Shoreline to End Affordable Twilight Memberships

Mountain View is preparing to end two long-running membership options at Shoreline Golf Links on July 1, cutting off the course’s Twilight and Gold plans and narrowing weekend access for golfers on Senior and Silver plans. The changes affect one of the city-owned course’s cheapest and most flexible options, a Twilight membership that currently lets players book afternoon tee times seven days a week until closing. Golfers told local news outlets the decision was abrupt and made without public input. The city has not yet posted the replacement pricing, but Shoreline Regional Park Manager Brady Ruebusch said new fees will be publicized June 1. ### Which memberships are being eliminated on July 1? July 1 is the date Mountain View plans to end the Twilight membership program and remove the Gold membership at Shoreline Golf Links, according to reporting by San José Spotlight and membership information published by the course. The Gold plan currently allows golfers to play anytime the course is open, while Twilight gives players access seven days a week up to one hour before posted twilight times. (sanjosespotlight.com) The Shoreline Golf Links membership page, captured in recent web results, lists Twilight at $124 per month for Mountain View residents and $135 for non-residents. The same page lists Gold at $288 per month for resident singles and $315 for non-resident singles, with higher family pricing. ### What changes for Senior and Silver members? Mountain View also plans to restrict Senior and Silver memberships so they no longer include weekend play before super twilight hours, according to the current membership schedule and local reporting. (sanjosespotlight.com) Under the existing structure, both plans allow weekday play anytime and weekend or holiday play only after super twilight. San José Spotlight reported the city intends to limit those memberships further to exclude weekends. (shorelinelinks.com) June 1 is the date Ruebusch said the new fees will be made public. A May greens committee agenda posted by the Shoreline Seniors Golf Club said that, effective July 1 and pending city approval, membership rates would rise 2.6% to 3.2% and green and cart fees would increase by $1. ### Why are golfers objecting? (sanjosespotlight.com) Hormazd Romer, a Sunnyvale resident, told San José Spotlight he learned the Twilight program was ending only when he tried to renew his annual membership and was told renewal was no longer possible. He said the move was “very sudden and out of the blue.” John Schacter, a Stanford resident and Twilight member, described Shoreline as “the poor man’s course,” saying the membership drew a broad mix of players, including “plumbers, salesmen and actuaries,” not only affluent golfers. (sanjosespotlight.com) The article said players also valued the community built around regular weekend afternoon rounds that ran until dusk. ### What is Shoreline Golf Links, and who controls it? Shoreline Golf Links sits inside Shoreline at Mountain View, a 750-acre wildlife refuge and recreation area along San Francisco Bay. The city says Shoreline Park is overseen by the Shoreline Park District, a separate legal entity whose board is the Mountain View City Council. (sanjosespotlight.com) The course is part of a broader public recreation area that the city says is open seven days a week. Shoreline’s golf operation advertises multiple membership categories, including Junior and Quarterly plans, in addition to the plans now set for revision or removal. ### What should golfers watch next? June 1 is the next date golfers have been told to watch, because that is when new membership fees are expected to be posted, according to Ruebusch. (mountainview.gov) July 1 is the effective date for the membership changes and for a separate increase in membership, green and cart fees described in the greens committee agenda. Shoreline Golf Links’ membership page says memberships are currently full and invites players to join a waiting list. Any final pricing and access terms will need to appear through the course or city channels before the July 1 changeover. (shorelinelinks.com) (sanjosespotlight.com)