Country clubs in Utah do not have policies that forbid blacks or other minorities. However, few clubs in the state have any black members.
That's the finding of an informal Deseret News survey of eight country clubs from Ogden to Provo.The issue of membership policies at country clubs became news this past month because of the discriminatory practices at the Shoal Creek Country Club in Alabama, the site of this week's PGA Tournament. Several sponsors boycotted the tournament and the PGA was forced to change its policies in selecting future events.
Country clubs in Utah reflect the cultural makeup of the state. They're practically all-white. Blacks represent about .6 of 1 percent of the state's population and even less on the rolls of country club members.
In fact only two clubs outside of the Copper Club, which takes memberships on an annual basis, had any black members. The (Salt Lake) Country Club and Alpine Country Club, both have black members.
All of the eight clubs surveyed said they had open policies toward blacks and other minorities. But most said they had never had blacks apply for membership.
Frank Canfield, an assistant professional at The Country Club, said his club has no policies toward blacks and said the club hadn't turned anyone down for membership for at least 15 years. But he can understand why more blacks don't apply for membership to clubs like The Country Club.
"Why would you want to join if none of your friends were up here?," he said. "It's like, why would you want to be the only white person in an all-black club?"
The price of membership at The Country Club may be the biggest discriminator for a person of any race or religion. It costs a staggering $50,500 to join with $150 a month dues, not to mention $500 per year minimum cost in the dining room expenses.
Donna Hagblom, the general manager at Willow Creek, where it costs $14,000 to join, said she didn't know of any blacks ever applying for membership there. "They would surely be welcome and given the same consideration as anyone else. We have many Japanese and Spanish members."
Hidden Valley pro Don Johnson said his club has had blacks in the past but none at the present time.
Rick Mears, the head pro at Oakridge said his club rewrote its bylaws two years ago to eliminate any discrimination.
"We've completely rewritten any discriminatory lan-guage out of our bylaws," said Mears. "We never had any policies on the basis of race or religion, but we did have language that said only men could join."
Mears added that, despite the language, women have been able to join on their own for several years. As for blacks, Oakridge has none. "We've never had anyone apply," said Mears.
The Copper Club has a diversity of minorities including blacks, said pro Jeff Wathen. "Absolutely not," he replied when asked if there were any restrictions. "Anybody who would like to be a member of the club can join. It takes a simple filling out of an application. We have a diverse bunch of members and everyone gets along great."
The Copper Club, located in Magna, is the lowest-priced club with an annual cost of $625.
Jerry Comer at Ogden CC said anybody who makes an application goes before a board and can be turned down, although it is rare. "The only time we've turned anybody down is because of poor credit," he said.
Comer said blacks use the facilities at Ogden quite a bit, including the swimming pool, dining room and golf course, but said as far as he knew, no blacks had ever applied for membership.
Riverside in Provo, which has been said to have fewer blacks than any city in the nation, has no policy toward blacks, according to head pro Robert McArthur. "They just have to pay the money," he said.
The same goes for Alpine. "We have no policy against blacks," said Joey Bonsignore, the Alpine head pro. "Any minority is eligible to join."
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Membership fees
Club Initial cost Monthly dues
Alpine $2,000 $120
Copper Club $ 625* Hidden Valley $10,000 $150
Oakridge $ 6,500 $135
Ogden $ 8,000 $150
Riverside $ 6,000 $110
S.L. Country Club $50,500 $150
Willow Creek $14,000 $150
*Cost per season