LIV Golf pro Harold Varner III has responded with his side of the story following an Indiana public golf course’s social media post detailing why it removed Varner and his playing partners from the course on Tuesday.
The course, Bear Slide Golf Club, is in Cicero, Ind., 10 miles from The Club at Chatham Hills, site of this week’s season-ending LIV event. According to the course’s Facebook post, Varner and his group arrived late, insisted they should be allowed to play as a six-some, later combined groups anyway, were told to leave the course and were refunded their money.
On Sunday, Varner’s official Instagram account posted a statement to an Instagram story with the golfer’s version of the events. The post said Bear Slide’s story contained “several inaccuracies and does not fairly represent what occurred.”
In the Facebook post, Bear Slide Golf Club said Varner had a foursome booked on the tee shot, but his group arrived 30 minutes late and brought six players.
Bear Slide Golf Club Facebook
“We accommodated the additional group and they were informed they could go off as 2 threesomes,” the post read. “At the first tee, they insisted that they should be allowed to play as a 6-some. The starter informed them again that is not allowed. After asking the starter 4 more times, one of the group members told the starter that he was being rude and needed to calm down. Another person from the group defended the starter, saying that he wasn’t being rude and was just enforcing the rules.
“Then, Mr. Varner again asked the starter if they could play as a 6-some. The starter said no, but that they could ask the pro shop if they would like. Mr. Varner asked the pro shop 3 separate times if they could play with a large group, to which he was informed that is not allowed, especially when there is play behind them.”
The golfers teed off as a pair of threesomes and played like that for holes 1-3, but the course alleges they joined together on the 4th hole and slowed down play with groups behind them.
“One of the members of the group said they were just watching the group in front tee off, which was completely untrue,” the Bear Slide post said. “Our staff watched all 6 tee off and putt out together. After leaving 4 green, the group was informed that they needed to bring their carts back to the parking lot. They were told that they would be refunded but that they were no longer welcome on the course.”
;)
@hv3_golf Instagram
According to Varner’s post, their group asked to play a 3-vs.-3 scramble, and when the starter declined the request, “they respected the decision and played at pace as two separate groups of three.”
Varner’s post added that the first group would complete a hole, then watch the second play into the green before proceeding to the next. After the fourth hole, according to Varner, the second group was approached by the starter and asked to leave because they were attempting to combine groups.
“At no point did the six golfers combine or play as a sixsome,” Varner’s Instagram post read. “There were also no groups immediately ahead of or behind them being delayed. … Harold was never personally approached or asked to leave. Once the message was relayed, the entire group left respectfully and without issue.”
Varner has yet to discuss the topic at LIV Golf Indianapolis.
“Perhaps this group felt like they should get special privileges because of who they are and the organization they belong to,” the course’s post read. “But we believe that everyone should be treated fairly and should follow the same rules, regardless of your playing ability or connections.”