Vicksburg officials are exploring the idea of selling Angels Crossing Golf Club. Details of the proposal were laid out by Village Manager Jim Mallery during the council’s Feb. 2 meeting.
Mallery said the village purchased the course out of bankruptcy around 2010. It finally turned a profit for the first time in 2015. The village’s investment into the course over the past two years exceeds $500,000, he added. Examples include recent purchases of two new greens mowers and two new tee-box mowers, updated utility and beverage carts, an investment of $150,000 in new asphalt cart paths, and “a significant investment” into improving conditions on the seventh hole.
Mallery said there has been outside interest expressed in the course as far back as 2022 and as recently as last month. “We received communication (in 2022) from a group represented by a broker with interest in purchasing the golf course,” he said. “At that time, we would not have had the ability to sell, lease or rent the course due to the bond that we have. We need to own the course for at least 10 years of that 20-year bond.”
That 10-year bond period ended in October 2023, Mallery noted.
With all things considered, Mallery said it’s his opinion that the village would be better off turning over the course to new owners. Any sale, however, would come with two stipulations:
- The village retains eternal rights to ground water within the golf course property.
- The property remains an 18-hole golf course.
Mallery suggested contacting the two parties that have previously expressed an interest in purchasing. In addition, the village could issue a request for proposals and field offers in that manner.
Mallery was quick to clarify that anyone who has paid membership through 2026 will not be impacted if the course is sold this calendar year.
Council member Ryan Wagner said Angels Crossing is a source of pride for Vicksburg, as it enjoys a solid reputation and is a destination for many out-of-area golfers. Still, he acknowledged overseeing a golf course generally falls outside the realm of a village council.
“”It’s a money-maker now for the village. It’s self-sustaining, we’re able to invest in it, it’s attractive, it’s in great condition, but at the same time, it’s a golf course,” Wagner said. “It’s a liability, it’s a business operation, it’s an enterprise fund within the village so it’s self-contained for those expenses.”
Wagner continued with a series of rhetorical questions.
“Do we want to stay in the business of running a golf course? Do we not? Is it in our best interest or in our citizens’ best interest? And is there a value to be had there that if we are able to sell it that could benefit financially the village and retain that recreational opportunity even though we wouldn’t directly own it?” he said. “So, I think it’s something to consider and I think it’s something that could be a great benefit.”
During the council’s January 26 meeting, Village President Tim Frisbie raised the question about whether now would be a prudent time to consider selling the course.
“I think we’re at a crossroads as a community with the golf course. We have a very valuable asset and the liability falls on us; the liability falls on the taxpayers,” he said. “What if in two years the market absolutely crashes?”
In addition, Frisbie cited the amount of work required by Mallery to handle course-related business. He estimated about 30 percent of Mallery’s time centers on the golf course.
“And in the summer, it goes up even more,” Frisbie said. “We’re not golf people. He’s a village manager. We’re going to have a new village manager next year (and) a lot of transformation in this community.”
He mentioned, too, that all revenue generated at Angels Crossing stays in the golf course budget. In other words, the course provides no direct financial benefit to the village’s general fund, Frisbie said.
He said Feb. 2 the village is in a good position because it can proceed with a sale on its terms.
