UI looking for partner to run Finkbine
Hunter
5/24/19
The University of Iowa is looking for an outside partner to manage Finkbine Golf Course and its new clubhouse after recent operating losses.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that the school is encouraging potential partners to review the course financials and come up with a proposal to put the operation back in the black again.
The course lost nearly $300,000 in 2018.
The 7200-yard, 18-hole course is the home of the University golf teams, members of the UI community, and is open to the public. They estimate somewhere between 18,000 and 22,000 rounds of golf are played there each year.
The Athletic Department has managed the course and the clubhouse , but the school says a new larger clubhouse with more amenities set to open early in 2020 offers the potential for additional revenue.
The University is also envisioning the development of 44 acres nearby into a boutique hotel, conference center, shops and residential housing.
UI officials want proposals on their desks no later than June 12th, and should include plans for staffing, operations, maintenance and equipment upgrades.
