Northwood Golf Club reports 2025 loss, eyes profitable season ahead

Northwood Golf Club manager Keith Staron presented the club’s 2025 year-end financial report to the Rhinelander Common Council Feb. 23, showing a net loss of $42,234 for the year while outlining steps taken to return the course to profitability in 2026.
Staron was straightforward about the results. “I don’t sugarcoat things,” he told the alderpersons. “We lost a little money. We’re making the adjustments. We’re going to fix it.”
He attributed much of the deficit to the club’s transition from private operator Oliphant Golf back to city management, which came with a starting budget that did not fully account for city-side expenses. Chief among those was roughly $68,000 in employee health insurance costs that had previously been handled outside the operator’s budget, he explained.
An extended delay in receiving a liquor license also had a detrimental effect.
The license was not received until mid-June, costing an estimated $10,000 per month in lost food and beverage revenue.

A lightning strike in late July compounded the problems, blowing out four irrigation transformers and roughly 70 control components throughout the sprinkler system, pushing the grounds department over budget on repairs.
Staffing gaps in the food and beverage department also created overtime costs. With only one full-time and one part-time employee budgeted — providing about 70 hours of weekly coverage against a need of roughly 115 — the department consistently ran short. For 2026, Staron said the club has elevated its second cook to full-time status and added another part-time position to address the gap.
Despite the loss, several areas showed strong performance, Staron reported. Food and event sales reached $92,000 for a season that ran only from June through December, with holiday events in December drawing well and some rolling into January for the first time. Beer, wine and liquor sales totaled $76,000, hampered early in the season by the delayed liquor license, which was not approved until June 17. The course recorded 13,858 rounds of golf, a number Staron said he wants to push toward 17,000 to 18,000 through increased marketing and advertising. Pro shop merchandise sales climbed from $82,000 the prior year to $90,000, driven by better customer engagement and more responsive inventory buying. Memberships also rose by approximately $10,000, and Staron said he expects further growth this season after raising rates slightly and seeing early interest from golfers returning from the Rhinelander Country Club and Pinewood.
Staron also reported attending the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla., where he completed three educational seminars on new equipment, club fitting and shaft technology, and secured show-floor pricing discounts on pro shop inventory. He noted that for 2026 he plans to attend a week-long seminar to advance from PGA Level 2 to Level 3 certification.
Council members asked about several budget line items that came in above projections, including irrigation costs, up 209 percent due to the lightning damage, and publication subscriptions and dues, up 319 percent, which Staron explained reflects his annual PGA professional dues and associated education and travel costs.
Mayor Kris Hanus also noted that administration is working with economic development partners and Tony Pharo on potential development projects near the golf course that could benefit both the club and the silent sports trail system being built in the area, with the goal of driving more public activity and revenue out to the site.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
In other business, the council approved the purchase of a new sign for the newly renamed Heal Creek Recreation Area, which includes Northwood Golf Club. The cosy is $8,211. The city will pay half that amount and the room tax tourism marketing committee will cover the other 50 percent.