Anaheim Delays Decision on Hiking Golf Course Fees

The City Council on Tuesday postponed a vote on a series of fee hikes at the two municipal golf courses for two weeks.

New council members Bob Zemel and Lou Lopez, who were sworn in last week, said they did not feel prepared to vote on the matter, which will be brought before the council again Dec. 20.

The fee hikes were proposed in order to make the H.G. (Dad) Miller and Anaheim Hills golf courses more profitable.

Under the new rates, the golf courses would charge weekend rates on Fridays and double tournament weekend fees to $10. Friday fees would increase from $11 to $13 for nine holes and from $16 to $22 for 18 holes.

Officials estimate that the doubling of weekend tournament fees would probably result in some tournaments being moved to weekdays, leaving more tee times for the individual golfers on weekends. This strategy is expected to increase the number of rounds played.

The proposed changes could raise city revenue by $160,000 annually. The courses now bring in about $1.5 million each year to the general fund, officials said.

Last summer, the council rejected a proposal to privatize the two golf courses, which are among the few in Orange County to be owned and operated by a city.

A proposal by American Golf Co. to run the courses would have brought in an estimated $85,000 annually for 20 years.

The proposal led to a fierce debate between those who maintained that privatization would make money and opponents who said the city would lose control of a valuable asset.

After the council decided against privatization, it directed city staff to find ways to make the two courses more profitable.