It’s official, the City of Brigantine finally owns the Links Golf Course.
Built in 1927, the Scottish style 18 hole golf course was originally known as the Brigantine Country Club. In 1989, the course was sold and the name was changed to the Brigantine Golf Links.
In 2002, City Council voted to purchase the property for $4.3 million dollars. A $800,000 Green Acres grant helped pay the purchase price. Once ‘Green Acres’ grant money was accepted, there was a deed restriction placed on the golf course, which effectively keeps it an open space for now.
Brigantine Links Golf Course
- Open space asset for Brigantine.
- A poorly marketed attraction.
- Ron Jaworski wanted to buy The Links, but was chased away.
- Asset to homeowners living on golf course.
- Part of Brigantine’s flood mitigation system.
While many were originally in favor of the city purchasing the golf course, there was a growing concern that it was being mismanaged, something Brigantine’s Mayor Guenther vehemently denies.
For the first eleven years that the city owned the golf course, it didn’t cost the taxpayer a dime. It was self sustaining. But as the popularity of golf has declined, THE LINKS was seen as nothing more than a money losing, private club for Brigantine Insiders. Most of the expense of propping up the course being handled by part-time residents and 2nd home owners.
A 15-year bond ordinance helped financed the deal. As of January 6 2018, the debt was paid off.
Brigantine Taxpayers Association President Anne Phillips continues to question the financial history of the city-owned Brigantine Golf Links.
Phillips says the Mayor and the city continue to paint a rosy picture of the course status despite declining revenue since 2008 and a downturn in rounds played.
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I guess there is nothing to complain about now that the course is self-sustainable again. Maybe we can move on to the bloated city salaries and the CER center and get off the back of one of the rare amenities to a beach town such as the golf course, which brings in revenue and will put money in the city till. Of course we could be under Jaws control right now and be relegated to an annual stipend while he made the windfall and ran the course into the ground until his contract was up. I say again, NOW WHAT?!
Taxpayers and the state paid for this purchase.
Very few events are help which hurts local business.
Isnt it funny that the Mayors back yard of his house is part of the 18th hole. Jaworski wanted a contract to run the course, not buy it. How many weddings, etc are help at this facility. Barely none.
The local pols kept Jaworski away despite his proven business acumen for pure self interest.
Wonder why real estate values ex AC are lowest in
Jersey Coast. Only look here.
Before you say the local pols kept Jaws away, who was in the majority of power then? The Dems, who BADLY wanted to relinquish control of the course to a third party…and they saw the deal was bad, real bad, so let’s not say it was collusion…a bad deal is a bad deal, period. Jaws wanted a longterm (15 year +) lease on the course with a small annual payment to the city, while the city was still going to cover all costs…a LOSING venture. And his mgmt group is notorious for building a course up the first few years to cash in, and then letting conditions slip as the second half of a contract is played out…milking it for all the value and then handing it back over in worse condition than it was prior to the deal. As far as the food, the city doesn’t control that…they aren’t allowed to, hence the third party food and beverage which was Morgan’s and I think is now the Cove. Why did neither really work? Because you can’t be a seasonal business if that is going to be a success. It was hoppin over there back in the 2000s because they had a dedicated chef and staff solely there, not jumping back and forth between the main business, and pulling staff from the course restaurant when the main business had a no-show for work…sometimes opened sometimes not. It’s the red-headed stepchild unfortunately. Get someone in there who uses that AS their business and you’ll see an uptick in patrons.
Bottom line is the course is not the reason the city has ridiculous taxes…having an obnoxiously paid fire/police force, a school staff for a declining enrollment in the local schools…THAT is where your focus should be, not on a little golf course. Complain about 100k salaries for a city controller, or a dozen firemen who work three days a week. Look at big cities, like Philly…those guys get paid what, 40, 50k after a decade of work? 100k for a small town like that is what we should all be enraged about.