On September 20, 2020, Bryson DeChambeau won the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck. The tournament solidified Winged Foot as one of the great courses in the United States, and the best course in Westchester.
Now Winged Foot has fallen into the national debate over former President Donald Trump, by hosting an event at the club honoring the 45th President, who has been a paying member of Winged Foot for more than 40 years.
Club member and Trump supporter Ted Virtue set up the Gala. Virtue, CEO of Mid Ocean Partners hedge fund, and the other members at Winged Foot are shocked at the outcry from democrats not only in Westchester and NY State about anyone honoring Trump.
First, Winged Foot and its members have every right to honor one of their members, and especially a former President. But they also should have been better prepared for the opposition. Several media reports claim that Virtue and the club had made “quiet plans” for Trump’s visit.
But the rage against Trump resulted in the club having to deactivate its Twitter account and not answering the phone.
The plans for the event, include Virtue and investor Paul Queally playing a round with Trump before the dinner. Winged Foot has two courses, East and West, and the East course is the most difficult, and where several major championships have been played over the past 95 years.
The gala will take place on August 4, one day before Trump is scheduled to headline a fundraiser for the NY GOP in Braircliff, most likely at Trump National Golf Club in the village.
Membership at Winged Foot is split on Trump’s visit, and their support or dislike for the former President, much like the rest of the country. Some members have called honoring Trump “pathetic.”
Some reports have cited the fact that former President Barack Obama, when he was President in 2014, was not granted access to Winged Foot when his staff requested that he be invited in for a round. But Obama was not a member of the club, and was sitting President at the time. Trump is a member and now former President.
But one fact remains when comparing Obama’s request and Trump’s invite. Both require extensive secret service and the closure of major parts of the course, which winds its way through the quiet streets of Mamaroneck, with many homes back yards sitting on the edges of the course.
In 2017 some Winged Foot members tried to hang a portrait of then President Trump but were denied.,
The outrage to Trump, and disappointment at Winged Foot, continues to grow. Larchmont -Mamaroneck Indvisible Tweeted-“are you really going to honor the first US President to refuse to transfer power peacefully? We stand with club members who are outraged by plans to hold such an event.”
Never Trump republican Rick Wilson, Tweeted, “Wow. @WingedFoot_GC is about to take a huge s*&@ on their brand. Plan to honor Trump with banquet becomes flashpoint at one of America’s most elite golf clubs.”
Author and Westchester activist Amy Siskind was one of the most vociferous against Trump. “Winged Foot is rightfully embarrassed by this news. Trump’s not welcome either place. Organizing is getting underway.”
Never Trump republican Steve Schmidt Tweeted, “Winged Foot Golf Club should never ever host a
@usopengolf@PGATOUR again. The man being honored, Trump, incited a racist, extremist mob to attack the US Capitol.”
Most members are said to want this event over as soon as possible. But to not have forseen the controversy was a mistake, and a surprise to a club that has some of the titans of corporate America as members. Nothing about Trump goes unnoticed!
