The median cost to build a golf course is $14 million, not including buying the land. The lowest-priced golf courses cost $7 million. Others cost as much as $25 million. Building greens is one of the most important tasks, and it can cost as much as $60 per square foot.
It will cost at a minimum five million dollars to build a golf course. Most courses are going to require closer to ten million dollars to build. Part of the reason behind this is that there are so many costs involved with building golf courses. It's not as simple as planting seeds and putting a few holes in the ground.
Profitable golf courses are generally selling for six to eight times EBITDA, while courses that aren't profitable tend to sell at 0.8 to 1.4 times revenue.
“This means an 18-hole course of all short par 3s could be built on as little as 30 acres, while an intermediate length or executive course of 18 holes of par 3s and 4s would require 75-100 acres, and a full size par 72 course would need 120-200 acres.
Artificial Putting Green Cost Bigger artificial putting greens (500-square-feet or more) will likely cost at least $9,000. A 100-square-foot green will run between $1,800 and $3,000. Most contractors will charge between $18 and $25 per square foot to turn your lawn into a golfing paradise.
The actual construction time for a golf course from ground -breaking to opening can be from one to two years, depending on the weather and amount of equipment used. But today it often takes an additional one to two years to obtain all of the permits and required approvals before construction can begin.
150 acresAt the individual level, an average 18-hole golf course covers 150 acres, approximately 100 (67 percent) of which is maintained turfgrass. This area is predominantly comprised of rough (51 acres) and fairways (30 acres).
The cost to achieve the condition players expect — or will tolerate — ranges from about $500,000 a year for a daily-fee course to $1,000,000 a year for a private club, estimates Bob Randquist, chief operating officer of the Golf Course Superintendent's Association of America.
After all expenses, the best golf retailers rarely profit more than 2-3% of the total cost of a club. However, as a whole, we can say that around 33.33% of the cost of a golf club is the markup from the retailer.
In California, an average 18-hole golf course sprawls over 110 to 115 acres and conservatively uses almost 90 million gallons of water per year, enough to fill 136 Olympic-size swimming pools, said Mike Huck, a water management consultant who works with golf courses statewide.
345-acreSince 1934, once a year in the spring, eyes around the world focus on a 345-acre plot of grass, trees and greenery in Augusta, Georgia.
Regulation golf courses comprise of 18 holes but vary in length. It's common to see four short holes which are about 130-400 yards in length. Added are ten average holes that are 350-400 yards, and four longer holes of 450-550 yards distance between the holes.