By Patrick Crowley
The Cincinnati Enquirer

INDEPENDENCE - In a move to boost business and attract new players, Kenton County's three public golf courses are advertising on the radio and selling annual memberships.

Officials from Kenton County - which operates the Pioneer, Willow and Fox Run golf courses on adjoining pieces of property along Richardson Road in Independence - say the plan to advertise and sell memberships has been in the planning stages for more than two years.

"This is all part of an ongoing marketing strategy by (golf pro) Tom Macke," Deputy Kenton County Judge-executive Scott Kimmich said Tuesday. "The golf courses have never advertised on radio, and selling memberships is something we've been looking at for awhile. Boone County has been selling (golf course) memberships for 25 years, so it makes sense for us to do it."

The advertisements began running in January on Cincinnati-based sports talk radio stations.

Some Kenton County Democrats are wondering if the administration of Republican county Judge-executive Dick Murgatroyd got the idea about boosting golf course business during the 2002 political campaign in Kenton County.

During the campaign, Democrat Patrick Hughes, a Fort Wright lawyer who lost to Murgatroyd, ran on a platform that included studying major changes at the golf course.

Hughes did not specifically mention selling memberships but he did contend the golf courses were losing money and needed to either increase business through improved marketing or consider more radical changes, such as selling one of the golf courses or allowing developers to build homes along the courses.

"During the campaign, we put a lot of emphasis on operations at the (county) golf courses," Hughes said Tuesday. "I'm very glad to see the fiscal court giving attention to the problems at the golf course."

Kimmich said the changes the county is making at the golf course "has nothing to do" with issues raised during the campaign.

"We've been working for a couple of years on making the courses more user-friendly," Kimmich said. "People want to take credit for everything from Christmas to Easter, but the truth is we've been making improvements at the golf courses and this is the next phase, marketing and advertising."

Jason Laible, an assistant pro at the county golf courses, said three memberships are available:

Platinum memberships at all three courses cost $650 a year for county residents and $750 for others.

Senior memberships at all three courses are available to golfers 62 and older and cost $325 for county residents and $400 for others.

Junior memberships are available at Pioneer only for golfers under 18 and cost $175 for county residents and $225 for others.

Carts will be extra, Laible said, but the price has not been determined, though he expects the cost to be in the range of $6.50 for nine holes and $12 for 18 holes. No user fees will be charged.

The memberships will run from April 1 through March 31. Between April 1 and Oct. 31 members will be allowed to play anytime Monday through Friday and weekends and holidays after 1 p.m. From November to March there are no restrictions on play. Members will also receive a 10 percent discount on merchandise in the pro shop and free driving range balls.

E-mail pcrowley@enquirer.com