Eagle Valley to present season pass options to golfers

After about a month of work, Eagle Valley Golf Course has come up with a way to salvage the course's popular season pass, at least for seniors.

Mark Sattler, chairman of the Carson City Municipal Golf Corp., refused to give details of the new season pass Friday, saying golf officials "would rather present it ourselves at the public forum.

"We will still have some form of pass play at Eagle Valley," he said. "We have at least come up with a pass structure that will address the seniors who play a lot."

Sattler said he hoped the new structure will allow the golf courses to meet financial goals.

The golf courses recently restructured and raised rates in an attempt to corral some extra money for improvements on the courses. The unlimited season pass was cut from the courses' new rates as a way to try to control plunging profits.

Golf officials have said unlimited pass play on both the East and West courses has resulted in a loss of revenue the courses can no longer afford.

City supervisors in September approved the rate restructuring for the financially strapped golf courses, but asked golf officials to salvage the pass in some form after golfers, most of them seniors, complained about the loss of the pass.

The golf courses hosted a workshop in early October in which about 100 golfers turned out to help find a way to save the season pass. Several people from the group formed a smaller subcommittee which worked with Sattler and other golf officials on the pass structure.

"We've had good input and think this is a good structure," Sattler said. "Whenever the golfers look (at the new structure) we hope they'll think it's still an economically affordable way for them to play."

Sattler said since the October workshop, many golfers he's talked with say the new 50-play punch card may be an adequate replacement for many people with a season pass.

Golfers paid up to $1,540 for a season pass that allows golfers to play whenever they want. A total of 248 golfers play on a mix of 165 single and family passes. The current season passes are good until April 30, 2001.

If you go:

What: Eagle Valley Golf Course season pass public forum

When: Thursday, 6 p.m.

Where: Eagle Valley Golf Course clubhouse, 3999 Centennial Way.