$3.7 Million Found in Golf Course Parking Lot

I know it sounds incredible, but it is true … millions of dollars just laying around my parking lot. I wasn’t able to pick up the cash because it was just blowing around in the wind. It kept swirling around and around, and I wasn’t able to lay a hand on a penny of it.

How could this be?

Dishonesty; pure and simple.

Most golf courses around the country offer “mini” memberships or some other type of local offering to lower the daily rate on an annual basis. This is for their regular players, or players who visit an area more than a few times per year. In most cases this offers a great deal to have lower rates, great twilight rates, and otherwise make great offers to increase play. This is as it should be.

But, what I found in the parking lot and in listening to my wife Ms. Poppycock who works in the pro-shop that there is a class of con artists, criminals in another life who have come to believe that the local golf course is a place to try and find ways to play for free.

And, they are very imaginative, if not stupid. What I find amazing in the coming stories, is that this a game of integrity played by liars and thieves.

How many times have we played in a tournament and play a great round and post a good score only to be had by a known sandbagger? Way too many times. We know who they are. We know that they play to a 6, but have a 14 index. They take more “pride” in taking home a prize than they do in playing an honest game. This is to their detriment and a detriment to the game. I hate losing to a sandbagger, because I take more pride in an honest index, as low as I can take it, and play to my index. But, I digress, the point is that for a game built on self monitoring and integrity, we seem to have developed a class of players who think that beating the “system” is more important than winning in a fair and honest way. A reflection of our times perhaps.

Case No. 1: A “mini” member of the local club comes in saying to Ms. Poppycock; “Mr. X is coming in next to play with me. Mr. X displays a mini member card. As such Ms. Poppycock extents the courtesy of the mini rate and stamps his member card accordingly in the computer. She says; “Mr. X, would you like to ride or walk?” He replies, “No, I would like to take a push cart.” Ms. Poppycock informs him that he must pay the few bucks, but leave a credit card in the odd event he doesn’t return the push caddie. He does so and goes out to play. As he is leaving the pro shop she takes a look at his credit card which does NOT have the name of Mr. X, but Mr. Z! She knows what is afoot here and bides her time between more customers. “I know he has to come in to retrieve his credit card.”

When he comes in with his playing partner, who set up this scam she says, “Mr. Z! So good to see you. I notice on your credit card, you are NOT really Mr. X, you are Mr. Z! Guess what, you owe $65 dollars!”

He turned 18 shades of red. Imagine the embarrassment of this … such a small scam. Here he is a respected member of the community resorting to what is really nothing less than a school boy prank, or at worse, a Senatorial bribe (like that never happens!) Why? Can’t he afford to pay the going rate, or was it his “friend” who said; “I can get you in on my buddy’s mini card.” Isn’t he the one who should share the shame? In fact, Mr. X(Z) pointed to his friend standing next to him and said, “He said I should do it.” Who is to blame? You are the jury.

As I finished my round I pulled into the parking lot around 5PM. Ms. Poppycock is my wife so I get to play under her employee benefit program and my cart is free too. Don’t be jealous, this is who I married. As I began to unload my cart and change my shoes, you know the ritual, a couple of well to do men pulled up in their new SUV. A $50,000 vehicle. “Hey buddy,” he says, “can you do me a favor?”

“Sure,” I say, “what can I do for you?” He asks, “Do you have to return your key for the deposit, because if you do, I can give you $5 bucks, and I will turn it in.” I ask, “Why?”

He says, “Well, me and my buddy just want to get in a few holes, and we wanted to borrow your cart. We will turn it in, and get the deposit back.”

I kind of reeled back on my heels. I couldn’t quite take in his meaning. Let me see if I have this right. You want to take my cart in, but in the meantime, you want to go “play a few holes for free” and then you will turn in MY key for my $3 deposit…and I make a full $2 buck return. What a deal!”

Here are two guys, worth well in excess of half a million to a million, maybe more…and they are asking me to help scam a “few holes” WITH A CART! What a**holes.

I really have no sympathy for these two Bonnie and Clyde’s of golf. I finally recover and say, “Well, I am part of staff, and I couldn’t really do that.” They drive to the rear of the parking lot and begin talking on their cell phones. As I drive past, they lower their heads not to catch my gaze, and I realize, I am looking at the worst form of loser I can imagine. I know what a crack dealer is up to, but what of these two? Are they any better?

Last story, I come back the next day to play with an acquaintance and as we move into our round, he laughs as he climbs aboard my cart (he is carrying a small carry bag.) He laughs, “CB, you wouldn’t believe it; I got rained out the other day after just a few holes. (This course has no rain check policy) He says, “So, I went in a few days later and got one of the new pros and told him, ‘hey, I got rained out, give me a break’ and got in another 18. Then, I came back the NEXT day, and found his buddy, and told him the same STORY!” So, he essentially got two rounds plus the rainout for the one price…and he was PROUD of himself! I am disgusted to say he is a friend … in fact, I may have to reconsider that.

So, there you have it. Three instances in just a short span of time on this one course. Do the math.

First guy, tries to cheat the course out of full rate to save $50.00. Second guy, wants to have two guys play nine holes with my cart, cheating the course out of two green fees and two cart fees … $100 or more.

Last guy, cheats two rounds…or another $100.

Total = $250.

Multiply 17,000 courses and if this happens every day, it is over $3.7 million dollars in lost revenue.

The money was just floating around my car…and yours too. And we wonder why the industry is hurting. Cheaters hurt everyone.