Posted on 02/24/2006 8:03:15 AM PST by presidio9
AN army of senior golfers have shot down a former US president in the Battle of Medway.
Maidstone's Medway Golf Club refused former president Bill Clinton a round of golf on Thursday because the crowded course was hosting its midweek championships. The rejected Mr Clinton instead played at Sanctuary Lakes Golf Club at Point Cook, where he happily signed autographs and posed for photos.
The incident has left Medway red-faced, but yesterday members were standing firm on their presidential snub.
"We can't deprive the paying members of their golf, even for an ex-president," said 62-year-old member Wendy Alley. "But it would have been a buzz for the ladies. There's no Monica Lewinsky here -- we're better."
Ms Alley's regular golf partner, Lorraine Bramley, agreed: "We would have played with him -- golf, that is."
Head club pro John Dixon took the phone call from Mr Clinton's people, but thought it was a hoax.
"Being our midweek championships, I politely told him we didn't have room," Mr Dixon told the Herald Sun.
"But when I got off the phone, I thought 'he couldn't possibly be real, could he?' "
Mr Dixon only found out yesterday that the call was authentic. "I just did what I thought was right at the time, but if I had've known it was legit, we would definitely have found room," he said.
Medway Golf Club chief executive officer Noel Stringer said he would write to Mr Clinton to explain why he was knocked back.
"We don't want to be known as the club who snubbed Bill Clinton," Mr Stringer said.
"We might have started the new Battle of Medway."
Mr Stringer believes Mr Clinton's entourage chose Medway because it was close to the city and the airport.
Mr Clinton flew out of Melbourne on Thursday for New Zealand.
At Sanctuary Lakes yesterday, the place was still buzzing after its brush with fame.
General manager Peter Butler said he wasn't about to turn down a former leader.
"It was fantastic for the club," he said. "He chose the right time because the course is in great nick after hosting the Victorian PGA championship a few weeks ago."
Mr Clinton arrived around 1.30pm, played 18 holes and left just after 5.30pm.
Mr Butler said the former president even phoned course designer Greg Norman to congratulate him on the layout. The Shark wasn't home, but the message was passed on to his wife, Laura, who said the Aussie champ was in hospital for minor surgery.
During the round, Mr Clinton bumped into former Test star Colin "Funky" Miller and Victorian cricketers Jon Moss, Shane Harwood and Gerard Denton.
Mr Clinton's minders approached the cricketers to ask if they could "play through".
The security entourage was an obvious indicator someone important was approaching, but the Victorians didn't realise it was the former president until he politely thanked them for the gesture.
A quick-thinking Moss produced his mobile phone to get a once-in-a-lifetime happy snap. "He chatted for a while and we were in awe of the man," Moss said.
Mr Clinton did not reveal his score after his round but posed for photos and signed autographs.
Hanging with cricketeers will reduce you to that.
He's NOT PRESIDENT ANYMORE! Not, that it should make any damn difference anyway! He's not a member. He doesn't PAY DUES. Maybe as a guest of a paying member, ok. Just because hes BILL CLINTOON does not give him a free ride!..........
Clinton wanted to play with the "Head Pro"
Wonder what the "Green Fees" are for that round.
Probably 1 or 2 under, I'm sure! ;-}
I don't care who the bigwig is members have priority. Personally I would feel abused if they bumped me so this ASS__E could play.
I was going to say good on you, mate, but this spoiled it a little!
This Bozo is like a bad cold.
Ms Alley's regular golf partner, Lorraine Bramley, agreed: "We would have played with him -- golf, that is."
Gotta love the Aussie sense of humour!
Your title is misleading and not the title of your link source, which is how we get duplicate posts. Clinton wasn't told to beat it. Read the article you posted. Its nauseating that the Aussies are falling all over themselves apologizing, afraid they have offended the pathetic creep.
""We don't want to be known as the club who snubbed Bill Clinton," Mr Stringer said."
Oh, come on, Stringer, strap on a pair.
