Letters to the Editor: L.A. shanks its shot at deterring city golf tee-time brokers

To the editor: I hope the solution being put in place to solve the problem of brokers taking tee times at city of Los Angeles golf courses and reselling them works, but I have my doubts.

Charging a nonrefundable deposit of $10 per person means that I must pay this amount before I even get to a golf course. Once there, I will have to collect money from each of the players in my foursome to recoup what I have advanced to the city.

And, with the additional no-show penalty, if someone in my group calls to say they are sick, I must also pay in addition to losing the deposit.

The real problem is a computerized reservation system that is gamed by the brokers. The fix isn’t to penalize legitimate golfers.

As a 79-year-old retired teacher, I rely on golf for my physical well-being. Putting barriers up makes my golfing life more difficult.

Although many in the public assume that all golfers are fat cats playing a silly game, the reality is that you will find on our city courses retired police officers, firefighters, the elderly and younger working people who enjoy a chance to be outdoors with friends playing a challenging game.

Mike Cornner, Porter Ranch

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To the editor: Charging a nonrefundable deposit for golf reservations will not deter tee-time brokers, since they can just pass this cost increase to their customers. This new policy will hurt those golfers who may need to legitimately cancel a reservation.

There must be a better solution to stop the brokers from controlling reservations at our public courses.

Mitchell Blake, Culver City