Committee advances ordinance to raise municipal golf fees to cover rising costs

Denver City Council’s Land Use, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted to advance an ordinance affecting municipal golf fees after a presentation from Denver Parks & Recreation on Tuesday, Feb. 4.

The committee, chaired by Councilmember Daryl Watson, heard from Scott Redlich, Director of Golf for the City and County of Denver, and Jesus Aradya, Community Engagement Specialist with Parks and Recreation, who outlined revenue needs tied to rising operating costs and deferred maintenance for the city’s golf enterprise.

Redlich told the committee that the golf enterprise faces rising labor and materials costs, a $1,000,000 increase in cost allocations to shared city services, and roughly $78,000,000 in identified capital improvements and deferred maintenance. “All of the above, this graph right here includes all expenses, all operating expenses for the golf enterprise fund, so it'd be labor, materials, fertilizer, utilities, you name it, everything's in there,” Redlich said.

Parks staff presented proposed fee changes and the rationale. Average weekday 18-hole rates shown in the presentation rose from $39 to $46, weekend 18-hole averages from $54 to $56, senior weekday averages from $30 to $31, and junior fees from $17 to $18. Staff said the enterprise uses dynamic pricing (higher rates at high-demand times) and that the ordinance sets the upper-tier rates the enterprise could charge during peak demand. Staff also said discontinuing a longstanding annual membership program (the presentation noted 14 members still in the program) was part of the proposal.

Staff said the proposed revenue increase would move the fund from a near break-even position (a projected $84,000 loss without increases in 2025) to an estimated surplus of about $2,500,000 in 2025, which staff said would be used for capital maintenance and to begin addressing deferred capital needs.

Committee members pressed staff for more detail. Council President Pro Tem Diana Romero Campbell asked for a breakdown of the expense categories that account for the doubling of costs shown in the presentation; Redlich agreed to provide a more detailed itemization to the committee. Councilmember Paul Cashman and others asked whether discounts or other options exist for people priced out of play; staff said dynamic pricing creates lower-cost times but emphasized that the golf enterprise is not subsidized by general tax revenue and must generate operating revenue from fees.

The committee also asked about youth and school partnerships. Staff said Denver Golf offers discounted green fees and range access to Denver Public Schools teams during designated practice times (two tee-time blocks/priority during practice), and that the department works with First Tee and other affiliates on youth programming. Susie Helmrick, Director of Pro Shop Operations, said the DPS discount is small (staff said it is “either 5 or 10” but committed to confirm the exact percentage to the committee).

On procedure, Councilmember Cashman moved to send the item to the full council; the motion was seconded by Councilmember Hines and advanced by acclamation.

Why it matters: Parks staff say the enterprise fund’s revenue must rise to cover operating and capital needs; committee members sought more detailed budget breakdowns and documentation on partnerships and discounts before final council action.

Items for follow-up noted in the meeting: staff committed to provide (1) an itemized expense breakdown for the cost trends shown in the presentation and (2) the exact DPS discount rate and a prioritized list of capital projects tied to the $78,000,000 deferred maintenance estimate.

Ending: The committee advanced the ordinance to the full City Council for consideration. The council will take the bill forward at floor action on a future date. Staff said if the ordinance passes through council and is signed, they hope new rates will be in place by April 1 for the start of peak season.