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CASPER, Wyo. β Casper city staff are considering a series of proposed rate increases and a new facility fee at the Casper Municipal Golf Course.
Parks, Recreation and Public Facilities Director Zulima Lopez told councilors at their Tuesday work session the increases are intended to both fund the construction of a new clubhouse and maintain the facilityβs self-sustaining status.
Per the recommended rate hikes, the cost of an adult season pass would rise from $625 to $690 and half-season passes would go from $400 to $425.
For daily rates, Lopez proposed moving to a dynamic pricing system, which would see higher costs to play on the weekend.
βThatβs to bolster rounds during our slower weekdays, but maybe more importantly itβs to try to control the number of rounds that are played on the weekends because capacity is getting challenging,β Lopez said.
Nine-hole green fees for adults on the weekdays would go from $24 to $26 on weekdays, rising to $30 on weekend days. For a full 18 holes, the weekday fee would jump from $36 to $40 on weekdays and to $44 on the weekend. Daily youth rates also saw an increase while remaining far cheaper: 9-hole green fees for youth will go from $10 to $12 during the week and to $14 on the weekend. Youth rates to play 18 holes would jump from $15 to $17 on weekdays and up to $19 over the weekend.
Also part of the proposal is a new 5% facility fee on all point-of-sale transactions excluding food and beverage purchases, with the fee proposed to increase to 10% in 2027. The revenue would be earmarked for a new clubhouse to replace the current 46-year-old structure, which Lopez said shows its age with deteriorating floors and shifting walls. According to Lopez, an assessment by a local structural engineer found that renovating the existing building would be nearly as costly as a total replacement.
Some of the councilors were divided over the facility fee, though. Councilor Pat Sweeney worried the fees would be hard for local golfers to stomach on top of the other rate increases. However, Councilor Amber Pollock said she believes the facility fee is the way to go.
βThe facility fee model to me feels like the most viable path to create some amount of sustainability,β Pollock said.
The Golf Course Fund is currently the cityβs only recreation enterprise fund that is self-sustaining, meaning it operates without subsidies from the municipal budgetβs general fund. To maintain this status and meet a council-mandated cost recovery goal of 110%, the city needs to generate an additional $164,000 in operational revenue through the rate hikes, according to a staff memo. The facility fee is estimated to generate $77,000 in its first year.
The golf fund maintains $290,000 in operating reserves and has paid over $400,000 for recent capital equipment and course improvements, Lopez said. The fund also has $250,000 reserved toward the purchase of 70 new golf carts in 2028. Other planned amenities for the 2026 season include a self-service range ball dispenser and GPS technology on golf carts.
The City Council will need to officially vote on the rate increases at a future meeting before they go into effect. The proposal would see the rate changes occur effective immediately once approved.
The full list of rate changes can be viewed below:
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