The Bangor Municipal Golf Course saw a surge in interest during the pandemic that has led the public fairway to sell out of memberships for the first time in 20 years.
People flocked to golf courses during the pandemic, as they provided a convenient outlet for exercise and allowed for social distancing.
The course noted that it had sold out of memberships for the upcoming season in a copy of Bangor’s proposed fiscal year 2023 budget, which city manager Debbie Laurie presented to the City Council on Monday night.
The golf course was a “winner from [the pandemic],” Laurie said. “When people were concerned during the shutdown, people turned to outdoor activities, and golf is a thing that people returned to, or came to new.”
Memberships sold out March 21, a month before it hoped to open for the 2022 season, the course said in a Facebook post. The golf course, which is run through the Bangor Parks and Recreation department, raised its membership cap to 400 people in 2021 from 300 in 2020.
Golf professional Rob Jarvis did not immediately return a voicemail message on Tuesday.
The course, which closed for the winter on Oct. 31, has not yet set an opening date for its 2022 season.
The proposed budget would set aside $819,000 for the golf course, a 2.3 increase from the previous year. Most of that increase would go toward wage raises, Laurie said. The course is also asking for roughly $59,000 to replace its current fleet of golf carts and lawnmowers. The golf carts saw more wear and tear during the pandemic, as more players flocked to the course and state COVID-19 restrictions initially limited carts to one rider each.
The city will review the Bangor golf course’s membership levels, fee structures and course prices after the season ends, Laurie said.
Seasonal course memberships range from $275 for juniors and $460 for single young adults to $935 for families. Non-Bangor residents pay slightly more.
