundamental.

 

What do we think maintenance and operations on that joint runs annually?

 

Edited June 21, 2019 by Anastasis

[ButtFumble 5164]

the people that took over an 18 hole course where my uncle lives that is private and went BK are spending $250,000 just on mowing and that is mowing it to look like shit not golf course conditions and no maintenance of anything like greens, fairways, or sand traps.....just mowing it like it is a shitty yard

sure it is much bigger than Pitch and Put being that it is 18 holes and a pretty decent length course, but you start adding in maintaining greens and fairways to any decent quality and I would bet Pitch and Put is spending well over half of that

and that is no watering, fert, spraying, or anything else.......mow and go

[DCA_HORN 725]

Do they still sell honey? That's easily 50k per annum.

[Dewey 3286]

Figured Austin would have turned it into an overpriced, overrated piece of shit long ago.

[atomheartbevo 89628]

1 hour ago, Dewey said:

Figured Austin would have turned it into an overpriced, overrated piece of shit long ago.

Fees are going to go up 500% and they are going to cap and double-deck it..  And it’ll get gondola and light rail service.  

Edited June 21, 2019 by atomheartbevo

[Dbeasy 15042]

A golf course? Or butler pitch n putt? The family are the only employees. So $0 for labor. To mow the grass? Maybe $25k a year in expenses?

You know how I know you have no business sense whatsoever?

[BradInATX 9208]

130 players a day would be pretty damn high traffic 

Pshhh. I've been there on a Saturday where there were close to 130 out there simultaneously. It was more dangerous than Baghdad.

[Longhorn 145]

58 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

 

You know how I know you have no business sense whatsoever?

 

How?

Because I didn’t account for how much cash they just pocket and not report to the city? They’ve only been operating this cash business model for 70 years. Maybe they haven’t figured that part out yet?

[Updawg 2266]

Feel bad for the family but at least the city isn't shutting it down to repurpose it into something else

[ChickenSandwich 9828]

Yet

[El Diablo 4232]

55 minutes ago, Longhorn said:

How?

Because I didn’t account for how much cash they just pocket and not report to the city? They’ve only been operating this cash business model for 70 years. Maybe they haven’t figured that part out yet?

The founder took a chance on a bunch of pastureland. It's paid dividends for their family, yes. Maybe the city should have revisited the terms of the lease as the operation became more lucrative for the family, but why? What did the city risk initially? It was pastureland. Rewarding those with vision isn't un-American. Making it a gift now, generation after generation, is fair game for ire, I guess.

[Beau Vine 54207]

6 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

Fees are going to go up 500% and they are going to cap and double-deck it..  And it’ll get gondola and light rail service.  

Maybe they could hire the homeless to caddy?

Edited June 21, 2019 by Beau Vine

[Beau Vine 54207]

8 hours ago, El Diablo said:

Anybody played that course at night with just a nine iron?

I was just wondering what Grendel would say about this.

[Dewey 3286]

I was just wondering what Grendel would say about this.

He said 9 iron, not one iron out of the trap.

[The Royal We 3067]

10 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

130 players a day would be pretty damn high traffic 

You can play a 10some out there...

I hope the pitch and putt survives.  I've got a lot of good memories from college and still rock a green Koozie from Butler sometimes.

[SwanderedTalent 5761]

11 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

The City of Austin has earned $493,000 from the current contract, which began in 2004 and has been extended twice. 

hey, I've earned more than that since 2004

[Wally Fairway 5541]

10 hours ago, El Diablo said:

Anybody played that course at night with just a nine iron?

my college roommate, Mitch Cumstein, was night putting with the 15 year old daughter of the Dean; got him kicked out of school.

[tx 3 putt 76872]

I’m going to guess they’ve skimmed at least $50k / year 

[Beau Vine 54207]

31 minutes ago, SwanderedTalent said:

hey, I've earned more than that since 2004

We're gonna need to see paystubs to prove it, Rocko.

[tx 3 putt 76872]

Moving forward you pimp that place as an ice house / pitch and putt 

beer sales is where it’s at 

Edited June 21, 2019 by tx 3 putt