No tourney freebies at golf course
San Diego Union Tribune – San Diego,CA,USA
Perry said after the meeting that the Carlsbad course will have to be
priced to compete with Encinitas Ranch, Four Seasons Aviara and La Costa
golf courses. …

CARLSBAD – Any group expecting free use of Carlsbad’s new municipal golf course to host a tournament should rethink that idea.

In a City Council workshop yesterday, discussion turned to pricing policies at The Crossings, which is expected to open in July. Council members were told that some groups are asking for free rounds or discounts.

Jeff Perry, the course’s general manager, told the council, “I’ve been here six weeks and received three to four requests a week for donations.”

He said after an initial conversation with a caller about tee times and course availability, there’s always a request: “Is there going to be a discount?”

Perry works for Kemper Sports, which has a contract to operate the city course.

Councilman Matt Hall said the city has invested a lot – $68 million – to build the course north of Palomar Airport Road along College Boulevard, and it must get a return.

“Today, ‘discount’ is not in my vocabulary,” Hall said.

Perry told Mayor Bud Lewis and council members Ann Kulchin and Hall that his company will soon propose a budget and price schedule. The council then will set greens fees and prices for other facilities, including a clubhouse where weddings and other events will be held.

To get a sense of what groups encounter at other courses, the council asked Chamber of Commerce President Ted Owen what his group pays a golf course when it hosts a tournament.

Owen said the group pays $95 per contestant at La Costa Resort and Spa, plus $10,000 for a banquet.

Owen said the chamber may net $60,000 after expenses, which it donates to a cause or charity. He said he had never heard of a golf course giving away tee times.

Lewis, a former athletic coach at Carlsbad High School, asked Perry about use of the course by high school teams.

Perry said high schools are special because teams usually play only nine holes on weekday afternoons, typically a time of low demand.

“We do not charge them the regular rate,” Perry said, noting the course usually works out a deal depending on how often the school uses the course.

Perry said after the meeting that the Carlsbad course will have to be priced to compete with Encinitas Ranch, Four Seasons Aviara and La Costa golf courses.

But he noted that greens fees at Carlsbad’s course will be more in line with Encinitas Ranch, also a municipal course, than with the resorts.

Encinitas Ranch charges Encinitas residents $52 and nonresidents $75 on weekdays, according to its Web site. Weekend fees are $58 for residents and $80 for nonresidents, with price breaks for other groups and for tee times that are in low demand.