Ralph Landrum is proud of what he’s done for golf in Northern Kentucky since 1974.
On Tuesday, he found out the City of Florence is not renewing his contract to manage World of Golf on Woodspoint Drive. The current deal expires on Dec. 31, ending a 32-year relationship. (The city owns the World of Golf property.)
“We have introduced the game of golf to thousands of different people here in Northern Kentucky over the years,” Landrum said Wednesday.
Florence City Administrator Josh Hunt said Troon, a Scottsdsle, Arizona management company, is the preferred choice. City Council is expected to vote at its meeting at 6 p.m. next Tuesday at city offices, 8100 Ewing Boulevard.
“They’re a national operator that operates over 300 golf courses in the United States,” Hunt said. “Locally, they manage the Kenton County Golf Course.”
Landrum is president and owner of Landrum Golf Inc. Before World of Golf, he managed facilities at Devou Park in Covington and The Golf Ranch in Burlington.
“And … whether it was here or at Devou or at the Golf Ranch at Burlington, I have had hundreds and hundreds of teenage kids work for me, and I hope we taught them a little bit of work ethic,” Landrum said. “And we did that here at World of Golf while making (the city) a good deal of money the last couple of years.”
Hunt said the city’s main concern dealt with succession planning and operational continuity in case Landrum was unable to fulfill the contract.
“When you have an asset of this scale – the city has invested millions of dollars over the last 10 years in a new facility, new driving range, new golf carts – all this money that we put into it, and that entire operation hinges on one operator with no succession plan, that puts the city at adverse risk in a lot of ways,” Hunt said. “So if Ralph was to decide he wanted to retire tomorrow, there’s nobody to take over the reins of Landrum Golf and manage the golf course.”
Landrum, meanwhile, said city officials did “not really” give him a reason the contract wouldn’t be renewed, and he didn’t want to know what company was replacing him because it wasn’t his business.
“(They) told me I’m out,” Landrum said. “I did my very best I could every day … so I’m done.”
Maybe not.
Though Landrum, 68, wants to spend more time at his home in Port St. Lucie, Florida, he said three people want him to teach golf in Northern Kentucky.
“And so next spring, I’ll pop up somewhere and give a few golf lessons and play little golf,” Landrum said, “and life will be pretty good.”