Valleywide : Greens Fee Hikes OKd for 7 City Courses

The city is raising the fees that golfers pay to use municipal courses, but in a move that is likely to please sport enthusiasts, will maintain current fees until after the busy summer season.

On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Board of Recreation and Parks Commissioners decided to raise weekday greens fees by $1, to $17 per round, and weekend fees by $1.50, to $22 per round.

The increases will go into effect Oct. 1 at the city’s seven golf courses, of which four--Woodley Lakes, Encino, Balboa and Hansen Dam--are in the San Fernando Valley.

Golf player groups, which the city consulted before deciding fee hikes, said the increases are reasonable.

“While any fee increase is obviously painful, this package will raise the necessary revenue for the department while at the same time protect the interests of those golfers least able to absorb the increases,” said Craig Kessler, spokesman for the Southern California Public Links Golf Assn.

To attract more golfers during the afternoon hours, when golf course attendance tends to drop off, the city is cutting $3 from the weekday rate at five golf courses for those teeing off after 1 p.m. The participating courses are the four Valley links and Harding Municipal Golf Course in Los Feliz.

Greens fees were last increased in August. A parks official said this year’s hike was necessitated by the reduction of the parks department’s budget allocation by the City Council. Dick Ginevan, golf program manager for the department, said the $525,000 in revenues expected from the fee hike will allow the department to maintain the same level of service as it has during the past fiscal year.

The parks commission decided to maintain the greens fee for senior citizens at $8.50 per round, against the recommendation of its staff, which proposed raising it by $1.

Fees to use the city’s nine-hole golf courses will also stay the same.