The Los Angeles city government has decided to implement a policy requiring a deposit to book tee times at public golf courses. This measure aims to prevent brokers from reselling tee times.
This initiative follows a report by the Korea Daily, approximately a month earlier, highlighting the issue of Korean-American brokers reselling tee times.
On April 4, the Board of LA Recreation and Park Commissioners unanimously approved a temporary policy. This policy mandates a $10 deposit per person to reserve tee times at public golf courses in LA. The decision was made by five commissioners appointed by Mayor Karen Bass.
The deposit policy was enacted immediately following the approval. No conclusion date for the policy has been specified.
Rick Reinschmidt, manager of LA City Golf, which oversees 12 golf courses in the LA area, explained, “A $10 deposit per person via credit card is mandatory to secure a tee time. For a group of four, this amounts to a $40 non-refundable deposit, with additional penalties for no-shows.”
For instance, if the green fee at a golf course is $80, a group of four reserving a tee time would pay a $40 deposit upfront. The remaining $40 would be payable at the course. In cases of no-shows, there’s a $10 penalty per person. Consequently, if the entire group fails to appear, they forfeit a total of $80, inclusive of the deposit.
Meanwhile, the resale of golf tee times by Korean-American brokers has led to a class-action lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles County Superior Court, five Korean-American individuals, members of a Southern California golf club, initiated legal action against LA City Golf on March 21.
They allege that the city did not curb the brokers’ activities effectively. LA City Golf, a division of the City of Los Angeles, manages 12 golf courses in the area, including notable ones like Rancho Park, Wilson, and Harding.
BY YEOL JANG [jang.yeol@koreadaily.com]
