It could cost more to rent a golf cart, buy a membership at Wichita golf courses

Wichita golfers could pay 15% more for memberships and $1.50 more for golf carts if park board-approved increases receive City Hall’s OK.

The Board of Park Commissioners will propose the price increases to the City Council sometime next month. The park board agreed on the proposal during a meeting June 13.

The plan to raise prices comes roughly three months after the council voted not to privatize the city’s four golf courses.

Annual golf memberships vary in price, with the most expensive one $114.44 for a couples’ membership. That means the biggest dollar increase for memberships would be around $17. Director of Parks and Recreation Troy Houtman said the increase would still be affordable and is needed to continue to make a profit.

“Still a 15% increase is very negligible,” he said.

“If we don’t increase these passes, we’re losing money and losing opportunities to make money as well.”

Daily passes will not be affected. A membership lasts one year with one annual cost. Day passes are for people who want to go to a golf course for a day and don’t go year-round.

Day passes vary in price depending on the number of holes played, the course and the day of the week. For 18 holes, Auburn Hills costs $32 for weekends and holidays and $27 for weekdays. The other golf courses cost $27 for weekends and holidays and $25 for weekdays.

The $1.50 increase in golf carts would go toward replacing the fleet. The increase would bring the cost to $26.50 per cart.

“We compared it to other cities, other golf courses, and ours is definitely less expensive and so we’re not going to be pricing ourselves out of the market,” Houtman said.

The City Council voted 5-2 in March to reject a contract with KemperSports that would have privatized the city’s courses. KemperSports is a national golf company that runs 120 golf courses. The proposal to privatize the golf courses was recommended by the park board in February.

City Manager Robert Layton has said the city lacks the skills needed to run golf courses. He said before the privatization vote that under Kemper management the city would profit more than if the courses were to remain publicly run.

KemperSports was one of seven companies that applied to run Wichita’s golf courses after claims that the courses did not see enough profit. However, the COVID-19 pandemic made golf courses — a safe and socially distanced outdoor activity — a popular hobby for many Wichitans. The courses went from losing a net of $477,892 in 2019 to gaining $468,664 in 2020 and more than $1 million last year.