Those who played public golf in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties in 2024 remember the public outcry about 3rd party intervenors capturing large tranches of municipal tee times, selling them at premium rates, and scooping up the differences for themselves.
In response, many of the municipal systems adopted reservation policies to counter their activity, but as the Los Angeles Recreation and Park Department pointed out in its letter of support for AB 1954, “relying solely on internal administrative measures to counter those seeking to profit from Los Angeles’ commitment to affordable, accessible public recreation is not a sustainable solution. Without stronger legal protections, these efforts remain vulnerable.”
Sponsored by the California Alliance for Golf (CAG) and authored by Assembly member Chris Ward (D-San Diego), AB 1954 gives Los Angeles and all of California’s cities and counties that “stronger legal protection.”
Titled the “Protecting Access to Reservations Act” or “PAR” Act, AB 1954 makes it an unfair business practice for a third-party golf reservation service platform to list, advertise, promote, sell, or transfer golf reservations for a golf course owned by a local public agency without written authorization from the golf course owner or operator – and allows the aggrieved owner or operator to seek legal relief from violators.
“Public golf courses belong to the public, and residents shouldn’t have to compete with brokers buying up tee times just to turn around and sell them at inflated prices,” wrote Assemblymember Chris Ward in the press release he issued when Governor Newsom signed the bill into law. “AB 1954 puts an end to this unfair practice and helps ensure local residents, seniors, students, and families can continue accessing the public courses their communities support.”
California is home to more than 220 publicly owned golf courses. Though only 1/4th of the state’s courses, they host roughly 45% of the golf played in the state, support roughly 85% of the state’s developmental golf programs, and provide the sites that make high school golf teams and programs possible. In short, they are the game’s growth engine. Protecting equitable access at affordable rates is indispensable to their ability to continue playing that role.
Multiple municipalities that went on record in support of AB 1954, among them San Diego, the City of Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles, San Clemente, and Thousand Oaks, as well as did a large number of statewide municipal organizations, among them the League of California Cities, the California Association of Recreation & Park Districts, the California Special Districts Association, and the California State Association of Counties. Their support was key to getting AB 1954 over the finish line.
“Advocacy is not just about reacting to troublesome bills and regulations,” said CAG Executive Director Craig Kessler. “It is also about using the organs of public policy to make the game a better experience for the 3.5 million Californians who play and love golf.”
