Duluth, Minn. is currently home to not one, but two, city-owned, 27- hole golf courses.
Operating costs for both public golf courses costs city taxpayers, many of whom never set foot on either course, is $100,000 per year.
These operating costs are on top of the more than nearly $3 million in debt the city has racked up over the years operating both golf courses.
Considering that in 2019 only 51,300 rounds of golf were played on both courses, this is a reverse Robin Hood amenity – one in which average, middle class taxpayers subsidize the hobby of the leisure class.
Duluth officials announced recently that the city will permanently close the Lester Park Golf Course at the end of the 2023 golf season – a step in the right direction.