Wonder if anyone yelled "In the hole!" when he teed off?
Notice how Greg Norman wasn't available to take slick willie's call.
a jeez.... and I thought I was going to like the guy....
oh well.
This is not unusual.
I know for a fact, that ex (and disgraced) President Clinton was turned down for membership in several exclusive country clubs in Connecticut.
The members knew that Clinton was going to be too much of an interruption with secret service protection and all sorts of other nonsense. Plus, they told him they didn't like his politics. But, that wasn't the main reason.
And I can't figure out why.
Heck, Clinton would charge the club and sell autographs if he could.
“My first inklings into the makeup and personality of Bill Clinton and those he surrounded himself with came during these golf outings…Even in these inconsequential golf games, he would cheat with ball placements and extra shots. The way he played golf, I came to understand, was not just a peccadillo but symptomatic of the way he approached life.”
Hooligans gravitate towards felons.
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a37c996d53cfe.htm
ghosts of freepers past
If "character" is the way you act when no one is watching, Bill's golf game shows that he doesn't care if anyone's watching or not.
I always thought slick was a mulligan king, now I'm thinking he just pockets the ball and moves to the next hole.
"his score wasn't given"
Probably because he didn't want to reveal how many "mulligans" he took!
Depends on what he was trying to "score".........
It may look silly, but as someone whose father had serious skin cancer on his ears from years of playing golf - its a good hat to wear, especially in Oz.
I bet Gerry Mulligan was there too!
"(Exclusive Oz golf club tells vacationing ex-pres to beat it)"
A poor choice of words to use around Slick Willy.
Nice to see that some people still keep the riff-raff out. "You lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas."
He cheats. Scores mean nothing because he lies.
If this club were a bit smarter they would be proud to be the club that snubbed Clinton.
Keep that man away from the sinks!
Well his score for the round was not to be contemplated for too long. It was whatever number Bubba decided to write down. Always has been, always will be.
Too bad the golf club was apologetic. They should have just stood by the position that capitzlizism andcustomer loyalty dictated they would serve their members (who had reservations) first and last-minute arrogant interlopers second.
"Mr Butler said the former president even phoned course designer Greg Norman to congratulate him on the layout. The Shark wasn't home, but the message was passed on to his wife, Laura, who said the Aussie champ was in hospital for minor surgery."
LOL! Who believes he called Greg Norman to congratulate him on the layout?
Actually, he called Greg to see if he could arrange a lay for him with as Aussie.
I belong to the club that most famously turned him down. Donald Trump and Rush Limbaugh are among its members. Clinton did make overtures to join when he moved here, but there was never a possiblity of that happening. Aside from hosting tournaments, most private golf clubs do everything they can to stay out of the news. And when they DO get into the news, they try to exticate themselves as quickly as possible. This club told Bubba to get lost as politely as possible, and then put the best possible face on it.
You have been around FR long enough to learn that posters add subheadings to comment on or give the gist of the article. The title was correct.
You may or may not know that private golf clubs make a point of not calling attention to themselves. Tournament or no tournament, if Medway wanted Clinton to play there, they could have found time. They didn't, and they made a polite excuse.
Hugh Rodman makes white trash look good on the links.
You're right and I'm sorry. Don't know why I was so crabby! Have a good weekend...
BTW, I should add that my club also did not take Rudy Giuliani as a member. Politically, the membership tends to be Republican, but mostly they just don't want the headaches. Among the members is a friend and former G'Town classmate of Bill's.
"(Exclusive Oz golf club tells vacationing ex-pres to beat it)"
Wonder how far he had to go to find a sink.
I always get a laugh when folks here mean to spell Huge and spell it Hugh. After looking at this picture I see why they get mixed up.
Seriesly.
Greg Norman lives in Florida.
And your point is?????? Or didn't you read the article????
And your point is?????? Or didn't you read the article????
I didn't finish reading the article.
He's evil personified, IMO.
He's evil alright but he's also so shallow and self-centered that it's obvious to most right-thinking people.
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