JOPLIN, Mo. — Joplin's parks and recreation director is looking for ways to get more play on the renovated Schifferdecker Golf Course but there are a lot of factors driving down the sport's stats, players say.
Despite spending more than $600,000 on repairs to the course and replacement of its cart fleet in the last two years, revenue so far this year is down $43,000 from last year.
Play in July was down 1,000 rounds from a year earlier, said Doug Joyce, the parks and recreation director.
"We're not the lone ranger," Joyce said of the decrease. "Almost all the courses in the area are experiencing the same in play and revenue."
And, according to figures he cited from an industry survey, Golf Datatech, it is a trend almost everywhere.
Public courses across the United States experienced a 2.7 percent decrease in rounds played and private courses fared worse with a 4.3 percent loss.
Joyce believes factors limiting play are the weather, the economy and the variety of places to play.
To try to generate more business and to help golfers during the heat spell, Joyce said the golf course will open an hour earlier through August. Tee times are now available at 6 a.m.
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