Gardner City commission debates $20 reserved tee-time fee, solicitor to review restaurant requirement

Residents, commissioners and staff discussed new policies for Gardner City’s municipal golf course on matters including a $20-per-member fee for reserved tee times, tournament scheduling and a rule that tournament players use the course restaurant, which the city solicitor is reviewing.

The discussion unfolded after a resident representing a long-running golf group asked, “I wanted to ask the commission what the rationale was of charging $20 per member from our group for the tee times,” saying the group had played Wednesday tee times for about 50 years and that only about 35 members attend regularly.

The question came as commissioners defended the change as an effort to balance access and fairness. “It’s a service,” one commissioner said in explaining the fee structure, adding that a paid reservation guarantees tee times without members having to rebook…