Cherry Hill Is Not a Failing Golf Course

Report on the Meeting of the Cherry Hill Working Group, January 21, 2026

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.

Present
Michelle Miller (Chair), Sanjay Arwade, Ryan Diplock, Sarah Goff, Hilary Matheson, Chris Pariseau, Anurag Sharma,

Staff: Dave Ziomek (Assistant Town Manager) and Rey Harp (Recreation Director)

Members of the Cherry Hill Working Group (CHWG) heard a presentation regarding the economic viability of the Cherry Hill Golf Course from working group member Ryan Diplock, CFA, and Portfolio Manager at Polar Asset Management.

Diplock said that it took him six weeks of collecting information from over 20 documents to arrive at an accurate picture of the economic health of the golf course. He said the golf course is listed in the town budget as a cost center, but its revenues go into the general fund, so it is difficult to get an accurate accounting of the revenue. He emphasized that it is imperative to marry the revenue with the costs and run the golf course as a business. He stated that, without knowing both sides of the equation, it is impossible to make rational decisions about the future of the course. Nevertheless, his analysis showed that the golf course had a profit of $39,569 last year.

In his report, Diplock highlighted the community engagement in the golf course, with over 100 members and over 60 people per day playing on the nine-hole course. However, he noted that, since 2017, the town has failed to maintain capital investment in the course. He suggested ways to improve the course’s profitability and condition.

To raise revenue, Diplock suggested raising membership fees, which have not changed in the past six years, by 15%. He also recommended increasing nonmember green fees from $20 to $28, which is still less than what other municipal golf courses charge. In addition, he suggested extending the season by two weeks, until November 15, and opening daily at 7 a.m. instead of 8 a.m. He also recommended obtaining a full liquor license for the clubhouse and raising the cost of beer and craft seltzers to $5 and $8, respectively.

Most crucial, Diplock advocated for a Golf Course Management System that could pair solo golfers with others requesting the same tee time and maximize the course’s use while satisfying golfers’ requests for reservations. He noted that 57% of bookings were for single golfers, and only 7% were for foursomes. The management system would also track usage and make financial analysis easier. He estimated that a management system would cost $5,000 but would easily pay for itself by increasing efficiency and utilization on busy days from 50% to 70% or 80% capacity.

Regarding other costs, Diplock recommended hiring an associate superintendent and another full-time worker to assist with course maintenance. He also recommended increasing the budget for chemicals from $15,000 to $ 30,000 a year and, most crucially, investing $67,000 a year for the next five years in capital improvements.

Diplock’s advice was to reinvest all profits from the golf course for the next five years into the course to catch up with deferred maintenance. After that, the projected $100,000 to $200,00 in profits could support other recreation services in the town.

In addition to golf course revenue, Diplock suggested nontraditional uses of the property to increase profitability. These include adding a driving range, creating a wedding venue, establishing a golf pro shop offering merchandise, and increasing the food offerings in the clubhouse.

Working Group Discussion
Hilary Matheson voiced concern about raising fees when the course is not in the best condition. She worried about excluding many people with the increase in membership dues and green fees. Diplock emphasized that, even with the fee increase, Cherry Hill would remain one of the most affordable courses in the state, and he doubted that people would drive 45 minutes to save $8 on green fees. He noted that the increase in capital investment will improve the condition of the course.

Anurog Sharma agreed with the need for a management system. He emphasized the need to get more information on the profitability of the course and an understanding of the membership—whether they are residents or nonresidents, their age, and their usage of the course.

Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek cautioned that a management system was not in this year’s budget. He also noted that, at one time, the golf course was an enterprise fund so that its expenses and revenue were separate from the town budget; however, it was put into the main budget when it started to lose money.

The working group decided to invite Finance Director Sean Mangano to their next meeting on Wednesday, February 4, to discuss ways to improve the golf course in light of the town’s financial constraints. Ziomek suggested that members forward their questions about finances to him, and he will present them to Mangano.

Ziomek cautioned that the working group was charged with discussing all possible uses of the Cherry Hill property, not only the golf course, and that their recommendations needed to be approved by the Town Manager.

To that point, Sanja Andrade noted that the cross-country skiing is excellent at Cherry Hill and that the Amherst High School Nordic team of about 40 seventh through twelfth graders has been practicing on the groomed trails.  There is also a disc golf course at the site.