Bangalore Golf Club’s management committee in discord over 400% fee hike

Bengaluru: There is discord within the century-old Bangalore Golf Club's (BGC) managing committee over a recent decision to raise the entrance fee by 400 per cent to Rs 5 lakh.

Some members questioned the retrospective application of the hike to the 3,500 golf aspirants already paid to be on the waiting list, while others highlight biases in exempting civil and defence service associates.

In a recent letter to the committee, a BGC office-bearer criticised the fee increase approved in a September 2023 special meeting. “It is crucial to emphasise that BGC rules do not allow for the entrance price to be changed retroactively after the application has been submitted,” he said.

“Neither the club's rules nor the managing committee nor the special general body have granted the honorary secretary the authority to retroactively re-determine accepted entrance fees,” he noted in the letter.

Dubbing as 'unfortunate' the demand for extra entrance fees from applicants who had already paid and waited for years, the member questioned the rationale in exempting civil and defence service personnel when the fee is hiked for all other categories.

An article titled — Jolt to golf enthusiasts as Bangalore Golf Club hikes entrance fee by 400 per cent — in DH on December 22 drew attention to the issue.

A BGC office-bearer said an attempt is being made to spread malicious information and show the managing committee in bad light.

“A retrospective hike of the entrance fee is not new to the BGC,” he clarified.

“When the fee was last revised, the hikes were applicable to those who were on the waiting list. This is the standard practice followed by all clubs, be it Bangalore Club or the Karnataka Golf Association,” he added. 

'Like Ponzi scheme'

Abhishek Chaturvedi, a golf aspirant in the waiting list to become a permanent BGC member, has likened the retrospective entrance fee hike to a 'Ponzi scheme'. 

“The decision to increase the entry fee raises valid concerns about the potential continuation of this trend, wherein future committees might further escalate these fees. The question arises: Why stop at Rs 5 lakh when it could easily become an exorbitant Rs 50 lakh?” he said, adding the waiting period could go as long as 54 years.

Chaturvedi made the remarks in his complaint to the Deputy Registrar of Karnataka Cooperative Societies after he received a letter from the BGC to pay the differential amount of Rs 4 lakh to stay in the waiting list.

“The primary goal of BGC should be the advancement of golf and not conspicuous pursuit of profits. The collection of entrance fees without corresponding access to the club, coupled with the arbitrary utilisation of funds and accrued interest for personal benefits such as subsidising expenditure on liquor, entertainment, and luxury amenities, raises significant ethical and legal concerns,” he charged in his letter.