The City Council voted 7-1 Monday night to approve the five-year business plan from Mayor Jerry Sanders for the city’s golf course operations, but many golfers who packed the meeting weren’t happy with the result.
Most of the golfers said the mayor’s plan will result in fewer tee times for the Torrey Pines men’s and women’s clubs. Sanders said his plan will result in 15,000 additional rounds of golf for city residents and will open up Torrey Pines to those who may have given up previously to golf there again because of lack of tee time reservations.
The plan calls for the goal of having city residents play golf 70 percent of the time and non-city residents to play 30 percent of the time. The plan doesn’t specifically state how this goal will be monitored, but an audit will be conducted, and that was supported by most golfers.
Golfers will have to come up with more green themselves in money to pay for increased green fees, and non-city residents and tourists will pay much higher costs to play golf. It was mentioned there should be a rate for all San Diego County residents to play at city golf courses to distinguish them from tourists, but that was not changed.
At the Torrey Pines South Course, city residents will have to pay $41 on weekdays, starting in August, which is $1 more than the current $40 fee. On weekends and holidays, they face a $2 increase, from $45 to $47.
Tourists at Torrey Pines South Course will have to pay $130 on weekdays, which is a $15 increase from the current $115 fee. On weekends, nonresidents will have to pay $163, which is a $28 raise from the current $135 fee.
The green fees at Torrey Pines north course call for $32 for city residents on weekdays, which is a $2 raise, and $40 on weekends, which is a $6 raise. Tourists will pay $80 on weekdays, which is a $5 raise, and $100 on weekends, a $15 increase.
Balboa Park green fees on weekdays will be $27 for city residents, an increase of $4, and $34 on weekends, a $9 increase. Non-residents will pay $34 on weekdays, which is a reduction of $2 currently, and $43 on weekends, a $2 increase. Green fees at Mission Bay golf course will be $20 for residents on weekdays, a $1 increase, and $25 on weekends, a $2 price hike. Nonresidents will pay $22 and $28, respectively, on weekdays and weekends.
The motion by Councilman Tony Young called for adoption of the plan and for the mayor to come to the council later with a proposal for a low-income rate. Initially, Young suggested a low-income rate for seniors, but Councilwoman Toni Atkins amended the motion to include a rate for low-income people in general.
"Not all low-income people are seniors," Atkins said.
Councilwoman Donna Frye voted against the plan, after earlier making an unsuccessful motion to amend the plan significantly. Frye asked that tee times for the women’s and men’s clubs be restored, have only a 4 percent increase in green fees, and a 30 percent discount rate for seniors. She also asked that Fridays not be considered part of the weekend rate. She couldn’t get anyone to second her motion.
"I don’t support the plan as written," Frye said.
Councilman Brian Maienschein made a motion that the 70/30 percent split for city and non-city residents be applied toward primetime hours, but it failed in a 3-5 vote. City staff told the council the 70/30 split should not be used only for prime times. The most sought-after tee times are between 7:30 and 10:30 a.m.
Golfers from the men’s and women’s clubs pay $125 annually in membership dues the first year, and $90 every year after that. Former councilman Michael Zucchet spoke against the mayor’s plan as part of his new job with the vice president of development for J. Peter Block companies.
A lawsuit against the city by hotels over lost tee times has been reported as settled, but Atkins and others said they wished they had been briefed by the city attorney’s office before voting on the mayor’s plan.