News

But dirty bathrooms continue to be a vexing problem

By Sam Richards

Staff writer

Friday, May 30 (8:30 a.m.): With the weather fully cooperating so far in 2025 – no major problems with flooding or landslides or downed trees of any note as of May 16 – and various segments of the golf community pitching in to make everything work, Rossmoor’s golf courses have seen a significant increase in rounds played so far this year, even as most aspects of course maintenance have held steady or even increased from 2024 levels.

Through April, the Rossmoor courses recorded 21,472 rounds played in 2025, up 18 percent from the 18,194 rounds played over the first four months of 2024.

“Golf wise, I feel really good about where the facility is, and we see that in the numbers every month,” said Mark Heptig, Rossmoor’s director of golf, to the RWC Golf Advisory Committee on May 16. “Every  month, we’re doing more and more and more.

“It’s no longer a secret outside the gates … I think, with the golf part of Rossmoor, we’ve created a monster,” Heptig said.

Income from greens fees is up correspondingly in 2025, Heptig added – about $798,000 for this first four months, up from $684,000 for the first four months of 2024. That is also about $83,000 ahead of budget for 2025.

Heptig credited not only the maintenance team for the conditions of the two courses, but also the Golf Shop staff for coordinating the popular product Demo Days and for sales of $159,000 from January through April this year, compared with $121,000 for those four months in 2024. Lessons provided by Golf Shop staff also are up this year, Heptig said.

Also helping with the golf resurgence, Heptig said, has been hard work by Rossmoor’s four golf clubs. And head golf course Marshal Richard Fuller told the advisory committee that guests from outside Rossmoor who come to play this community’s courses have played a part, too.

“I’m really impressed … they’re ‘sanding’ (fixing) their divots, “ Fuller said. “They’re taking care of our courses, and they’re guests.”  There are more of those guests this year, too – a 28 percent increase through April 30 this year over last year, Heptig said.

The spring irrigation is done, which Heptig said is complete, and that work this year more extensive than usual.

RWC Board member Ted Bentley, a golf committee member, appreciated the condition of the fairways and greens, and of the added green to the financial bottom line: “The courses are looking really good, and playing really good,” he said, “and I just want to say thank you.”

But things aren’t perfect in Rossmoor’s golfing world. The loss of a wide-swath lawn mower to mechanical problems has meant higher grass in some spots – even if committee member Pat Iacullo acknowledged that the greens seem to be playing faster than they have for a long time.

And then there are the course bathrooms. Robin Moreau of the Women’s 18-Hole Golf Club told the committee many of the restrooms are often in “terrible, shoddy condition,” and that before a recent tournament, it fell to an 18ers golf team captain to clean them. “I was appalled when I heard that; that should not happen,” Moreau said.

Though one new member of the RWC maintenance staff has been added, Heptig said, others aren’t sure that will be enough to make sure the golf course restrooms get their recommended twice-a-day cleaning.

“The bathrooms need more than just one person,” Iacullo said.