The Rye Golf Club, the city-owned golf and pool complex, faces capital improvement needs of more than $5.4 million – but management is confident it can cover the costs without help from the Rye City budget.
The club has a reserve fund of more than $7 million, but club General Manager Chris Correale does not rule out additional charges beyond membership fees for its 1,073 resident and 324 non-resident member households.
“Currently, the club’s plan is to finance its capital projects itself, using a combination of operating surpluses, available reserves, capital assessments where appropriate, and annual capital planning,“ Correale said.
The club’s most recent capital improvement plan anticipates the need for a $4 million golf course irrigation system upgrade, as well as upgrades to its bunker and drainage system. The seven-member Rye Golf Club Commission, elected by the membership, also is assessing the needs of the swimming pool.
“Like any heavily used outdoor aquatic facility, the pool experiences normal wear and tear throughout the season, and individual tiles or other components may occasionally require repair or replacement,” Correale said. “We have a robust preventive maintenance program in place for the pool complex. We recognize that the pool is an aging facility and, like many of the golf club’s assets, will require continued capital investment over time.”
The Club’s members include 654 households that pay only for the use of the pool.
The city ownership of the golf club dates to 1965 when, at a cost of $1.7 million, the city bought the former Ryewood Country Club to prevent it from closing. The club dates to 1921 and was built on the former George C. Park and Allen estates. The club is expected to be financially independent and it relies on membership fees, which range from $5,926 for resident golf and pool access, to $14,383 for new, non-resident members. Resident family pool memberships cost $1,908 for residents to $4,644 for new non-residents.
The fees, Correale said, help generate an operating surplus that contributes to the capital budget. Membership rolls, he said, are “stable.”
The club’s ability to cover its own capital needs distinguishes it from the Rye Boat Basin, which also is expected to be financially independent. The boat basin, however, has relied on a loan from the city to cover multimillion dollar dredging costs for it to accommodate boats that dock in its Milton Harbor facility.
The cost to use the municipally-owned golf club pool is notably higher than recreation fees in some other Westchester County municipalities. A season pass for the Scarsdale municipal pool complex costs $760 for residents, less than half the Rye Golf Club fee.
Though Rye does not provide direct financial support for the club, members benefit because Rye Golf Club is not subject to property taxes, unlike Rye’s private clubs.
