LA County golf courses to require reservation fee to stop tee-time brokers

The crack-down of golf tee-time brokers at public golf courses continues as Los Angeles County follows the city’s lead on requiring non-refundable reservation deposits.

In April, Los Angeles city leaders responded to complaints from golfers who said they weren’t able to get morning tee times on municipal courses, as brokers were snatching them up and reselling them.

The problem was so pronounced that a group of golfers sued the city in March, claiming officials weren’t doing enough to stop black market tee times.

The city adopted a new program that went into effect on April 16, which requires a nonrefundable deposit of $10 per booked round for each player. The intent is to dissuade brokers from reselling tee times.  

Tuesday, the county Board of Supervisors took similar steps for its 20 golf courses, requiring $10 non-refundable reservation deposits and imposing cancellation fees.

Players whose reservations are canceled within 48 hours of the tee time, or if there’s a no-show, will forfeit the reservation fee and face another charge of $10 per player, with proceeds going to the county’s Junior Golf Program.

The reservation deposit and cancellation fees will be effective Aug. 1.

According to Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation, the county owns the largest and busiest public golf course system in the nation, with 13 of the 20 courses offering 18-hole regulation play.