Indian Wells – a city consisting of nothing more than some gated communities, a few hotels, a rad burger joint, and a tennis stadium – is struggling to find a way to make its city owned golf course not lose so damn much money. The city is looking at a variety of things including turning it into a Topgolf (yes!) or taking money away from parks and recreation programs for kids around the valley (fuck no!). A concerned citizen of the city has come up with a totally reasonable plan to raise the rate for residents to play at the failing golf course by fifteen bucks. This seems pretty acceptable but, it being Indian Wells, the city does not seem to want to do it.
Steve Howell recently put up an online petition asking that the city up its resident fees at Indian Wells Golf Resort from $35 a round to $50 a round, notes the Desert Sun. A $50 greens fee still seems pretty affordable for residents with a median family income of $119,11o, especially when one considers that the course is on track to lose about a million dollars a year as it stands.
The newspaper figures that upping the fee by $15 would mean about a quarter of a million dollars in revenue a year – which would still leave the course coming up about $750,000 short, but at least is a start.
The city claims it has been looking for ways to fix things for the past year including trying, and failing, to raise hotel taxes to pay for its failing course in November with a ballot measure.
City Councilman Doug Hanson told the paper he is hesitant to raise the fees at the course as the low cost of golfing is the only public amenity the city has to offer its residents.
Well, I guess unless you count all this stuff and these things.
