Golfing Fees Up - And Down County Boosts Standard Fees But Adds Discount Program
Golfers who schedule their games creatively still can find bargain rates at Spokane County courses - despite a fee increase adopted by county commissioners Tuesday.
The standard fee for 18 holes of golf will increase $1.50 in 1998 to $16 for adult county residents. Nonresidents and tournament players will pay $22 instead of $19.50, commissioners decided.
But resident golfers can save 50 cents by playing on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
There are bigger savings for those county residents who schedule tee times after 5 p.m. any day of the week. For $9, they can play as many holes as they like.
The staggered fees, similar to those used on courses in the city of Spokane, are designed to put more golfers on the greens and fairways at times when they’re lightly used, said Commissioner Kate McCaslin, who suggested the discount system.
“I just felt like we needed to be a little bit more innovative” in attracting golfers, she said.
The three days’ discount might not sound like much, but “even if it is just 50 cents, this is Spokane. That (savings) makes a difference a lot of times,” said McCaslin.
The staggered fee structure is a change from a proposal written by the county’s golf advisory committee. That volunteer group wanted adult residents to pay $16 no matter when they play and suggested $21.50 greens fees for nonresidents.
In addition, the committee recommended eliminating season passes for children, adults and senior citizens because some people play so often that the price averages just a few dollars per round.
Commissioners agreed to drop season passes for children and adults, replacing them with multi-play tickets that shave up to $5 off the cost of each round. Most youths use their season passes so seldom that the new system will be less expensive than the old one, said McCaslin.
Responding to complaints at a recent hearing, commissioners voted to retain senior citizen passes, which are good weekdays only.
“There are a lot of seniors I know who are on Social Security and they just don’t have that extra income that a lot of people think they have,” said Commissioner Phil Harris.
The season passes for senior citizens will cost $500 instead of $495 and will be valid spring through fall. In the past, they’ve been valid year-round.
Only one of the county’s three courses, Liberty Lake, is open in winter, and it is damaged by high use when the ground is soggy, said county golf director Mike Kingsley.
By charging for each winter round, rather than applying those rounds to season passes, county officials hope to raise more money to help repair the damage.
, DataTimes