Does the city golf course pay for itself?

In short

• The city runs its own golf course, Crystal Falls Golf Club, as a business-like fund.¹
• In 2024-25 it took in more than it cost, even counting wear on the course. Its earnings from operations were about $372,000.²
• In 2026-27 it plans to spend $3.5 million of its savings on course improvements, leaving about $1.8 million.¹

Numbers marked “our math” are our estimates, not official figures. The notes show the inputs and the steps.

How it works

• Golfers pay, not taxpayers. The golf fund is meant to pay its own way from green fees, cart rentals, the driving range and the pro shop.¹
• It is kept apart from the main fund. The money it earns stays in the golf fund, unless the council moves it.¹
• Staff: the 2026-27 budget has 29.75 full-time-equivalent golf jobs, including three new ones.¹

What the numbers show

Year	Took in	Spent (budget basis)	Savings at year end
2022-23 (actual)	$2.69 million	$2.12 million	$4.79 million
2023-24 (actual)	$3.12 million	$2.39 million	$5.52 million
2024-25 (actual)	$3.20 million	$2.98 million	$4.74 million
2025-26 (estimate)	$3.36 million	$2.81 million	$5.29 million
2026-27 (plan)	$3.48 million	$6.98 million	$1.79 million

Source: the 2026-27 budget, golf fund table.¹

• Where the money comes from (2026-27 plan): green fees $1.7 million, about half. Cart rentals $680,000, driving range $325,000, pro shop sales $300,000, tournaments $253,000.³
• The big 2026-27 jump in spending is a one-time $3.5 million set aside from savings for course improvements, plus $82,000 of major equipment.¹
• Money to the city: in 2024-25 the golf fund sent $1 million to the main fund, which the audit calls “city projects allocated to Golf Fund.”²

The golf savings fund for upgrades

• In 2024-25 the city opened a separate golf savings fund for course upgrades. Its first money was about $1.04 million moved from the golf fund’s extra savings.⁴
• It spent little at first. In 2024-25 it spent about $8,600. For 2025-26 the city estimates about $705,000 of the $1 million it budgeted.⁴
• For 2026-27 it plans to spend about $3.88 million. That is the $3.5 million moved in from golf savings, plus what is left in the fund. The plan would leave the fund at zero.⁴
• Green fees have grown. They went from about $1.27 million in 2022-23 to about $1.52 million in 2024-25, up about 20% in two years (our math).⁵

The other side of the savings fund. Moving money into a fund for upgrades is a normal way to plan for big repairs, and the money still comes from golfers, not property taxes.⁴ But one line in the table does not add up. It shows a 2024-25 “deficit” of $921,898, while the same table’s money in ($1,035,117) minus money out ($8,567) is a gain of $1,026,550 (our math).⁴ That looks like a table error, not lost money, but the city has not said.

The other side

• The course pays its way today. The audit counts wear on the course ($328,000 in 2024-25) and still shows an operating profit.²
• But savings drop a lot. After the upgrades, savings would be about $1.8 million, roughly half of one year’s operating costs (our math).⁶ One bad year, like 2024-25 when fewer rounds were played, would cut into that.²
• Is golf a city job? Some residents ask why a city runs a golf course at all. Others see it as a park that pays its way.²
• Plans can change. The 2025-26 plan expected no profit; the estimate shows about $546,000.¹

Questions to ask

• What will the planned golf course improvements buy, and how does the city expect to pay for them?
• What savings level does the council set for the golf fund?¹
• What was the golf savings fund’s correct result in its first year, and which projects will the planned upgrade money pay for?

Changes to this page

• Nov. 5, 2026: Added the golf savings fund for upgrades, green fee growth, and a note on a table line that does not add up.
• Nov. 2, 2026: Plainer wording in The other side, with a source note added.
• Nov. 2, 2026: Rewrote the questions to ask so each is open, neutral and addressed to the public body.

What we still don’t know

• How 2025-26 really ended. That will be in the city’s 2026 audit.
• How golf fees compare with nearby public courses.

Footnotes

1. City of Leander FY2027 adopted budget, Golf Fund-05 summary: revenues FY2023 $2,694,597, FY2024 $3,122,852, FY2025 $3,198,951, FY2026 estimate $3,358,239, FY2027 adopted $3,480,584; total operating expenditures $2,122,482, $2,390,181, $2,976,331, $2,812,554, $6,980,584; ending fund balance $4,789,021, $5,521,692, $4,744,313, $5,289,998, $1,789,998; FY2026 budget surplus $0 vs estimate $545,685. Budget message: $3,500,000 capital improvements earmark from golf fund reserves; major equipment $82,000; 29.75 FTE including three new. Budget. Saved copy. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

2. City of Leander FY2025 audited financial report, golf course fund: operating revenues $3,131,071; operating expenses $2,759,113 including depreciation $328,186; operating income $371,958; transfers out $1,000,000 (“City projects allocated to Golf Fund,” to the General Fund); net position decreased $593,224, which the report links to fewer rounds played and lower merchandise and tournament sales. Public copy. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

3. Same budget, golf fund revenues, FY2027 adopted: green fees $1,700,000; cart rental $680,000; driving range $325,000; pro shop sales $300,000; tournament fees $253,000; total $3,480,584. Green fees ÷ total = 48.8% (our math). Saved copy. ↩

4. City of Leander FY2027 adopted budget, Golf Capital Projects Reserve Fund-105 (pp. 95-96): revenues FY2025 actual $1,035,117 (transfer in), FY2026 budget $78,102, FY2026 estimate $44,425, FY2027 adopted $3,514,000 (transfer in $3,500,000, interest $14,000); expenditures $8,567, $1,000,000, $704,871, $3,880,105; ending balance $1,026,550, $99,502, $366,105, $0; table’s “current operating surplus/(deficit)” FY2025 ($921,898). Fund summary: created FY2025 by transfer of excess golf fund balance. Our math: $1,035,117 - $8,567 = $1,026,550. Saved copy. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

5. Same budget, golf fund revenues, green fees: FY2023 actual $1,268,332; FY2025 actual $1,523,104. Our math: $1,523,104 / $1,268,332 = 1.201, about 20%. Saved copy. ↩

6. Our math. Calculation from the budget table: $1,789,998 ÷ FY2027 costs without the $3,500,000 one-time earmark ($6,980,584 − $3,500,000 = $3,480,584) = 0.51, about half a year. ↩