Munro defends his record as Unicorn Golf Course manager
Published on November 14th, 2001
STONEHAM, MA - Town officials will discuss whether or not to renew Paul Munro’s contract as the general manger of the Unicorn and Oaks golf courses at the Nov. 20 Selectmen’s meeting.
A decision must be made by Dec. 15, and Munro says that, considering the numbers, the decision should be easy: he should stay and continue his 21-plus year tenure. At a meeting last month, Selectman Darin Leahy suggested the town change the format of the contract from a fixed fee plus costs to an incentive based arrangement. To make this change the town could turn down Munro’s extension and rebid the contract. Leahy looked at the numbers and said the courses should be doing better.
Munro said that Leahy is comparing apples to oranges in his analysis and overlooking the fact that Unicorn and the Oaks are turning over a higher percentage of their revenue to Stoneham than other nine-hole municipal courses and even some 18-hole operations.
According to statistics compiled in a 2000 Boston Globe article, Unicorn turned over 32 percent of fiscal 1999 gross revenue to Stoneham and the Oaks turned over 21 percent, as opposed to 19 percent from Fresh Pond (nine holes, Cambridge), 23 percent from Mount Hood (18 holes, Melrose) and 25 percent from Gannon (18 holes, Lynn).
The Hillview in North Reading turned over 40 percent of club revenue to the town that year, but this is an example of what Munro calls an unfair comparison because the North Reading course has 18 holes plus a banquet hall. During the economic slowdown of fiscal 2001, revenues at Gannon and Hillview were down 20 percent from 2000, whereas Unicorn and the Oaks were only down five percent.
The Oaks, a weak spot identified by Leahy, is an odd course, Munro admits.
“The course is short, hilly and has steep banks around the greens making the course harder than most par three courses,” Munro said.
He said the course is short, inexpensive and, thus, perfect for beginners, but because of its odd character as a difficult par three course — most people play par three courses for their ease — the Oaks has never developed a loyal clientele.
The design of the Oaks and Unicorn or the addition of new facilities are in the hands of the Selectmen and the Unicorn Recreation Area Committee.
“No one ever asks me what I think,” Munro said. “I would like to work more with the Unicorn Committee.”
Munro has made efforts on his own to improve business.
“We had leagues from Cummings Park and Unicorn Park (offices), but they didn’t keep it up,” Munro said.
He and his brother Michael, who supervises the Oaks, give lessons to adults and children. They coordinate local tournaments, help the Elks and Marconi Club leagues get tee times, and make time for charity tournaments, most recently for youth basketball and Kelly Conlon’s lung transplant fund. Michael is also a club maker; he fits children at the Oaks with affordable, appropriate clubs.
“This is like a family to me,” Munro said. “I’m here every day, not because I have to, but because I like it.”
Munro is a Stoneham resident. He lets the Spartan golf team practice on the course for free (Malden and Medford use the course for a fee). Thank-you letters from groups like the Angels women’s league adorn his clubhouse office.
An article on the “trade secrets” page of a golf magazine lauds a South Carolina course manager for bringing 140,000 rounds per year through his three public, 18-hole courses, which are open all year. In comparison, Unicorn hosted 55,000 rounds over the last year, and the course opened late this past spring because of rough weather in April.
“This is all about providing a good service to the customers,” Munro said. “And the customers have been coming.”
Selectmen may want to make changes, but Munro says he has fresh ideas and a desire to remain a part of public golf in Stoneham for a third decade.
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