Minister of Labour and National Insurance Shane Gibson on Tuesday made another call for affordable access to the Cable Beach Golf Course for Bahamians.

Minister Gibson’s second request came after a drastic hike in golfing costs was made by the course’s shareholder, Baha Mar, which caused many members of the Bahamas Golf Federation (BGF) and other local golfers to be robbed of the opportunity to golf on public grounds.

Since the golf course reopened after it’s renovation and reconstruction in March of this year, the cost for one round of golf at the Cable Beach Golf Course, which is a joint venture between the government and Baha Mar, has skyrocketed to almost $300 per person for locals only.

Minister Gibson, who says Baha Mar is responsible for the hike in prices, has been appealing to the resort to deduct the price for months, but said there has still been no change or updates about the price decreasing.

This does not sit well with the minister who is also a member of the BGF.

“Last month, members of the BGF and other golfers participated in a tournament abroad to compete,” he said.

“Based on the athlete’s performance, it was evident that they are in dire need of practice. Them not being able to practice on the golf course is definitely impacting the negatively. They cannot even perform to the best of their abilities because they lack training and proper practice. This is quite the unfortunate situation.”

The golfers have become even more outraged now that their work is now being negatively affected because of this disadvantage.

Many BGF members said it is ‘unbelievable’ that although the Cable Beach Golf Course is on government property, the golfers, who often represent the country, cannot access it to practice for regional or international tournaments.

The golfers have suggested taking a more firm stand and protesting, but Minister Gibson has repeatedly directed them not to.
He said as the Baha Mar debacle is settled, hopefully, the issue of the ‘ridiculous fees’ will be settled as well.