The Vancouver park board voted unanimously Monday to let golfers play for free next winter at the city’s three pitch and putt courses, in a one-year experiment aimed at saving $100,000.

The move could save half of a $200,000 loss incurred by fully staffing the facilities in the winter, according to the staff proposal. In summer, an average of 114 rounds are played per day per course — which are located in Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Park and Rupert Park. In winter, that drops to 10 rounds per day per course, with Rupert Park having the lowest utilization rate in both seasons.

Under the proposal, the city wouldn’t completely abandon the courses in winter. The schedule of winter maintenance would include a full-time roving “greensman” to change holes, clean up the course, carry out safety and drainage inspections and prune trees. His work would be augmented by staff from the Stanley Park and Queen Elizabeth maintenance crews for daily course inspection.

Also Monday night, the board approved a tongue-in-cheek motion requiring booing and taunting bullies on Vancouver’s sports fields to do “100 pushups” or donate bags of oranges to the opposing team.

Constance Barnes’ motion asks staff to ensure that all parks board facilities offer a “safe environment.”

Barnes said the punishment suggestions were partly in “fun” and partly “serious.”

With a file from Postmedia News