On Tuesday night, the Humboldt Golf Club (HGC) held their Annual General Meeting as they looked back on their numbers and previewed on is shaping up to be an exciting year at the course.
A key event for the HGC’s schedule in 2025 will be the Saskatchewan Amateur and Mid-Amateur Championships in Humboldt from July 15-18.
Over 130 golfers from across the province will be in Humboldt taking part in the championships and should feature some local golfers hitting the links once again.
President Kirk Plemel is eager to showcase the golf course to the rest of the province.
“There will be people coming from all corners of the province, staying in our hotels, eating in our restaurants and they’re going to see what Humboldt has to offer.”
To run a successful tournament throughout the week, the HGC will be relying on volunteers during the week, Plemel says they will need a wide array of people to take care of a number of tasks.
“We want to obviously put on the best tournament we can. It’s a very competitive tournament, so we’re going to need volunteer help, whether it’s spotting holes and helping with scoring, a lot of different things will be needed.”
Plemel added that they will need help from their members, but from residents in the community as well.
Signup sheets to volunteer for the Amateur Championships are located inside of the lounge area of the clubhouse.
The number of memberships for the HGC has increased by 20 members and with eight residents electing not to renew their memberships.
Plemel says it’s nice to see some new faces around the course and hopes that this trend continues.
“It’s encouraging. We’ve got a lot of seniors, a lot of new members, new people to the community. I think there’s some growth in the area and we’re seeing some of the fruits from that and it’s exciting.”
HGC ended its 2024 fiscal year on a financially positive note, reporting an annual surplus of $168,020, despite facing challenges related to long-term debt obligations.
According to the Club’s financial statements, total revenues for the year reached nearly $1.38 million, with key contributions from green fees ($341K), memberships ($149K), and power cart rentals ($141K). While revenue saw a slight decline from 2023, cost control efforts helped maintain healthy margins. Notably, expenses related to the clubhouse concessions and lounge more than doubled to $121,388, along with advertising and signage expenses for the course.
Capital assets stood at nearly $2 million net book value. However, the Club is managing a long-term debt load of $799,000, with a portion stemming from a $150,000 unsecured loan from the City of Humboldt. As of December 31, 2024, the Club was in default on that loan, although the City has not demanded immediate repayment.
Plemel says the concern is the club’s cash flow.
“We've got a lot of carrying a lot of debt for years and years of debt and that's caused us some cash shortfalls, which has been our biggest challenge to overcome. But there's a lot of positives ahead and we've got a good partnership with the City of Humboldt right now, that's helped.”
A bylaw amendment was passed on Tuesday night that will reserve up to two board representatives from the City of Humboldt. Repersentatives will be appointed by the City of Humboldt and will serve terms of one year.
Going forward, Plemel says HGC is hopeful to continue a strong working relationship with the city.
We've formed a governance committee with the city that's we've been working with them for the past number of years, to help ensure the viability of the golf course going forward. They've recognized that the golf course is a very important piece to the infrastructure of Humboldt as far as attracting new members to the community.
This Tuesday (May 20), the City of Humboldt will be hosting an open house to show how they’re working with the HGC on a plan for the course’s long-term sustainability.
The open house begins at 7:00 at the Uniplex and everyone is welcome to attend.