Fairfield golf commissioners probe tee-time access as course demand surges

The Fairfield Golf Commission spent much of its meeting discussing access to tee times and operations at Smith Golf Course, where members said demand has surged and reservation slots are routinely sold out.

Commissioner Bob Bigette said the course is experiencing “incredible” demand and that the online reservation system generally works but can trip up users who lack a stored credit card, clear cookies or use non‑supported browsers. “It sells out every day, every time,” Bigette said, praising staff — including Pete Carney — for handling heavy traffic and large outings.

Members focused on how blocked league tee times affect public access. Commissioners said senior and league blocks reduce available public slots during weekday mornings and afternoons; one speaker said the senior league is capped at about 200 members while the women’s league reported about 140 members this year. Commissioners described the current allocation as largely driven by league membership and historical practice and said they are compiling a spreadsheet of league sizes, block lengths and non‑resident status to evaluate whether allocations should be adjusted.

The commission also discussed concrete operational fixes. Pete Carney and others urged investment in driving‑range netting and higher poles to reduce ball loss; commissioners reported the course received a shipment of about 21,000 range balls and had already lost roughly 12,000. One participant estimated the course buys roughly 100,000 balls a year and experiences substantial annual loss. Commissioners noted the per‑ball cost discussed in the meeting (about $0.52) and described retrieval opportunities when brush dies back in the fall.

A resident who identified herself as Martha Wallace urged the commission to consider changing the daily 5 a.m. tee‑time kickoff to a later time (5:30 a.m. or an evening hour) to make signup more accessible; commissioners agreed to survey nearby courses and return with recommendations. The commission also agreed to collect more data from leagues and report findings back at a future meeting.

The session closed with no formal votes on tee‑time policy; members directed staff and commissioners to gather comparative data and league membership numbers to guide any future changes.