Golfers in Los Angeles are tee’d off about “brokers,” or artificial intelligence bots, securing tee times before golfers can even purchase them at public courses around the city.
L.A.’s Golf Advisory Committee held a meeting on Monday to discuss the issue at their headquarters, where frustrated golfers voiced their concerns.
Many came to discuss the lack of access and increasing costs because bots are swapping up tee times before members of the public can book them, similar to sports events and concert tickets.
Dave Fink, a local golf coach and content creator, has started the #FreetheTee movement, to help thwart the plans of these “brokers,” who often sell them at a $10 to $20 markup.
“I have created some of my best memories at L.A. city golf courses,” Fink said. “I’ve met some of my best friends here. I learned how to play golf on these golf courses. As someone who was of lesser means at the time, it was invaluable to me to be able to get into the sport.”
Fink often addresses the high cost of entry to golf, costing upwards of thousands of dollars for things like equipment, green fees and lessons. He said for many, L.A. public courses are their only means to play the game he loves.
“I just cannot allow that resource to be taken away from other people,” he said.
The meeting began at 1 p.m. with a couple dozen people huddled in a gray and green bungalow next to the Los Angeles River.
Karen Thornton is a Burbank resident and former golfer. When she’s not riding her horse through Griffith Park along Wilson and Harding golf courses, Thornton chairs the Griffith Park Advisory Board, serving for nearly four years.
She decided to attend the meeting while working remotely as a private citizen. She expressed how this issue has been ongoing for years and highlighted the increased use of online booking systems since 2020.
“This is not new,” Thornton said. “It happened when I was playing 10 years ago…it takes golf away from the weekend dad who wants to show his kids what golf is like.”
There were dozens of locals who attended the meeting; some even perched outside of the screened windows to gaze into the roundtable.
As the meeting began, board chair Kevin Fitzgerald of the Southern California Golf Association said this was by far the largest meeting they’ve ever had.
Of the slew of public comments, golfers wanted answers from the company that runs the online booking system, GolfNow. Its parent company, NBC Sports Group, is based out of Orlando.
“Where is the company? Who’s the supplier in all of this,” asked someone during the public comments.
Others shared their frustration with the system, adding the issue has been brought up before, but no action has been taken.
“The same email goes out every year,” said another one golfer.
Members of the committee discussed setting up a task force to investigate the issue.
“It’s been in Ohio as early as the mid-1850s at least, brought in as an ornamental plant because of its unique foliage and white flowers,” Gardner said. “It was actually planted in people’s landscaping, and it has been spreading.”
As reported by the LA Times, the Department of Recreation and Parks announced an investigation involving the city attorney’s office.
When the meeting concluded, the committee decided to prepare several internal reports over the coming weeks to begin finding a solution to this issue, which is frustrating hundreds of golfers in L.A.
The committee is scheduled to meet on May 20.