Pennsylvania’s Human Relations Commission conducted two days of public hearings regarding the April 21 incident in which five black women golfers were asked to leave the York, Pa. course amid claims that they were golfing too slowly. The incident garnered national attention after it received local coverage.
The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission held public hearings last week at York (Pa.) City Council Chambers, the York Daily Record reported, as a number of people stepped up to offer their accounts of the April 21st incident at Grandview Golf Club, when five black female golfers were asked to leave the course because they were allegedly playing too slowly.
C&RB reported on the initial local coverage of the incident (http://clubandresortbusiness.com/2018/04/grandview-gc-apologizes-calling-cops-black-members/) and how it then garnered national attention (http://clubandresortbusiness.com/2018/04/incident-york-pa-golf-club-draws-larger-spotlight/).
According to the Daily Record, among the people who stepped up to testify at the hearings were the five women, as well as a golfer who was playing behind them.
The Daily Record report, however, noted that York County commissioner Steve Chronister, whose son Jordan is a co-owner of the golf course, did not provide testimony during the hearings.
A statement read at the June 22nd hearing indicated that the Chronisters would not appear at the hearings to testify “because of pending litigation,” the Daily Record reported.
The Daily Record noted that a statement from the Benn Law Firm to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission indicated the Chronisters’ position was that the incident was sparked by an actual problem with slow play on the course, and “not motivated by race or gender.”
According to the Chronisters’ account of the event, the five women were first asked to pick up their pace of play by skipping two holes. A police officer was told to leave without talking to the women because they had reportedly agreed to skip the holes, the Daily Record reported.
According to the Chronisters’ statement, the women took a long break after they completed the ninth hole. During the break, the statement added, the women were allegedly drinking alcohol that they had brought with them in the parking lot, another violation of club rules.
“Once the women acceded to the legitimate request…Grandview had no desire or need to take any further action,” the Chronisters’ statement indicated, according to the Daily Record’s report. The quintet then allegedly tried to resume their game without regard to any other groups.
According to the Daily Record report, the statement from the Benn Law Firm contradicts what the women stated during the hearing.
One of the women in the group, Karen Crosby, testified that their pace of play wasn’t an issue.
“We were playing very fast,” Crosby testified, according to the Daily Record. “It was more like a game of field hockey than golf.”
Jerry Higgins, a golfer who was playing in a group behind the women, agreed with Crosby’s account.
“I hadn’t waited to hit a shot all day,” Higgins testified, according to the Daily Record’s report. “The group of five women did not slow me down in anyway.”
For the York Daily Record’s full story, go to https://www.ydr.com/story/news/2018/06/23/grandview-golf-club-owners-not-motivated-race-gender/727905002/
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