EXCELSIOR SPRINGS – Next year’s rates are set for the golf course.

On Nov. 15 at the Hall of Waters, the City Council approved 2022 rates proposed by Orion Golf, the Leawood, Kansas-based company that manages the course. Orion partner Shane Gardner asked and received approval.

“There’s some work that goes into getting some information ready to send out to the general public – both with email and written as well,” Gardner said. Fees include a few boosts in daily rates, he said.

“Most of them are fairly nominal ... increases, actually – probably just working to try and cover the … (costs) of fuel, fertilizer, chemicals, things like that that go up year to year,” he said.

Weekday fees include $42 to play from when the course opens through 2 p.m., up from $41 in 2020; $34 to play 2-5 p.m., up from $31 this year; and $38 for seniors, up from $37 in 2020.

Gardner also discussed changes in membership fees. Core membership plans for seniors, families and singles will all cost the same – $900. That means an increase of $300 for seniors, $200 for families and $250 for singles. The Core membership fee for juniors, $150, is unchanged.

“That one rate (for seniors, families and singles) was done just to kind of make things simpler to the general public, so if they have any questions, we can tell them it’s the one rate and if you add somebody on to that, there’s another $100 with that as well,” Gardner said.

All memberships will run Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, as City Manager Molly McGovern explained in a Nov. 10 memo to city leaders. Gardner said members joining later in the year will have their membership fees prorated.

Orion is moving from billing members monthly to bimonthly, he said.

“We’re really doing that so that we can capture the money while the golf season is still there,” Gardner said. “It’s harder for us to capture that money in October and November, when the golf season is over.”