I would like some information on fees charged by various parks departments for tounament use. Any information would be helpful.
Do clubs/ TDs have to pay to use the parks for tournaments? Do some parks want to charge for Sanctioned events and not for monthlies/ Weeklies?
Does paying fees give you exclusive use?
How much do Different Parks Depts charge?

I am trying to compile some data for our next meeting with the parks Department.

~Chris

We do not pay park use fees in north Alabama.

In Minnesota, most fees if charged are for reservation of shelters which can run from $25 for small open picnic shelters up to $200 for large enclosed air conditioned buildings. One park charges residents $25 if you want to make sure another party doesn't reserve the picnic area which skirts the course area. None that I'm aware of directly charges for reserving the course and not all allow a party to reserve the course exclusively for a time period unless it's an A-tier or higher. Pay-to-play facilities usually charge greens fees but typically provide a discounted rate. Only a few around here actually require the insurance certificate from the PDGA.

Clubs who help to run leagues and upgrade courses can get sometimes earn credits for their volunteer work from park departments that can be used to offset any fees for facilities rental. I heard Minneapolis tried to charge $700 for the use of one park area which included police patrols and port-o-johns. But I'm not sure any of our TDs ever paid that to run an event there when the course used to be there for a few years.

In SoCal, permits are required and used to cost (3 years ago) around $300-$350 for the weekend. Insurance was required listing the county as the insured. La Mirada suddenly tried charging $1500 but was talked down to around $700. Whittier tried the same thing and no event swere held there for a while. Both have newer parks people invloved since then and I think they are both more reasonable now.

The permit was required for any group gathering over 20 ro 50 people depending on park. The $300 permit got you exclusinve use of the course for your tourney and was for one weekend. Some parks departments also had a "permit to gather" which was cheaper and used for some monthlies/weeklies and didn't get you exclusice use rights.

The prices have probably gone up a little.

Private facilities like Emerald Isle are businesses and require custom plans that address the needs of the business and the tournament.

Some parks departments will sponsor the usage fees for an active club that works closely with the parks people.

Here in Austin there are several different examples:

-There's a new county course (Wilco) that cost a $1 per person per round. They have a box near the map of the course that holds small brown envelopes. You put your dollar in there, then tear the perfirated label off as proof of payment, then drop the envelope in the drop box. I don't mind this setup as long as the county stays true to their word and reinvests the money back in the course (maintence, improvements, etc).

-The City of Austin is kind of stingey when trying to run a sanctioned event. I'm not sure of the total cost to reserve a course, but it runs around 25-30% of the total entry fees. This means if you're paying $80 entry fee, around $20 goes to the city. This always reduces the payout and makes the need for sponsers that much greater. This has been the standard for most courses throughout TX that I've been involved with....