CITY HIRES MANAGER FOR GOLF COURSE

Hoping to better manage and hasten play at the Cape Girardeau Jaycees Municipal Golf Course, the city has hired a full-time manager to operate the course.

Robert Casey, 27, of Kansas City, previously worked as assistant manager of a public golf course there.

City officials said Casey has a degree in recreational management and will be responsible for managing play on the course. He also will operate the pro shop. His salary will be $21,000 annually.

The city hired Casey after a yearlong "trial" to see if course improvements and a more active management role by the Golf Course Advisory Board would improve play at the Jaycees course.

But City Manager J. Ronald Fischer said last week that a full-time manager is needed this year. He said that although the public golf course is in excellent condition this year, play on the course is too slow.

"We've gotten to the point where we're getting the players now that we didn't have in the past," said Fischer. "If we don't make certain that they can get on the course and get their game in, we run the risk of losing those people.

"I really think a manager can help us in that area, and actually increase play and revenues for the golf course."

About 13 months ago, the city council accepted a golf course board recommendation to not hire a professional manager for the course.

The board last year asked that the city continue to utilize Carroll Williams, a golf instructor at Southeast Missouri State University, as a course "consultant." The board also recommended that the city draft a five-year master plan outlining course development and management strategies.

Edward Kaiser, chairman of the golf course board, said Sunday he'll "wait and see" if a golf course manager will solve the problems at the course.

"I think only time will tell," he said. "There were a couple ideas out there: one, that we needed a full-time manager, and there were a couple people on the board that didn't know if that was needed or not."

Kaiser said the board has discussed the matter a number of times over the years but has never decided "anything concrete." He said he was somewhat surprised at the city's decision. "All of the sudden they said that's the way they wanted to go, and hired him," he said.

Kaiser said the course now is in excellent condition and, for the first time, operating in the black. He also said better management of play at the course will assure that people using the course will come back.

"What he's supposed to do is see that we have the tee times; there's quite a bit of abuse on the tee times," Kaiser said. "This guy's going to have to manage it from the standpoint that the play's getting so it's good we're really not running into a lot of difficulties there but it's just too slow.

"We're really going to have to move play. That's one of the primary things we're going to have to have him do."

Dan Muser, director of the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department, said Casey will replace two employees who planned to leave this year.

"One of the guys, a part-time employee who worked full-time during golf season, took another job," said Muser. "Rosie (Gottlieb) was basically switching off with him, and now she's going back to school. So we're replacing two people that are leaving."

Muser said that complaints about the course's condition have largely subsided with the course improvements. But, he added, complaints about the management of the course persist.

"People have complained about the course, and I think we've got that turned around," Muser said.

"But we're still having problems with just the organization of play on the course. I think hiring a manager is a good step and should help that a lot."

Kaiser said he hopes the golf course manager can help increase revenue improving the efficiency of course operations.

"I'm real happy with where we're at right now," he said. "There are some more things we could do to the course, but we don't have the money. We're having to take and update what we've got.

"I think this manager will be a good thing, but it's not going to be an easy hill for him to climb."