- Local golf coach Dave Fink discovered a black market where agents booked available slots and then sold them online with a $40 booking fee
- Local golf coach Dave Fink discovered a black market where agents booked available slots and then sold them online with a $40 booking fee
- The Department of Recreation and Parks has launched an investigation involving the city attorney’s office
Los Angeles golfers have come out swinging after discovering that the reason they can’t book tee times at public courses is because black market agents book them and resell them for a profit.
‘I’ve met some of my best friends here. I learned to play golf on these golf courses. As someone who had fewer resources at the time, being able to get started in the sport was invaluable for me,” local golf coach Dave Fink told KTLA.
“I just can’t allow that resource to be taken away from other people,” he said.
Fink discovered the problem after often being unable to book time for his local course, only to discover the slots were available online on the black market with a $40 booking fee.
Fink became so irritated by the situation that he started the #FreetheTee movement, to raise awareness of “brokers” who use AI bots to scoop up all the slots and resell them for a profit.
Local golf coach Dave Fink discovered a black market where agents booked available slots and then sold them online with a $40 booking fee
The LA Golf Advisory Committee held a meeting with local golfers and stakeholders on Monday to discuss the issue
Burbank resident Karen Thornton (right) attended the meeting and told the committee the issue has been going on for years
“I have created some of my best memories on LA’s city golf courses,” Fink told KTLA.
Public courses typically charge much lower fees than private clubs, theoretically allowing younger and lower income earners greater access to the sport.
“Hey, there’s this guy, and the only way you can get in touch with him is through this Korean messaging app called Kakao,” Fink told the LA Times about how he discovered such a broker.
The broker had a page with tee times at public golf courses, including Balboa Golf Course, Harding and Hansen Dam.
‘This is what he charges per start time, per person. OK? $30 for non-peak hours. $40 per tee time,” he told the Times.
“This is literally insane and very unfair,” Fink added.
Fink posted a conversation he had with the broker on his YouTube page, where the broker admits to taking the slots and reselling them at a premium.
Wilson Golf Course is being targeted by the real estate agents
Harding Golf Course slots are sold online for profit
The LA Golf Advisory Committee held a meeting with local golfers and stakeholders in March to discuss the issue.
Burbank resident Karen Thornton attended the meeting and told the committee the issue has been going on for years, KTLA reported.
“This isn’t new,” Thornton explained.
“It happened when I was playing ten years ago. It takes golf away from the weekend dad who wants to show his kids what golf is like.”
Another unnamed participant criticized the company behind the public courses’ online booking system, GolfNow, and its parent company NBC Sports Group.
‘Where is the company? Who is the supplier in all this,” asked a local gold enthusiast.
Others complained that the booking issues had been raised before but no action was taken, KTLA reported.
“The same email goes out every year,” said another golfer.
The committee is now preparing several reports on the issue and will report on May 20.
