A plan to charge six-figure membership fees at Pebble Beach Golf Links was approved on Tuesday which, despite doubling public access time, was still expected to limit play by the average duffer.
The Monterey County Board of Supervisors approved the proposal 4-1 after it was amended to ensure the general public be guaranteed at least one hour of tee times each day-twice the amount in the original plan.
The supervisors also insisted on a clause requiring the board`s approval for any change in the plan.
Board Chairman Sam Karas, who initially opposed the private membership plan, said he was convinced the deal will actually give outsiders a better chance of playing on the famous Pebble Beach Golf Links.
He said previously the general public could reserve tee times only after all Pebble Beach Lodge guests, local residents and golf tournaments and associations groups did. The course is booked virtually 100 percent.
Under the plan, some 1,500 members of the Pebble Beach National Club will be able to reserve tee times five years in advance at the links.
Most of the high-rollers are expected to be from Japanese firms whose executives crowd the famous course.
The lifetime membership fee hasn`t been officially set but speculation puts the figure at $150,000 to $750,000-still cheaper than in Japan where million-dollar fees aren`t uncommon.
