A row is brewing between some members of Port Royal Golf Club and the Board of Trustees over an increase in playing fees.

When the revamped Port Royal opens in 2009, existing members will be asked to pay a one-time initiation fee of $3,000, on top of their yearly subs of $3,500 for a seven-day single membership.

That compares with a previous yearly subscription of $2460, a 42 percent increase in less than two years.

The green fees for non-members have increased as well, with a single round costing residents $157.

That is 30 percent better than visitors to the Island, who will be charged $225 for the privilege of playing a round.

In contrast, the yearly fees for Belmont Hills are $2,500 and a single-round costs $110, however there is a lifetime initiation fee of $18,000.

At the other end of the scale, a founders membership at Tucker's Point costs $100,000 with yearly fees of $5,700, and a single round comes in at $200.

Several Port Royal members have organised a meeting on Wednesday to plan an official response, and in an email seen by The Royal Gazette have accused the trustees of ignoring the history behind Port Royal and driving Bermudians away from the course.

"The increases are unreasonable, inflationary and gluttonous," said the email.

"Port Royal Golf Course was designated as the last place in Bermuda were a golf course would be built were the common or the working class men and women will have a place to play, while also having another course for golfing visitors.

"It [Port Royal] is a public golf course funded by the taxpayers and the cost of golf to its residents should reflect this, and should remain for the common working class people of this country.

"The trustees' decision will infact disenfranchise some of its members due to economic policies and the Bermudian membership will decline."

The email also goes on to question why it should cost more to play at Port Royal than it does at Belmont Hills, and why Ocean View members are exempt from the initiation.

Ocean View comes into the equation because as a public course, it is part of the business model that Port Royal is run on.

The email asks "Why are they [Ocean View members] not asked to pay higher fees as they are a drain on Port Royal coffers."

While some of the members are planning a protest, Wendall Brown, chairman of the Board of Trustees, has defended the increases.

"The fee we are asking people to pay is a nominal one compared to those at Belmont Hills and Tucker's Point," he said. "The money that is raised will go to rennovating the clubhouse, because of this we feel we are fully justified in asking members to pay a little towards that.

"Goverment has already spent –$13.7 million on upgrading the course, and we don't feel that it is too much to ask that members contribute towards their own club.

"Members were warned last year when they were renewing their membership in March 2007 that this would be the case.

"But they were also told they would get a preferential rate.

"Existing members are paying $3000, which is half the $6000 that a new member will have to pay.

"When the Premier asked me to take on this role, he said that he wanted a businessman who loved golf.

"I love golf, but Port Royal has to be run as a business, we have to be self sufficient.

"The two other public courses, Ocean View, and St George's lose a lot of money, and it is not fair that the taxpayer has to foot the bill.

"We have to run in a sensible manner, we've just found out that it will cost between $25,000 and $27,000 a month to irrigate the course, rates are high and we need revenue to pay for things like this.

"It is a public facility, but not one that we think should be overly subsidised with people's tax dollars.

Residents get a 30 percent discount on what we charge visitors to the Island, and seniors got more off on top of that.

"It's not going to just be a normal public course, in the past it didn't have all the whistles and bells that it will have now."