Sun City West committee weighs limiting nonresident unlimited cards as residents complain of blocked tee times

The Sun City West Golf Committee spent substantial time debating whether to restrict or eliminate nonresident unlimited and other public play after staff reported usage and revenue data at its Nov. 6 meeting.

Pat O’Hara, golf operations manager, told the committee the public/unlimited cards generate notable revenue but are used by a small number of holders: "we sold 10" nonresident unlimited cards in the 12‑month rolling period and those customers accounted for a disproportionate share of revenue per customer, according to staff slides. Finance staff explained that nonresident and guest play represent about 18% of rounds but roughly 27% of total golf revenue, and that removing public play would shift the revenue burden to dues. "If we took out public play," staff said in a prior analysis, the lost revenue would convert to an estimated $40–$70 per resident dues increase depending on assumptions used.

Committee member Rudy argued the community’s mission is to "take care of the community folks first," and said the infinite‑play cards give a nonresident discount that can preempt resident tee slots in prime times. Several residents said guest rounds and group play often take prime tee slots. "I'm being denied playing golf in my own community," one member said, urging a policy change to prioritize residents.

Other committee members and staff cautioned about unintended effects. A public commenter, John Chen, said he once moved into the community after first playing as a guest; removing guest or public play could discourage prospective homebuyers who try the courses before moving in. Cliff (CFO) and other staff noted that the revenue from public and guest rounds helps keep resident rates lower and that any shift would be decided as part of the overall budget process.

The committee did not adopt a policy change at the meeting but directed staff to provide more detailed data and agreed to place a formal discussion of group‑play and tee‑time reforms on the Dec. 11 agenda. Staff also noted an upcoming member satisfaction survey (expected in December) and a master‑planning process that will collect broader community input relevant to golf and other amenities.

The committee asked staff to return with multi‑period counts (not just percentages) to clarify how many calls, rounds and cards drive the trends and to provide updated group‑play utilization numbers for the December discussion.