Golf gift cards worth $25 and good at any of the city's six municipal courses went on sale this week at the popular Ala Wai Golf Course, for the first time allowing people to use the little plastic cards to pay to play.

That could buy two 18-hole rounds of weekday golf for someone with a Honolulu golf ID card.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann said the city expects the cards to sell and is happy to begin sales in the week before Christmas as a potential gift item.

"Anyone who might be looking for a Christmas stocking-stuffer for a golfer should consider these cards," Hannemann said.

The cards started selling Monday, said Sid Quintal, director of the City Department of Enterprise Services. "If the public responds the way we think they will, we'll sell the cards at other courses and in larger denominations," Quintal said.

The cards may only be used to pay fees at the starter's window — not at pro shops, driving ranges or to buy food. As with most other gift cards, the balance cannot be redeemed for cash and the cards expire two years from the date issued, Quintal said.

The city maintains and operates six golf courses: five are 18 holes — Ala Wai, Pali, Ted Makalena, West Loch, Ewa Villages — and one, Kahuku, is nine holes. For the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2004, 560,921 rounds were played on them.

More than 76,000 golfers have registered for the city's golf identification system. Enterprise Services officials report the Ala Wai retains the distinction of "busiest golf course in the world, with over 166,000 rounds of golf played" annually.

Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.