OPINION EDITORIAL
Blog submitted by Roland West
After 23 years at Wetherington Golf and Country Club, I am no longer a member. I stepped away in the fall of 2020 for three reasons. One of which was the fear I had of Covid-19. I had planned to rejoin when club rules allowed it. But after taking a close look at the club and its membership, I decided I could never again belong to this type of organization.
I joined Wetherington Golf and Country Club in 1997. I was the second African American at the club when I joined. Since Herman, the other African American, played very little golf I most often played with White members of the club.
I remember the first time I walked into the men’s grill. A member named Steve walked up to me and introduced himself and introduced me to several other members there. I felt relieved. I am not sure what I would have have done had no one approached and welcomed me.
At that time I was on my way to many years of fun playing a game I had fallen in love with. And at a club where members were welcoming to me and my wife. There were occasional incidents of insensitivity but none I could not handle. One incident happened on the evening my wife and I officially joined the club. I decided to walk around to get familiar with the club. I walked into the golf shop and saw a person that happened to be our golf pro. We had not met until that evening. His comment to me was “what are you doing sneaking around down here”? I was startled and angry but decided not to make an issue of it. Of course I told him I was a new member trying to get familiar with the facility.
We experienced another incident of insensitivity when a group of African Americas, most of them non-members, were leaving the club after dinner. As we walked down the front steps of the club, a White male member shouted to the group of Blacks “what are you all up to being together”. We said nothing at the time. I later told him I thought his comment was very disrespectful. He made the comment often made by Whites. “My comment had nothing to do with you all being Black”. How often have I heard that.
My golf foursome almost always consisted of Steve and Mike. Year after year we would play 2-3 times a week. Competing hard to outdo each other while trying to get better and lowering our handicaps. Eventually 2-3 more African Americans joined the club. Larry, Jim and Jordan joined the group which made it easier to have foursomes and also to have other African Americans to tee it up with.
It was no secret Wetherington Country Club is a very conservative environment. John Boehner, ex-Speaker of the House has been a member there for many years. The club has very few Democrats. I often sat in the clubhouse and heard derogatory comments aimed at Bill and Hillary Clinton. And eventually there were derogatory comments aimed at Barack Obama. I would often be asked by friends why I would join such a club. My only answer was ‘before we joined the club and built our home on the 9th fairway, we had no idea it was such a conservative culture.
The conservative culture of Wetherington did not stop us from giving many fundraisers at our home for Democrats such as Nina Turner, Senator Sherrod Brown, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, Barack Obama and Rob Richardson. Neither did the conservative culture of Wetherington keep me from building a cordial friendship with Carlos, and for a while he was the head of the Republican Party of Butler County. We talked often even though we were in different places politically. Our conversations helped the other understand our political differences. Our conversations led to us having immense respect for each other even though it did not change our positions. He would call me his favorite Democrat. To me he was my favorite Republican. I was saddened when I heard he had passed away.
My wife and I made good use of the club. My wife would host end of the year Christmas parties for her sorority (AKA) and her Links organization. We attended parities in the neighbourhood given by members and non-members of the club. I enjoyed my club experience UNTIL I DIDN’T.
In 2016 the club became Trump country and all that came with it.
It felt like I was being surrounded by people I had little in common with. During an email exchange with the board president of Wetherington, he shared the view that country clubs are built around the concept of ‘sameness’. I took that to mean clubs draw people of similar beliefs, interests etc. I realized the only thing I had in common with most of the members was my love of golf and our ability to afford club dues.
My experience began to change toward the end of Obama’s presidency. During this time it became common to hear negative Obama comments made on the practice tee, in the the men’s grill and in the main dining area. I began to clearly see and understand Wetherington was a Republican/ conservative club. I began to ask myself if I could continue to be a part of this culture.
My wife and I have owned and ran a small consulting firm that operates in the Diversity and Inclusion space for thirty years. We provide training and consulting for organizations such as Procter & Gamble, Cummins Inc., Coca Cola, Colgate, ESPN, Disney, GE, Pitney Bowes, Los Alamos National Laboratory and others. No doubt my experiences have caused me to be very conscious of diversity and inclusion issues. I clearly understand we all have a right to our beliefs be they political or otherwise. I also understand that at the end of the day most Wetherington members will vote for politicians who will advance policies that are not in the interest of myself, my family and the people I grew up with.
I find it impossible to smile in the face of people who will vote for politicians who will put forth policies that limit the votes of people like me. Who will vote for politicians that will vote for politicians that ignore the January 6th insurrection that could have thrust America in a different and perilous direction. Who will vote for politicians that will maintain ‘qualified immunity’ for police officers. Who will vote for politicians who snuggle up to extremist and White supremacists.
I often ask myself the question ‘what do people who vote that way think of me and people like me’?
There are many places to play golf. I have chosen to play at public courses rather than staying in a culture where I feel tolerated rather than truly welcomed. I also play at a private club with a friend that has a very different and welcoming culture. Black golfers are not a monolith. I hope however, we are monolithic in wanting to play golf where we are respected and treated with dignity and not simply tolerated.
Mr. Roland West is among the nation’s best known consultants on the topics of diversity and leadership. He is listed in Who’s Who of the Top American Business Executives and has been a featured speaker on leadership for the state of Illinois, the University of Michigan, Alcoa, Pitney Bowes, Los Alamos National Laboratories, and GE. Before beginning his consulting career, Roland West gained extensive experience in manufacturing and product management through a series of positions with Fortune 500 companies. Prior to that, he played professional basketball for the Baltimore Bullets. Mr. West holds a bachelor’s degree in education and an MBA in business administration. He resides in Westchester, Ohio.
