Committee moves 4-year Club Car lease forward for Memorial Golf Course; carts to include GPS, local maintenance

The finance committee voted to recommend favorably a four-year lease for replacement golf carts at the Memorial Golf Course after a workshop presentation and committee questions on March 9.

Deputy Parks Director Steven Leen described the proposed Club Car lease as a four-year agreement with annual payments of roughly $145,000 and delivery to precede the July 2026 start of the contract. "The new and updated golf carts will improve pace of play and course conditions and safety while also providing these features that will ultimately increase the revenue for the City of New Haven Golf Course Special Enterprise Fund," Leen said.

Details and community use: Leen said the proposal would replace an aging fleet of 75 used carts with an 80-cart lease that includes GPS and features that allow staff to monitor pace of play. The manufacturer will provide routine maintenance via a Connecticut facility, and the lease includes a Club Car-provided electric cart for demonstration and transition purposes, though the main leased fleet is gas-powered "right now," Leen said, pending future infrastructure investments to support a full electric fleet.

Fiscal context: Leen estimated cart-rental revenue at about $500,000 in the previous year (26,000 rentals combined for 18- and 9-hole rounds), meaning the leased fleet payments (about $580,000 across four years) would be covered by existing rental demand and return revenue to the golf-course enterprise fund.

Committee action and edits: Aldermen questioned the fuel type, maintenance responsibilities and whether youth programs benefit from the upgrade. After a brief amendment to clarify ownership language in the whereas clauses (replacing a reference to the "New Haven Parks Department" with "City of New Haven" where appropriate), the committee unanimously moved the lease forward with a favorable recommendation to the full board.

What comes next: The item will appear on the Board of Alders agenda for final consideration and formal approval before the July 2026 contract start date.