A 10-year management agreement appears to be on the way for the group running the Forest Hills Golf Course in La Crosse.
Late last week, a city council committee agreed to a plant that has Kemper Sports Management running the course through 2028.
Among those supporting the lease arrangement are neighbors like Jeffrey George, who said the course is way better than it was under previous management.
“It was on death’s door,” George told the committee. “It was what golfers call a goat track. This company has turned it around tremendously. It’s now an asset to the city as comparable to what it was when it was the country club.”
As part of the lease agreement, Kemper will begin construction of a driving range this summer, while the city has agreed to pay the group $90,000 a year to run the course.
Hopefully this 10 year agreement aids in bringing a driving range back out here so we can continue to teach our youth and non-golfers to get out here and learn how to play,” cour general manager Keith Stoll said.
Stoll expects more positive changes with the Kemper, although that can be weather dependent. Like last year, when the course closed after a summer rain deluge.
“The things that really developed well — the fairways were really changing and the greens were in phenomenal shape,” Stoll said. “And then, unfortunately, seven inches of rain blew it all away.”
The full city council votes on the agreement next week.