Opinion & Analysis
Kate Upton is upset and misinformed about golf and that’s great
It’s not often that supermodels get mixed up in the golf news cycle, but just six months after appearing on Golf Digest’s cover with Arnold Palmer, Kate Upton is back at it again.
Upton tweeted the following yesterday:
I just heard that Los Angeles Country Club doesn’t allow women to golf until noon. That is the most insulting news I’ve heard! It’s 2014
— Kate Upton (@KateUpton) June 4, 2014
Unfortunately for the two-time Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model, she didn’t quite have her facts straight.
LACC General Manager Kirk Reese told GolfChannel.com that it’s not true that women are not allowed to play before noon, and his private club has had female members since 1898.
The good news is that even misinformed mentions of golf by celebrities with Upton’s stature can help make the game more relevant, and a golfing Kate Upton certainly can’t hurt an industry that has lost 5 million of golfers in the last decade and has seen participation of 18-to-34 years olds drop by 30 percent.
Another silver lining in all of this? It appears that Upton has made a new golfing partner as a result of her tweet.
.@KateUpton Hey Kate, I’m a LACC woman member and can play any time, any day of the week. You got bad info. Let’s play sometime!
— Noel Lucky (@noelluckygolf) June 4, 2014
Need a third?
This past Monday, I played in the U.S. Amateur local qualifier at Rock Creek Country Club in Portland, Oregon. A full tee sheet from 7:30 a.m. to 1:55 p.m., the top 11 scores would make it to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying.
I teed off at 10:48 a.m.. With the 7:30 am tee time, you can get a feel for the leaders’ pace, and they were off and running on the challenging setup at Rock Creek.
View this post on Instagram
Getting to the highlight of the round on the par five 17th, a drive up the left side and 212 yards left to the front hole location. I took out a 5-iron with plans of middle of the green. The ball ended up 8 feet left of the hole, pin high. A slight downhill putt dropped in for an eagle 3 on the 17th. With the cut line looking to be anywhere from -2 to even par. This was the boost I had been waiting for all day.
With making par from the trees on 18, it was time to wait for a potential playoff with a posted score of one under par 71.
Three hours later, it was playoff time. 8 players for 6 spots. I made par on the playoff hole, which was good enough to advance to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying in July. USGA qualifiers sure deliver on all of the emotions in golf!
Club Junkie
Building my 2026 gamer WITB: Ranking the contenders and new putter projects – Club Junkie Podcast
The annual What’s In The Bag build is underway, and on this episode of Club Junkie, Brian breaks down the clubs currently leading the race for a spot in his 2026 gamer setup. From drivers and fairway woods to irons, wedges, and shafts, he ranks the equipment that’s performing best and explains what’s separating the front runners from the rest of the field.
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ken
Jun 9, 2014 at 5:36 pm
Time for a bit of education for the actress.
And a prescription for ‘chill pills’…
leftright
Jun 9, 2014 at 4:10 pm
I have no problem with women playing before noon at all. If they are a single digit and look like Kate I will tee it up anytime, day or night. A bit of sarcasm but the ladies don’t upset me near as much and play faster than some of the guys who think they are playing the PGA tour. Our “fivesome” plays every Wednesday afternoon and Saturday afternoon. We tee it up at 12:00 noon, standing tee time and we are drinking pitchers by 3:45 at the latest. We have a reputation and sometimes no one will take the 11:52 tee off time not unless they are a twosome. Slow play among anyone is like smoking, legal but people despise who’s doing it.
Bob Jones
Jun 9, 2014 at 2:18 pm
If this is the most insulting news she has heard, Kate has live a pretty sheltered life.
BigBoy
Jun 8, 2014 at 3:55 am
Move on boys, she can’t cook.
Rich
Jun 8, 2014 at 10:10 am
Again, who cares. Just look at her!
SN
Jun 7, 2014 at 2:23 am
A stick, balls and foursome…
don davis
Jun 6, 2014 at 12:57 am
the average joe nobody will never be able to play la country club no matter what time. another self absorbed semi celebrity whining about something the rest of us live every day. she should be playing at rancho park. I don’t think they have much of a dress code.
Alex
Jun 5, 2014 at 6:37 pm
Let’s be honest…even though she’s being blasted for making a statement that was completely wrong based on bad information…that sounds like half of the comments and statements made by posters on this forum.
She should be an honorary member!
Ken
Jun 5, 2014 at 5:16 pm
I’m deeply interested in any misinformation that Miss Upton cares to share. Shucks, it’s kinda cute.
Matt
Jun 5, 2014 at 1:39 pm
I think she forgot what G.O.L.F. stands for?? Lol
yo!
Jun 5, 2014 at 1:20 pm
Way to perpetuate the dumb blond stereotype, Kate.
Joe
Jun 5, 2014 at 2:06 pm
@yo! How is this a demonstration of being a dumb blonde? She was misinformed…so somewhere she heard that this was the case. She did nothing dumb whatsoever!
The dude
Jun 5, 2014 at 3:14 pm
She’s dumb….
