Golf club faces legal action over non-resident fees

NON-RESIDENT, or so-called “country members”, of the prestigious Waterville Golf Links in south Kerry have begun legal proceedings against the American owners of the club, in search of what they claim is “fair play” after new rules which have seen their fees rise to almost double that of locals.

Some 120, or one-third of members in the club, are non-resident, residing most of the year outside a local radius.

Waterville is one of the most sought-after links courses worldwide, and is listed as one of the top 100 golf courses in the world. Its non-resident members are mostly people with holiday homes in the area and they have been asked to pay fees of €1,100 — a hike of around 60% — a sore dose for some, coming on top of the holiday home tax.

The new licence agreement was introduced two years ago by the US conglomerate which runs the club in what these non-resident members believe is a drive for greater exclusivity and to attract more international, non-resident members.

“We had no input. We always paid 20% more than locals, but this is too big a gap. The fees have gone through the roof in the past two years,” one member said.

A High Court challenge has now begun by a group of non-resident members who believe they are being treated in an unfair fashion.

Waterville has regularly attracted some of the top professional players, including Tiger Woods, Mark O’Meara and the late Payne Stewart. Now close to its 120th anniversary, plans are to increase numbers of non-resident memberships, according to the Waterville Golf Links website

Waterville Links Limited, a Delaware corporation (WLL) registered to do business in Ireland, owns the Club Facilities, known as Waterville Golf Links.

Club management declined to comment. An email has been sent to the membership administrators.