Furore over fee hike
Golfers take a swing at Laguna club by paying in coins and small notes
INSTEAD of paying by cheque like he usually does, Philip Lim turned up at the laguna national Golfandcountry Club and handed the cashier a wad of S$2 notes (RM4.80) to pay his monthly bill, which included $200 (RM483) for the club subscription fee.
Right behind him in the queue was fellow club member Thomas Khoo who handed over two bottles – one filled with one cent coins, the other with five cent coins. He paid the rest of his bill using notes of larger denominations.
The two long-time members of the club in Tanah Merah said they were protesting against the recent hike in the subscription fee from S$150 (RM362) to S$200 (RM483).
“We wanted to torture them a bit and see how they count the money. But it’s not the cashierweare against, it’s the club,” said Lim, 60, on Friday.
He added that he and Khoo represented many of the 19-year-old club’s old-timers who are unhappy with the fee hike. It came into effect last month.
They pointed out that the Singapore Island Country Club, which has four 18-hole golf courses, charges a monthly fee of S$150 (RM362).
Tanah Merah Country Club, which has two golf courses, recently announced a subscription increase and will charge members S$170 (RM411) instead of S$150 (RM362), from April.
Laguna National has two 18-hole golf courses – the Masters Course and the World Classic.
Another member, Ronald Ho, pointed out that members paid their fees faithfully for the three-and-ahalf years when one of the golf courses was being renovated and could not be used. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network