Frustration over the condition of Partridge Run Golf and Country Club brought more than 40 golfers and community members together Tuesday evening, where they urged Village of Canton officials to strengthen course management, increase maintenance staffing and develop a long-term plan to restore one of the community’s most recognizable recreational assets.
The hour-long meeting, held at the golf course clubhouse and moderated by Rebecca Fenlong, drew a standing-room-only crowd of members, golfers and village officials. Village Trustees Barb Beekman, Beth Larrabee and Kara McLuckie attended. Beekman and Larrabee serve on the village’s golf course committee.
Although much of the discussion centered on concerns over poor course conditions earlier this season, many golfers acknowledged the course has improved noticeably over the past two weeks. Still, several questioned why those improvements came so late and whether the current management structure can sustain them.
Superintendent remains key issue
One of the meeting’s central topics was whether the village intends to hire a full-time golf course superintendent. Partridge Run is in its second year of operation without a course superintendent. As a result, the course’s condition has suffered until very recently, when a noticeable uptick in maintenance was observed.
Responding to a question from golfer Dick Christy, Beekman said the village has not ruled out hiring a superintendent but wants to be certain the position fits into the course’s long-term future before making the financial commitment.
“It isn’t for a lack of trying. We put in a concerted effort last year to do that. Before the season opened we had a good candidate who backed out at the last minute,” Beekman said.
Village officials ultimately decided to continue operating under the current structure while evaluating the golf course’s financial future.
“We did what we did last year and thought we might continue to do that this year to see how it goes,” Beekman said, indicating that financial concerns were a main driver for the decision. “We are not saying there should not be a superintendent, we are just trying to avoid committing to a job that we might not want to have in two years or might look different in two years.”
For now, Village Superintendent Tim Bacon will continue supervising the golf course.
Larrabee said village officials are exploring partnerships with colleges that offer turf management programs as another possible solution.
“Right now, everything is on the table,” she said. “We are considering lots of options.”
Director of Golf at Partridge Run Golf Club, Kevin Maginn, suggested SUNY Cobleskill’s turf management program could provide graduates interested in beginning careers in golf course management.
Golfers see improvement, but ask why it took so long
While many attendees criticized the condition of the course for much of the season, several noted dramatic improvements in recent weeks.
“I have noticed, in the past two weeks, a complete turnaround in this course,” member Stu Marquart said. “I don’t understand why now all of a sudden, because of letters that came in from Canadians that want to play here, that now the village has concerns.”
Marquart was referring to a Letter to the Editor that surfaced in NorthCountryNow in late June that outlined a Canadian visitor’s most recent trip to the course and his assessment of its diminished condition.
Marquart also pointed to maintenance issues that carried over from last season.
“Last year the water pump quit. The village was advised the pump needed to be fixed. That never got done until I believe July and it killed No. 14 and I don’t know how many other greens. Now we are trying to play catch up from a year ago, but it’s going to take time to get to where we need to be.”
Although trustees did not directly answer whether maintenance hours have recently increased, many golfers said they have noticed more maintenance activity on the course over the last two weeks.
George Frank criticized the condition of the bunkers, saying they have gone years without enough sand and are now filled with pebbles.
“We don’t hit it out of bunkers anymore. They are unplayable.”
Maginn said the mechanical bunker rake, known as the Trapper, had not been functioning properly but has recently been repaired. He added that the unusually wet weather has also made bunker maintenance more difficult.
Maginn noted that obtaining replacement parts for aging maintenance equipment has become increasingly difficult, creating additional challenges for the grounds crew.
More staff, better supervision
Village officials heard from multiple golfers at the meeting that staffing levels remain the biggest issue, and should be their top priority.
Maginn said only four or five maintenance employees currently work on the course, and crews generally have only from 5:30 to 11:30 a.m. to mow and complete maintenance. To consistently maintain the course at a high level, Maginn said the course needs six or seven maintenance employees working those morning hours.
He noted that two years ago, when many members considered the course to be at its peak, seven or eight employees maintained the course each morning. That same year, however, the golf course lost approximately $219,000.
Mike Frank said staffing alone is not enough without proper leadership.
“That’s not going to be done without proper supervision,” Frank said. “Just because the course looks a little better the last two weeks, this is the middle of July and until now it has been a shithole. People are losing balls in the rough. It slows down play.”
Frank said every successful golf course requires three things.
“The first thing you’ve got to have is a full-time superintendent of grounds. The second is a competent pro shop. The third is food. We’ve got two out of three, we don’t have the other. And until we have all three we can talk until we’re blue in the face and it’s not going to change.”
Financial concerns remain
Village officials distributed a financial summary showing Partridge Run has accumulated $1,193,895.29 in operating deficits over the past 10 fiscal years.
The figures show the course has not posted an annual operating surplus during that span. The largest annual loss came in 2023-24, when the course finished $219,923.43 in the red. The most recently completed fiscal year, 2024-25, ended with a $156,371.18 operating deficit.
Several attendees questioned discrepancies between the spreadsheet distributed Monday and financial information provided by the village last October, noting approximately $70,000 in losses reported for the 2023-24 fiscal year. Trustees said the village has a new treasurer and suggested recent audits may have resulted in revisions to previously reported figures.
“The golf course has lost over a million dollars in the last 10 years,” Beekman said. “We’re doing our best to balance revenue and expenses while minimizing those losses.”
Declining membership has made it increasingly difficult to maintain the course.
Ten years ago, Partridge Run had approximately 270 members. Today, it has about 134 members, including 40 village residents, 60 non-village members, 23 junior members and 11 college student members.
Maginn said the course needs approximately 250 members to consistently generate enough revenue to maintain the quality golfers expect.
He also said membership rates and greens fees will likely increase next season.
Advisory committee proposed
Rick Mace proposed creating a Golf Course Advisory Committee to provide recommendations on course operations. The proposal received overwhelming support in a show of hands from those attending.
Tom Trippany also proposed establishing a Financial Consultant Committee to review the golf course’s finances and identify ways to improve its long-term sustainability.
Trustees thanked attendees for their feedback and encouraged golfers to continue sharing concerns with members of the village’s golf course committee. No future public meetings were scheduled before the meeting adjourned at approximately 8 p.m.