After talking to management of all the golf courses within about an hour's drive, POA Golf Operations manager Darryl Muldoon concluded, "We're very well priced in the market for our golf rounds."
POA general manager Tom Judson agreed, stating, "Based upon our analysis, we feel our golf fees are reasonable and appropriate to the market."
Judson noted that the analysis was done using peak-season rates. Some courses will soon switch to winter rates.
It's not always an easy comparison, Muldoon said, because some clubs have more than one price. Some are completely private, but others are open to everyone, he said. He used about an hour travel time as his radius.
The closest courses to Bella Vista are Lost Springs in Rogers and Big Sugar in Pea Ridge.
Lost Springs in Rogers -- about 13 miles from Town Center -- is a club, but guests can play with a member or they can play if a member refers them but doesn't come along. Guests pay $50 which includes a golf cart and some range balls, as well as 18 holes of golf.
Big Sugar in Pea Ridge has memberships, but it's also open to the public. It's about 14 miles from Town Center. On Mondays 18 holes cost $20 including the cart. Tuesday through Thursday the cost is $32. On weekends, it's $37.
Fayetteville has a public course, Stonebridge Meadows, although they also have memberships. Stonebridge Meadows' fee is $40 during the week and $50 on Friday and Sunday and $55 on Saturday. Like Bella Vista, Stonebridge rates go down in the afternoon and then at 5 p.m. The after-1 p.m. rate is $34 on Monday through Thursday; $42 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Paradise Valley in Fayetteville is private, guests must be accompanied by a member. The guest rate is $52.20 on weekdays and $62.50 on Friday through Sunday.
Heading north, there are several golf courses near Joplin. Eagle Creek is part of Down Stream Casino. Anyone can play the course, but people who stay at the casino get a special price on golf. The regular price for winter is $57.75 plus $16.50 for a cart on weekdays and $68.50 plus $16.50 for a cart on weekends.
Joplin operates a golf course, Schifferdecker Golf Course, where the greens fee is $15 for adults and $11.25 for seniors during the week, along with a $12 cart fee. On weekends the price is $18 and $13.50 for seniors, plus the cart fee.
Golf at Briarbrook Golf Course in Joplin is $33 Monday through Thursday (including the cart) and $38 on weekends.
Bella Vista also has more than one rate, but rates don't vary according to the day of the week. Bella Vista has three rates: member with a photo ID, member with a paper ID and non-member. The rates include a golf cart.
Before 2 p.m. a member with a photo ID pays $39, a member with a paper ID pays $44, and a nonmember pays $48.
Between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. the rates are $30, $33 and $36.
At 5 p.m. they drop again to $23, $27 and $33.
Bella Vista also sells annual green fees which require a photo ID for $1,866 with monthly payments or $1,736 for an upfront payment. The second member of the same family gets a discount. The cart is extra, either $651 for a POA cart or $488.25 to use a private cart on POA courses.
Each year, when the Board of Directors pass the annual budget, they consider the entire fee schedule. Because the increase in the monthly assessment did not pass, an increase in usage fees may be necessary.
General News on 11/30/2016