As one of the leading candidates for Major League Baseball expansion, the city of Portland, Oregon, has been plotting and planning, trying to come up with a site to build a new stadium that works for everyone.
MLB is expected to bring two more long-overdue franchises into the big leagues while also necessitating the creation of eight new minor-league teams around the country.
Lobbying has already begun in earnest for cities like Nashville, Charlotte, Salt Lake City and Montreal, meaning the stadium site might be an important factor in swaying the league to adding another franchise to the Pacific Northwest (which would accompany the Seattle Mariners).
But a group leading the charge to get baseball in Portland has set its eyes on a specific golf property for a future stadium, and the ramifications could be costly.
The Portland Diamond Project is hoping to purchase the RedTail Golf Center in Beaverton, Oregon, with eyes on developing not only an MLB stadium, but also developing an entertainment district in the area.
According to a story at Oregon Public Broadcasting, however, pulling RedTail from a five-course chain owned by the city of Portland could bring the region’s entire golf program crumbling down.
RedTail was built in 1966 on a former farm and then was redesigned into a 7,100-yard championship course in 1999. It includes a covered, lighted driving range and the course is one of the most popular in the region, offering a quality experience for a reasonable price.
More: Golfweek’s Best top public and private courses in Oregon
It’s also the most profitable of the city’s courses.
According to a story at OPB.org:
Established in 1918, Portland’s golf program is self-funding, relying on fees collected from rounds of golf, concessions and stores at each course to fund the program’s expenses, all without taxpayer assistance.
RedTail, the committee argued, plays an important role in that ecosystem.
“Without RedTail subsidizing the rest of the system, the golf program would need significantly higher greens fees, maintenance cuts, and a new taxpayer funding source to survive,” the committee members wrote.
Golf Advisory Committee chair Tom Williams said RedTail has a popular driving range and classes that aren’t available at every course, making it very profitable for the entire system.
The city estimates that the golf program will earn about $512,000 in profit this fiscal year and $15 million in total revenue, according to budgets obtained…
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