WILLIAMSPORT, Ohio — Rising gas prices are hitting more than just drivers at the pump.
What You Need To Know
Gas prices are higher
Ohio is above the national average
Golf courses use diesel fuel to mow their courses
Golf courses across Ohio are also feeling the impact, especially when it comes to maintenance costs.
Natalie Balallo and her husband Raymund Balallo have spent the last three years running Crown Hill Golf Club in Williamsport.
“It’s the people out here… every day’s different. Having a golf course. There are challenging days, but most days it’s a lot of fun,” said Natalie Balallo, the owner of Crown Hill Golf Club.
But behind the scenes, keeping the 270-acre course is a constant job.
“We’re roughly a thousand rounds a week, so everyday it’s full, we’re in a good position for the golf season,” Natalie Balallo said.
And with the course packed throughout the week, maintenance never slows down.
The Balallos said one of their biggest challenges right now is the rising cost of diesel fuel, which powers the equipment used to mow the course every day.
At the start of the week, the average gallon of diesel fuel in Ohio cost $6.09.
AAA said that’s a 75% jump from this time last year when it was $3.48 per gallon.
It’s also $0.46 higher than the national average.
“As they come up and go down, it’s something we take into account every year as we set our rates,” Natalie Balallo said.
Still, Natalie and Raymond said they want to keep golf affordable for their customers.
Instead of raising prices significantly, they’re adjusting spending in other parts of their budget.
They said the gas prices affect around 20% of their grounds’ operating budget.
“With a lot of our costs going up, there are some projects that we can’t do right now,” said Raymund Balallo, the owner of Crown Hill Golf Club.
Raymund said they rely heavily on data analytics and financial forecasting to decide which upgrades and improvements may need to wait.
“We have to look at those quarter by quarter by quarter, right? So if any of those costs go down, maybe we can add those again to another quarter or maybe next year,” Raymund Balallo said.
Despite the rising expenses, the Balallos said their focus remains on improving the course experience for golfers while adapting to the growing costs of doing business.
“Just like everyone else, you just kind of budget for it and deal with it,” Natalie Balallo said.
And another expense the Balallos said continues to climb is fertilizer, a major part of maintaining the course.
“The fertilizer is a huge cost here, you know, for any golf course. And I think that also impacts the community, the agricultural community. So we use a lot of the same fertilizer and chemicals out here on the course as our farmers do. So those costs tend to go up and stay up,” said Natalie Balallo.