EDITORIAL : PAR FOR THE CITY; NONRESIDENTS WILL SOON PAY MORE TO PLAY AT L.A. COURSES, AS IT SHOULD BE.

DUFFERS who live outside the L.A. city limits are miffed the city's raising their rates - by $2.

Tough turf.

For once, the city is doing the right thing.

Commission President Steve Soboroff led the Recreation and Parks Commission to approve a $2 increase in golf greens fees at all 18-hole courses beginning Nov. 1, bringing the rates to $20 on weekdays and $25 on weekends.

But that's not all.

The commission also hiked the cost of a three-year reservation card to $90 for nonresidents - more than three times the current rate. The cards are used to reserve tee times.

Nonresidents are outraged. But why should Angelenos subsidize nonresident golfers?

Nearly 40 percent of the 45,000 golfers with reservation cards live outside the city.

Maintaining the city's 13 courses is expensive. Golf is a popular sport. Somebody's got to pay for it.

It's only fair that the people who use the facility and benefit from well-maintained public courses should pay more when they live outside the city and their taxes are going to other communities.

The city's increase also is in line with the county, which charges $20 on weekdays and $25 on weekends.

Even with the increase for nonresidents, it's still one of the best deals in town.