FWB lowers some golf fees

FORT WALTON BEACH, FL — The cost for a round of golf at the city’s two courses is going down in an attempt to increase play.
   
The Fort Walton Beach City Council on Tuesday approved the new rate structure for the Oaks and Pines courses at the city’s Golf Club. The new fees take effect today.
   
“We feel like all the fees are tailored to bring players back to our course,” Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Peters said.
   
The city’s plan to increase revenue by lowering the prices is the opposite of last year, when most fees went up in an effort to generate more income. While most prices increased last year, the number of rounds played decreased, just like they have for the past 10 years, Peters said.
   
Under the new rate structure, the cost for a 12-month membership for a city resident will decrease from $400 to $200. The cost for Okaloosa County residents also will drop from $400 to $300. The cost for club members to play 18 holes will go down from $16 to $12.50. Greens fees for non-members will stay the same.
   
Fort Walton Beach Golf Club has about 320 members. The city staff has estimated that it will need nearly 200 new members to make up the loss of revenue from the lower membership fees.
   
However, if the new members play the same amount of golf on average as the existing members, the golf club is projected to bring in nearly $200,000 in additional revenues.
   
The Golf Club is an enterprise funds and is supposed to operate solely on the revenues it generates. However, the City Council voted last year to contribute an additional $356,000 over the next two years to the golf fund to pay off the club’s equity pooled cash deficit.
   
The staff is expected to reevaluate the reduced rates in six months to determine what impact they have had.
   
“We have to give it a try and see how it works,” said City Councilman Bill Garvie. “I’m anxious to see how this does to increase the revenues at the golf club.”