- April 14, 2026
After just one year under new management, the Palm Harbor Golf Club is projected to have increased its revenue from last year by $440,000.
Palm Coast has owned Palm Harbor since 2008, and the golf course has been in the red almost every year since, expenses exceeding revenue by thousands of dollars each year. Palm Coast hired Dennis Redican as the new recreation manager in 2025 in an effort to make Palm Harbor cost-recovery.
Last year, the Palm Coast City Council asked Redican to come back six months into the 2026 budget for an update on the golf course’s revenue projections.
In the first six months of the budget year, October to March, the golf course has made $1.28 million in revenue, Redican said, and had $812,000 in expenses. It is projected to make more than $2.2 million in revenue in the 2025-2026 budget years, exceeding its expenses by $72,000.
That is a revenue increase of over $440,000 from the 2024-2025 revenue of $1.8 million. The expenses for the golf course that year were $1.9 million, a net loss of $96,000.
“Dennis, tremendous, tremendous job turning it around,” Mayor Mike Norris said. “I want you to keep doing the same thing.”
Since August, the Palm Harbor Golf Club has implemented an increased fee structure, new events, new passes, extended hours and more tee times.
The golf course has overall exceeded the revenue earned during the same period in the 2024-2025 budget, excepting in December. Redican said most pass holder card are typically purchased in December, and with the increase in the costs, the city saw some losses.
But, the golf course made up for that loss in the following months, he said.
Because of the losses, the City Council has in the past considered selling the golf course or even leasing the management out to a third party. During the April 14 workshop meeting reviewing its revenue and the possibility of sending out for third-party management proposals.
With the golf course projected to be cost recovery this year, everyone on the council was against selling Palm Harbor and the council overall decided against going out a Request for Proposal for management contracts.
“We got three no’s for the RFP,” Norris said. “So that’s done.”
Councilmen Ty Miller and Charles Gambaro were the only two to suggest going for the third-party management proposals. Gambaro said even with Redican’s success, going out for a RFP may be a smart move.
“We’re one major maintenance issue from being in the red,” he said.
Despite the turnaround, Redican said the golf course does have necessary replacements in its future. The pump irrigation system is being replaced now and is already budgeted for $278,000. Between the 2027, 2028 and the 2029 budgets, the city will need to replace the golf carts, the Hole 17th Tee Box and renovate the green and the bunker.
“Our greens are well past due for a renovation plan, over 20 years,” Redican said.
Gambaro pointed out the right lease would allow a company to come in and invest money to update areas of the golf course.
“Why should we invest $3-4 million of taxpayer funds,” he said, “when we could get somebody to come in and invest in our community long term? Make it a true public-private partnership.”
Vice Mayor Theresa Carli Pontieri saw it another way. ending out an RFP now, she said, would send a bad message to city staff.
“I don’t know what corporation would say, ‘I know you’ve turned things around to the tune of $430,000, but we’re still going to look elsewhere,” Pontieri said. “I just think that sends a really bad message.”
Palm Coast residents also turned out in support of Redican’s success and keeping the golf course under city management.
“Six months is a short period of time to turn around multiple years of failure,” said Jim Palmer, a Palm Coast resident.
W Section resident James Janoff said he has invested $400 in two Palm Harbor passes. Janoff said the council needs to stop looking into third-party management and allow the course to remain in the city’s management for the benefit of the residents.
“You’ve gotten everything you’ve asked for, and then some,” Janoff said.
Instead of third-party management, the council asked staff to look into turning Palm Harbor into an enterprise fund, to ensure the golf course would be self-sufficient. Redican said he plans to implement more changes over the summer, including extending operating hours.
