Golf course owners want the vandals found

EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah – Golf course managers in Eagle Mountain are furious after vandals damaged their sixth green with racist comments and sexual images. They’re willing to reward anyone who can help identify who did it.

The damage was spotted by an African-American man who was playing a round of golf by himself at The Ranches Golf Club over the weekend. 

Club Co-Owner Jeff Harbertson said, “He posted it on his Facebook page and there began to be a lot of comments and concern about it. We felt the same way.”

Whoever did it carved a racial slur into the sand in a bunker, and ripped up the grass on the 6^th putting green to make sexually explicit images.  Harbertson said their greens keepers were able to fix the bunker immediately, and covered the putting green as best as they could.

“It was taken care of and over a short period of time, hopefully, it will not be seen any more, but, it’s still there,” he said.

Harbertson said covering the costs of the physical damage isn’t what he’s concerned about. They want to identify the vandals to make sure they’re prosecuted and never allowed to return to the course. 

Their club welcomes everyone, regardless of their skin color or beliefs. Harbertson believes this was a hate crime and they’re especially concerned about the man who found the racial slurs.

 

“His concern is, ‘I’m concerned for [my] safety.  Is there somebody here, close to me, that has a real problem with me?” according to Harbertson.

The Ranches posted a statement saying they’d be willing to give club credit or merchandise to anyone who can help police find the suspects.

“This hasn’t happened before, so it is a little bit of unchartered territory for us,” he said.

Officials with the Golf Alliance of Utah also posted a statement, reading, “The acts that took place at The Ranches Golf Club are deplorable and have no place in our society.  We as a golf community stand together condemning the racism and hate that has been displayed.”