The popular but unprofitable Gunpowder Falls public golf course in Kingsville will likely close at the end of the year and be converted into a regional park, Baltimore County officials said.
Members of the county’s Revenue Authority, a public-private agency that operates the county’s six golf courses, passed a resolution last week to transfer the 112-acre course to county government in exchange for a $4 million tax break. The agreement, subject to approval by the Baltimore County Council, comes two months after county administrators approached the authority about selling, said Executive Director George Hale.
“We weren’t campaigning to get rid of it,” Hale said. “We have a partnership relationship with the county, and they are kind of the senior partner and we are the junior partner. The board felt as long as it was justly compensated for our investment in the property, the judgment as to the best use of it should be deferred to the county government.”
The pending agreement is a disappointment to frequent players of the executive-size course, which is popular with seniors and beginners. About 40 members of the Oakcrest Retirement Community golf club play Gunpowder Falls every other week, and now, president Bill Witty said, may disband.
“We’d like to continue playing there for forever,” Witty said. “We really hate to see this.”
The county recently acquired a 28-acre farm adjacent to the course and is in negotiations to buy a third, 66-acre parcel, said Don Mohler, a spokesman for County Executive Jim Smith. Combined, the site could be converted into one of the largest regional parks that could take advantage of a golf cart path for biking and walking trails.
The course, purchased in 2004 for $2.1 million, has not netted a profit in years, Hale said, leveling off at 34,000 rounds per year. The agency needs to sell 40,000 to break even.
