The private Grand Forks Country Club is going public for the rest of the golf season.
The general public will be able to play the course, which normally requires membership, for green fees of $40 for 18 holes. Rental of a motorized cart would cost another $15.
Revenue is down "about 10 percent," said Mike Kellogg, GFCC board president. "I can't dispute we could use more revenue."
Greens fee players should help cushion the financial hit to members. At the end of each year that has a loss, members are assessed a fee to cover it.
The financial motive isn't just about this season, but also future ones. It's also an attempt to generate new memberships.
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"We're opening up the course for prospective members who might want to check it out," said Mike Kellogg, the board president. "We want to give people as much exposure to the course as we can, so that they can experience it without making the commitment up front."
Before opening the club to the public, local non-members could play the GFCC only twice a year, and then only at the invitation of a member.
Spring flooding hurt the club's bottom line, not only with the damages but also by preventing the opening of the entire course. The course opened April 15, which is about normal, but it had only nine holes and several of them were shortened. The entire course opened in early June.
A family membership costs $2,400 annually and also requires spending a minimum of $60 each month in the clubhouse. An individual membership is $1,600 and a junior single membership (age 30-under) is $900.
"If someone joins now for next year, they can golf free the rest of this year," Kellogg said.
Reach Bakken at (701) 780-1125; (800) 477-6572, ext. 125; or send e-mail to rbakken@gfherald.com .
