WOODWARD — City officials said they are angry that a naked woman was
part of a charitable golf tournament hosted on a municipal golf
course.
Elks Lodge No. 1355 hosted the golf tournament in July at the Boiling
Springs Golf Course. The event is a fundraiser for the lodge's annual
rodeo, Elks Rodeo Chairman Neal Day said.
One of the volunteers stripped naked as part of a putting green
challenge, though she was not asked to do so, Day said. He said the
woman was recruited to help at the last minute after a longtime
volunteer couldn't attend.
“Obviously, we didn't know what was going to happen,” said Day, who
was not at the tournament.
“This is obviously not a normal occurrence. We've never had this
happen.”
City leaders are upset, Woodward City Manager Alan Riffel said.
“I was offended,” Riffel said. “The city commissioners were offended.
The community was offended. That has been conveyed to the golf course
operator and to the Elks.”
The city of Woodward took over the golf course in October, Riffel
said. Repairs were made to the course, which reopened in April.
It's leased for $1 a year to an outside firm, JCLA Enterprises.
Riffel sent a letter to JCLA Enterprises on behalf of the Woodward
Golf Oversight Committee last month, notifying the company that it
would lose its lease if anything else inappropriate happened.
“This is a regrettable situation,” Riffel said.
“Those that were present and those that were responsible should have
taken immediate actions to see that it didn't happen.”
Officials at Boiling Springs Golf Course were unavailable for comment.
Woodward County Sheriff Gary Stanley declined to comment until Monday
about whether the woman or the Elks will face investigation.
Day said Elks members are trying to dispel rumors spreading throughout
the community that the lodge paid the woman to get naked or that she
had sex with tournament players. Cellphone photos of the event have
been forwarded throughout town.
“I've talked to lots of people who are upset about it, a lot of wives
who are upset about it,” he said.
Day said he's worried the incident will overshadow the good the Elks
Lodge does for the community.
“This is a pretty up-and-up group of people,” he said.
“We just got caught in this deal this time. ... This is a good bunch
of guys that do a lot of good for the community.”
Day said the woman will not be asked to volunteer for the Elks in the
future.
From:
http://newsok.com/article/3591717