Government have sent members of Ocean View Golf Club a Christmas greeting: 'Your annual fees are about to be hiked up by as much as 30 percent'.

The shocking news, which particularly impacts senior golfers (over the age of 60) has been met with outrage by several members.

But the Trustees who operate the course say that the increases are necessary in order to keep the facility open. A loss of several hundreds of thousands of dollars is expected for the current financial year.

With Government 's other public courses, Port Royal, currently closed for renovation, and St. George's shut down to make way for the planned Nick Faldo-designed lay-out, the nine-hole Devonshire course remains the only golf facility open to the public.

Now those members who paid an annual fee of $1,500 to play in 2008 will be asked to fork out $2,000 when the new rates come into effect on April 1, 2009.

Seniors, many of whom look back to the past when they were forced to mow greens and keep the course playable on what has always been regarded as a 'working man's club', will be charged an annual fee of $1,250 compared to the $780 charged in 2008.

Reportedly, several have indicated they can no longer afford to play.

Family membership which could be obtained for $2,565 in 2008 will now rise to $3,500.

Local non-members who want to play the nine-hole lay-out will also be asked to dig deeper into their pockets.

An 18-hole round with cart will cost $110 and tourists will have to pay an extra $20 ($130) – an estimated increase of $30.

Chairman of the Trustees, Wendell Brown, indicated yesterday it was unlikely there would be any change in policy despite complaints from members.

"That's the economic reality of the situation," he said. "We've been running the course at a tremendous loss."

President of the club, Alan Douglas who runs the Upstairs Downstairs Golf and Tennis Shop in Hamilton, said there was "enormous concern" by members over the new rates.

"Across the board, members are being asked on average to pay an extra $500," he said.

"We would think that in this economic climate fees would be decreased rather than increased.

"These are huge increases.

"What I believe is that the Trustees are thinking that the course won't be played as much as it was and are therefore implementing these new charges to cover the shortfall.

"As president I haven't had chance to do much because at this time of year I'm really busy. But in the New Year I'll be writing to the (Sports) Minister and the Trustees to see if we can get this decision reversed.

"Ocean View historically has been a working man's club. It was taken over by Government in the 1990s but before that it was run by the members, many of whom are still playing."

Velda Wellman, vice-president of the club, said a complaint had already been sent to the Trustees but without success.

"Even I can't afford it," she said. "But it's particularly harsh on the seniors. A lot of them have said they can't pay that much and will have to stop playing.

"This isn't a Belmont or a Mid Ocean, it's supposed to be for the public."

Trustees chairman Brown added that Ocean View was no longer financially viable and the aim had always been to make it "self-sufficient."

"Originally we (the trustees) had considered increases of 20 percent but that would mean we'd still be losing $600,000 a year. Even with the new fees we anticipate losing $300,000.

"In the past we had relied on Port Royal to subsidise Ocean View.

"In the last three years, St. George's had been running at a loss of around $750,000 a year. Ocean View has cost around $500,000.

"The problem with Ocean View is the traffic. It's only nine holes so unlike an 18-hole course you can only have so many on the course at any one time. That means fewer green fees."

The Devonshire club is steeped in history, originally formed to give black players a course of their own when they were denied admission to other clubs.

Of the 13 original founding fathers, it's believed that only two are still alive, one of them being Ed Ball sr, the father of Bermuda Public Services Union General Secretary Ed Ball jr.

Ball jr said yesterday his father, now in his 90s, still had a keen interest in the club and was disappointed by the new fee increases.

"This club has had a tumultuous history, it was formed to give black players somewhere to play when they had nowhere else," he said.

"I'm just hoping that common sense will prevail."

It was just last week that six-time majors winner Nick Faldo was on the Island to reveal plans for a new 18-hole lay-out to complement the planned Park Hyatt Hotel in St. George's. But that isn't expected to open until 2011 with expected green fees to run well over $100.

Port Royal, that has undergone massive changes since closing early in the summer, is expected to be re-opened in the Spring of 2009, with membership and green fees also likely to be much higher than before the course closed.