- Local golf coach Dave Fink discovered a black market where brokers reserved available slots and then sold them online for a $40 booking fee.
- Local golf coach Dave Fink discovered a black market where brokers reserved available slots and then sold them online for a $40 booking fee.
- The Department of Recreation and Parks has launched an investigation involving the city attorney’s office.
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Los Angeles golfers have come out on top after discovering that the reason they can’t get tee times on public courses is because black market brokers book them and sell them for profit.
‘I’ve met some of my best friends here. I learned to play golf on these golf courses. As someone who had fewer resources at the time, it was invaluable for me to be able to get into this sport,” local golf coach Dave Fink told KTLA.
“I just can’t allow that resource to be taken away from other people,” he said.
Fink discovered the problem after frequently failing to reserve time at his local course, only to discover that spaces were available on the online black market with a $40 booking fee.
Fink was so upset by the situation that he started the #FreetheTee movement, to raise awareness about ‘brokers’ who use AI robots to take over all the slot machines and sell them for a profit.
Local golf coach Dave Fink discovered a black market where brokers reserved available slots and then sold them online for a $40 booking fee.
The Los Angeles Golf Advisory Committee held a meeting with local golfers and interested parties to discuss the issue on Monday.
Burbank resident Karen Thornton (right) attended the meeting and told the committee the problem has been going on for years.
“I have made some of my best memories on the golf courses in the city of Los Angeles.” Fink told KTLA.
Public golf courses tend to charge much lower fees than private clubs, theoretically allowing greater access to the sport for younger and lower-income residents.
“Hey, there’s this guy, and the only way to get in touch with him is through this Korean messaging app called Kakao,” Fink. told the LA Times about how he discovered one of those corridors.
The broker had a page offering tee times at public courses, including Balboa Golf Course, Harding and Hansen Dam.
‘This is what you charge per departure time, per person. OK? $30 for non-peak hours. $40 per hour out,” he told the Times.
“This is literally crazy and it’s very unfair,” Fink added.
Fink posted a conversation he had with the broker on his YouTube page, where the broker admits to taking the slots and selling them for a premium.
The Wilson golf course has been the target of runners
Harding Golf Course Slot Machines Have Been Sold Online for Profit
The Los Angeles Golf Advisory Committee held a meeting with local golfers and interested parties to discuss the issue in March.
Burbank resident Karen Thornton attended the meeting and told the committee that the problem has been going on for years, KTLA reported.
“This is not new,” Thornton explained.
‘It happened when I was playing 10 years ago. “It takes golf away from the weekend dad who wants to show his kids what golf is like.”
Another anonymous attendee criticized the company behind the public courses’ online reservation system, GolfNow and its parent company NBC Sports Group.
‘Where is the company? “Who is the supplier of all this?” asked a local gold enthusiast.
Others complained that booking issues had been raised before but no action had been taken, KTLA reported.
“The same email is sent every year,” said another golfer.
The committee is now preparing several reports on the matter and will submit a report on May 20.