Indian Beach Golf Club reports near-budget revenues, outlines rolling memberships and card convenience fee

Jeffrey Vickers, general manager of Indian Beach Golf Club, told the Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee on Sept. 9 that the club’s revenues through 11 months ending August were about 99.6% of its budget while year-to-date expenditures were about 85.8%.

Vickers said rounds are up roughly 1,100 compared with last August — averaging about 113 players per day versus 78 — and total golf-course revenue for the period was $138,564. Food-and-beverage receipts totaled $32,512. “We’re getting more guest play, which is very, very important for the golf,” Vickers said.

The club plans operational changes to memberships and payments. Beginning Oct. 1, the club will offer rolling memberships that start on the purchaser’s sign-up date and run 12 months from that date rather than on a fixed calendar cycle, Vickers said. He also said the club intends to begin charging a convenience fee on card transactions; cash or check payments will not be charged that fee.

Scott Michaelson, Parks and Recreation director, described how the fee will be applied at point of sale and gave a proposed processing rate for golf transactions of 2.75% plus $0.10 per charge. Michaelson said golf has historically absorbed payment-processing costs of roughly $55,000–$60,000 and the surcharge is intended to recover most of that expense: “We will collect that fee, but then in turn we will get a bill from the payment processing company that we are going to have to pay,” he said.

Vickers also described marketing and event activity that support revenue: replacing a recurring hotel-kiosk program with a one-time concierge-book placement (estimated at about $2,200) and holding tournaments and community events that increase cart and range sales. He reported membership sales at 163 currently and noted seasonal events and junior tournaments drive ancillary revenue.

Lee Murray, president of the Friends of the Fernandina Beach Golf Club, identified his group’s role in supporting the course: “We’ve raised over about $50,000 over the last 4 years, and we do a lot of projects for the golf course,” Murray said, and the committee praised that volunteer support.

The committee asked staff to provide additional comparative figures (percent change year over year) for future reports and to return finalized fee information after the City Commission’s Sept. 16 second reading of fee schedules. The commission vote is expected to determine implementation details that affect the convenience fee and other Parks & Recreation charges.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the convenience fee at the Sept. 9 meeting; staff said the City Commission will consider fee schedule changes on Sept. 16.