The City of Wilkes-Barre’s two golf courses performed well in 2024, and the City will receive its best-ever profit share this year because of that.

Ever since Mayor George C. Brown brokered an agreement with the board of the City’s General Municipal Authority to lease Hollenback Golf Course to the authority for $1 in 2021, the City has been receiving annual payments equal to 5% of the proceeds from golf course operations.

Those payments were $2,800 for 2021; $1,500 for 2022; and $1,500 for 2023. This year, the City will receive $4,200 for 2024, authority business manager John Koval said in an email last week.

Hollenback, a nine-hole course in the North End of the city, took in $297,584 in revenue in 2024 and had $167,653 in expenses. After subtracting administrative expenses, some of which are shared between Hollenback and the Wilkes-Barre Golf Club in Bear Creek Twp., Koval determined the City would be paid $4,200.

The nine-member authority board has overseen operations and finances of the 542-acre, 18-hole Wilkes-Barre Golf Club in Bear Creek Twp. for over five decades and took over operations of Hollenback four years ago after Hollenback had been operating in the red for several years.

Back in 2021, Brown estimated the lease would save the city about $100,000 a year because it would no longer be a drain on City resources.He had said two full-time Department of Public Works employees who worked at least part of the year at the golf course would be transferred to doing other full-time DPW work.

According to the City’s year-end financial report for 2020, Hollenback brought in $161,868 in fees, rentals, sales and advertising revenue, while operations and maintenance cost the city $259,271, for a loss of $97,403.

Charles Majikes, chairman of the municipal authority, said both courses “had a good year. It would have been better if not for the roadwork.”

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission replaced a bridge that carries Laurel Run Road over the turnpike, which prevented traffic from accessing the Wilkes-Barre Golf Club from state Route 115 — the most popular route used by golfers because it avoids the steep, winding Giants Despair route through Laurel Run. The bridge closure lasted from Feb. 26, 2024 until just before Thanksgiving.

A Pennsylvania Department of Transportation culvert replacement project on East Northampton Street near the Wilkes-Barre city/township border impeded traffic through that area for about a week this past summer. And, PennDOT repaved Giants Despair after finishing the culvert project. And seemingly constant work being done on Pine Run Road also deterred golfers from making the trip, Majikes has said.

Still, the municipal golf club, referred to by many people simply as Muni, saw $771,069 in revenue and $694,503 in expenses last year, for a profit of $76,566. Total revenue for Muni was one-tenth of a percent less last year than in 2023.

“This year will be the year to tell” what the potential for Muni will be, Majikes said, given that the authority invested over $800,000 in American Rescue Plan funding provided by the City in course improvements and new maintenance equipment over the last two years.

“We’re optimistic, given the condition of the course and now that road construction is complete. The roads are beautiful,” Majikes said.

The board also intends to boost Muni’s fleet of golf carts, now that the course has all new cart paths, with the purchase of about 20 new carts this year.

The board recently sold off 10 old carts for about $25,000, Majikes said.

“We’re looking forward to a new year. The tournament schedule is just about completely booked for the new season. We’ve even had to turn a few away,” Majikes said, adding his thanks to Brown, city Administrator Charles McCormick and city council for supporting the authority’s efforts over the past several years.