Members and staff debate whether meal rate applies to preferred tee times, not just tournaments

Members at a Gardner City meeting questioned whether a previously discussed $20 meal rate applied only to tournaments and leagues or also to groups that hold preferred tee times.

Speaker 1 said he had understood the meal-rate decision would apply to "tournaments and for leagues" and not to groups that play regular preferred tee times. "I thought it was only for tournaments and for leagues," Speaker 1 said, adding that he had received complaints from members who believed they should not be charged.

Speaker 2 and other participants said they recalled the discussion differently. "We talked about everybody all the way through. Not not excluding 1 way or the other," Speaker 2 said. Board members discussed examples — weekly groups that book preferred tee times in the morning versus multi-day tournament participants — and whether the fee should be levied only when a group is charged for a final day or tournament.

Discussion focused on clarifying exemptions and how the fee should be applied to recurring groups such as league nights or regular weekly groups. Speaker 1 noted he had spoken with staff previously and that some members had complained; Speaker 4 suggested the group would "let Tom know" after confirming the intended scope.

No formal motion or vote on changing the meal rate was recorded in the meeting. Members asked staff to clarify the policy and confirm whether the $20 assessment applied to all groups, only tournaments, or only certain league events. The item was left as ongoing old business pending confirmation from staff and clarification with the person referred to as Tom or Todd during the discussion.