Tourists will soon get a better deal at Wailua Golf Course. The Parks and Transportation Committee just approved a bill dropping non-resident playing fees. Bill 2348 proposes that the non-resident fee be established at $48 per day, a drop from
Tourists will soon get a better deal at Wailua Golf Course. The Parks and Transportation Committee just approved a bill dropping non-resident playing fees.
Bill 2348 proposes that the non-resident fee be established at $48 per day, a drop from the previous $60 fee. On weekends and holidays, non-residents would pay $60. The fee for those dates is currently $70.
Non-residents would continue not being able to purchase monthly passes, but they would still be allowed to buy a playcard good for five rounds, with the new price set at $215, a $60 drop from the current price.
Councilwoman Lani Kawahara introduced the bill, by request of the county’s administration, because the number of rounds played by non-residents had a significant drop in the last year, following a recent rate increase.
Parks and Recreation Director Lenny Rapozo said in an earlier meeting that the loss of non-resident rounds was hurting the concessionaires. The restaurant and the Pro-Shop do a lot of business volume with tourists.
Kawahara introduced the bill more than three months ago, in Feb. 3. After many amendments and discussions to curb non-residents from cheating the system and paying much-lower residents fees, the bill finally passed the committee by unanimous decision.
A last minute amendment by Councilman Dickie Chang allowed locals without a valid Hawai‘i’ Driver’s License to play at the reduced resident rates. A valid State of Hawai‘i identification card, with a Hawai‘i address on it, will be allowed instead of a driver’s license.
In addition to one of those forms of identification, residents will also need to provide a filed Hawai‘i Resident State income tax return for the most recent tax period, or prove to have voted in the most recent general or primary state election.
The following are the updated rates for when the bill goes into effect, probably within the next three weeks:
— Resident: Daily $15; Twilight Daily $7.50; Weekends and Holidays $20; Twilight Wknd/Hol $10; Monthly $60
— Senior Kaua‘i Resident (65 years old): Daily $12; Twilight Daily $6; Weekends and Holidays $15; Twilight Wknd/Hol $7.50; Monthly $40
— Junior Hawai‘i Resident: Daily $1; Weekends and Holidays $1; Monthly $9
— Non-Resident: Daily $48; Twilight Daily $24; Weekends and Holidays $60; Twilight Wknd/Hol $30
— Super Kaua‘i Senior (75 years old): Daily $9; Weekends and Holidays $13; Monthly $26
Professional golfers and PGA officials are exempt from playing fees.
Guests of the Mayor and Council Chairperson on official government business that could provide benefits to the golf course or to Kaua‘i residents qualify to play for resident fees. The requesting department, however, shall transfer funds to offset this fee.
Next Wednesday the bill will likely be approved by the full council, and all it will need is Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr.’s signature to became law.
