A public golf course in New York has rescinded a policy that asked some players to take a breathalyzer test after their rounds following a social media backlash.
The Buffalo Tournament Club, located in the suburb of Lancaster east of the city, began asking all players this season to pay a $5 “corkage fee” that permitted them to bring their own alcohol to drink on the course. Any player who didn’t want to drink could have the fee refunded at the end of the round if they paid $1 to take a breathalyzer test to prove they hadn’t consumed any alcohol. (If they passed the test, they’d get the $1 fee refunded as well.)
Course owner Timothy Davis told the Buffalo News that the club had lifted its restriction on outside alcohol during the pandemic but revived the policy in 2022 with a new wrinkle. Players bringing alcohol purchased elsewhere onto the course would be asked to pay the $5 corkage fee. Compliance was less than unanimous, to say the least.