Rich
Jun 7, 2014 at 10:00 am
Who cares! Just look at her!
Jeremy
Jun 5, 2014 at 11:02 pm
She tweeted misinformation to millions of people. That was dumb. When you’ve got a gigantic audience you should make sure you have your facts straight before you offer them, and every celebrity ought to know that.
George Hanson
Jun 5, 2014 at 12:50 pm
She’s changing the status of my member. ship.
Double Mocha Man
Jun 5, 2014 at 11:15 am
Women, like children, are to be seen and not heard. At least until noon. There must have been some validity to Ms. Upton’s tweet. I’d like to know more.
sgniwder99
Jun 5, 2014 at 11:07 am
Mostly this just seems like another example of why no one should ever tweet. Ever.
Jeremy Beale
Jun 5, 2014 at 11:13 am
Follow me @bealesspot. The news is good, there is a little inspiration here and humour there. Oh and then there is this article about Kate Upton.
Justin
Jun 5, 2014 at 11:01 am
I have two BIG reasons to give her a pass and both reasons are spectacular!!!!
RG
Jun 6, 2014 at 4:19 pm
Here,here! And I’ll see your spectacular and raise you a stupendous!
Jadon
Jun 5, 2014 at 10:54 am
Why won’t she do a Playing Lessons with the models?(Pros)(what?) with Holly Sonders? I’d DVR that. It would be refreshing to see some woman (under the age of 30) talent on a golf course. I know I know there’s the LPGA tour, and there is most certainly some talent there BUT it’s not very insightful, swing breakdowns, interviews, what are these girls like off the golf course, what’s going on in those sweet minds when they are setting up for shots etc. idk
Jeremy Beale
Jun 5, 2014 at 11:07 am
Didn’t Holly Sonders do a Playing Lesson with 20-year-old LPGA Pro Jessica Korda this week?
Jobin
Jun 5, 2014 at 12:52 pm
She also did one with Lexi Thompson.
perisho
Jun 5, 2014 at 10:27 am
talking monkey.
Spazo
Jun 5, 2014 at 10:09 am
Looks like the author wants to be in a threesome with Kate Upton.
Tim Gavrich
Jun 5, 2014 at 10:06 am
The best news of all is that Kate Upton plays golf.
The flip side, of course, is that there’s a pretty long list of clubs that still DO have restrictive policies towards women. So she’s wrong about LACC, but she’d be right about a few other places.
Jeremy Beale
Jun 5, 2014 at 10:28 am
That’s correct. If you look at the most recent news the majority of the courses that hold these policies are private equity courses.
Ex. Up until 2012 Augusta National held 80 years of tradition of being a male’s only membership course before accepting former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and a S.C financier by the name Moore.
Ironically in Canada there is a female’s only membership course whose held their tradition for 90 years to date.
bradford
Jun 5, 2014 at 12:50 pm
In most cases the rules have been changed so that the member who pays the bill has first rights to tee times on Saturday and Sunday morning tee-times. Historically, this was the men–that’s obviously changed now. The rules were established so that the person working to pay the membership could actually get first pick of times, rather than someone who is a secondary member. I haven’t heard of a club that still enforces this rule by gender. If a female has primary member status, she plays when she wants.
Setter02
Jun 5, 2014 at 10:56 pm
If talking about the Toronto Ladies Club, there is male members… But not sure why guys would want to go there when Thornhill is across the street.
Most clubs have various levels of membership, it’s all about money. If you want full access, you pay the full amount and be a full member. This is how it’s been at the 3 private clubs I’ve worked at.
Jeremy Beale
Jun 5, 2014 at 11:33 pm
According to their website men are welcome as Guest Card Holders and guests, but I didn’t find anything about membership.
Also, I am sure that the policy for course access at privately owned courses is fairly similar,but there is still the underlining issue that their are courses which have restriction on female play.
Brooklin Boy
Jun 9, 2014 at 8:10 pm
A few years ago, we booked 2 foursomes for 9:00AM, 9:10 Saturday tee times at a course we hadn’t played. On arrival, the pro shop gent saw 7 guys and my soon to be wife, and stated she couldn’t play as females weren’t allowed until after noon on weekends. When asked why, he responded “because men work during the week, and can only get out Saturdays & Sundays”. She replied that she also worked (for a large corporation), but the pro shop guy wouldn’t budge. So the 8 of us left for another course, and have never gone back. BTW she was a 15 handicap at the time, and better than some of the guys so pace of play wasn’t an issue.
I hope they’ve changed the rule since then, since I find that slow play is often caused by weekend yahoos (male) who want to drink, drive carts near the greens, and hit on the cart lady.
td
Jun 5, 2014 at 9:58 am
For some reason I didn’t read a word of that article, but walked away feeling I had just seem something AWESOME!
adan
Jun 5, 2014 at 10:48 am
LMAO me t ( Y )
froneputt
Jun 6, 2014 at 11:23 am
What article?
RG
Jun 6, 2014 at 4:16 pm
There’s an article??!