cell towers on the golf course Cancel The title field is required!

1. James Smith

   

   112 posts
   
   7/3/2012 11:07 AM

   has anyone went through the process of having a cell tower placed on your course?
   
   ATT has approached us about leasing property to install a cell tower on our golf course. We had a meeting with one person yesterday and I have a place picked out where we can lease them 60'X100' of property. They are offering to build a tower to our specs and our board members really like their clock towers which looks like a large 3 sided (maybe 4) clock that comes out of a real nice building. The area I have picked out is centered between our Driving Range, #1 tee and clubhouse and would be an improvement to the area.
   
   For those of you that have done it. What issues did you have to deal with? What kind of damages to your course was there? How much income were you able to gain from the lease?
   
   Thanks for any information you may have.

   
   
   
   
2. Gary Carls

   

   19 posts
   
   7/5/2012 8:07 AM

   While we don't currently have any towers on our courses the City does have several in various parks around town and are currently negotiating deals for possible towers on each of our courses. It seems like the fees they pay can be all over the place from several hundred dollars per month up to several thousand depending on how bad they want a particular location.
   
   Right now they are in discussions to place one at our 9 hole course where the current driving range building sits. They are talking about replacing the building for us and then making it large enough to support our use and theirs. On top of that it would be one that would probably pay a couple of thousand per month. Bad news is that it's right in the center of the site adjacent to the main parking lot. The fake "monopine" tree would need to be 85' high which is about 20 feet or more taller than any other surrounding trees so I can't think it would be very good looking. We have had past proposals that would have simply placed the panels on a short tower on top of the 60' nets but the neighbors weren't too keen on that idea. Not sure what they will say if and when this proposal gets to public meetings.
   
   Another challenge is making sure it's in a location where you are comfortable with giving them 24 hours access because they will require it to service the pole and deal with any issues that may come up. They also usually want to be able to have a generator on site in case of power failures and that can cause some noise concerns depending on how well they will be enclosing it. In your case it sounds like that may not be a real concern.

   
   Gary K. Carls, CGCS, President - Oakland Turfgrass Education Initiative
   
   
3. Kenneth Ingram

   

   18 posts
   
   7/6/2012 6:07 AM

   I can name 6 or 7 courses around the beltway here in DC with cell towers. I went through this once and talked to several clubs about their arrangement. The "going rate" then was $2-3K per month. The downside, besides the ugly obstruction and view, was access. These towers definately need service and maintenance. Expect some van and truck traffic seven days a week and at odd hours. They wanted snow plowing access also. Maybe you could negotiate some wireless service for the club staff also. Kenneth Ingram, UMD

   
   
   
   
4. James Smith

   

   112 posts
   
   7/6/2012 8:07 AM

   They told us from the beginning that no cell service could be worked out in the bargain.
   
   We are actually looking into a clock tower that they have built for a few other places. by placing the tower in the area selected our #1, #10 tees as well as our Driving Range Tee will be able to see it. It may actually improve the area to some extent. I really was not aware of the 24 hour access but I do not see that as a problem since it is very close to our main parking lot. We are currently asking for $2,700 per month for a 60' x 100' section with that money supposedly being earmarked for equipment notes.