The right to protest is a revered privilege. It also is an oft-abused one.
Freedom to protest can be a powerful and persuasive tool, and it also can be dangerous when the message is not entirely accurate, or even remotely so.
We see the results of false narratives and outright lies every day in Washington, but "fake news" is not limited to politics. In fact, few industries have been the target of hyperbole more than golf, where people speak out against much of what you do, from water use to pesticide inputs to perceived exclusivity of the game in general.
Despite the proactive efforts of superintendents to conserve resources while maximizing playability, smear campaigns have resulted in actions such as the banning of pesticides, imposing water-use restrictions, construction embargoes and attempts at land grabs for the sole purpose of constructing high-density housing.
Recently, protests aimed at golf took a different turn when activists voiced the ills of the game by invading, ironically, a club that is subject to some of the most stringent and intense environmental oversight anywhere in the country.
On July 19, about 20 activists from a New York City group known as Planet Over Profit stormed Sebonack Golf Club on Long Island to protest on behalf of climate change, carrying signs reading "YOUR GREED = CLIMATE CHAOS."
They descended on Sebonack, where they danced on greens. Some were dressed as orcas, others carried pitchforks or beat drums while chanting obscenities at golfers and decried the wealthy.
For people hoping to make a statement on environmentalism by pointing out what they believe to be the negative impacts of golf courses, the protesters could not have picked a more inappropriate target than Sebonack or any of its neighbors.
Sebonack was the subject of strict pesticide and chemical regulations when it was being built 20 years ago on the shores of Long Island's Peconic Bay next to the equally well-heeled National Golf Links and Shinnecock Hills. It has adhered to those same restrictions ever since.
Besides a minimalist approach to daily management of the golf course, Sebonack also raises bees and a resident beekeeper helps ensure the success of one of the country's most threatened and high-profile species.
The protest was part of a larger series of demonstrations around Long Island, including one at the East Hampton Airport, where protester Abigail Disney, the great-niece of Walt Disney, was arrested. And it came weeks after activists planted seedlings on the greens of at least 10 courses in Spain in protest of golf.
The reality is most golf courses (never say "every"), whether they be public, municipal or ultra private like Sebonack, are managed in a more environmentally conscious manner now than ever before. Equally true is that few outside the game are aware of this.
Whether it is Birkenstock-wearing crackpots or killer whale-clad protesters who contribute exactly nothing, or simply the misinformed or misled on the subjects of water or chemical use who are destined not to stop until access to both is severely constrained, these assaults will continue.
