The Joint Advisory Committee on Golf heard about proposed changes to the annual golf fee at its meeting on Wednesday. The price will go up for 2018, but a new policy will allow golfers to suspend their memberships for medical reasons, general manager Tom Judson said.
Some members worried that they would waste months of their annual greens fee because of medical issues like knee replacements or surgeries, Judson explained. The new program -- called GAP, for Golf Assurance Program -- allows members who pay the annual fee to suspend it for up to six months with a note from a doctor.
The option must be purchased along with an annual greens fee, and it costs an additional $145. Members who chose to pay their annual membership in monthly installments, won't have the option to suspend it with GAP.
If a member pays for GAP and doesn't use it, it can be renewed at no cost each year. But if it's used to suspend membership even for a short time, it must be purchased again with the renewal of a greens fee.
On Wednesday, the committee had a preview of the 2018 fee schedule. Although it had not yet been approved, Judson said the board had seen it. Annual greens fee will go up about 3 to 4 percent, he said. The primary membership will go up $60 if paid for in a lump sum, and monthly fees will go up a total of about $50. A secondary annual green fee will go up about $50 for both members who pay in advance and those that pay monthly. Private cart leases will go up $20 for primary and $10 for secondary.
Fees for 18 holes will increase by $2. Nine-hole fees and twilight fees will increase $1.
"We think this is a reasonable adjustment," Judson said, adding that the courses have seen several improvements since the last time the fee was raised.
General News on 11/15/2017