Commissioners Put Golf Ball Ads Out Of Bounds

The common practice of golf professionals selling advertising space on golf balls won’t be allowed on Spokane County courses, county commissioners said Tuesday.

The decision nixes a potential deal between the pro at MeadowWood Golf Course and a Spokane car dealership.

Golf pros are private businessmen who run public courses. At Spokane city and county courses, each pro is required to maintain a supply of 12,000 balls for the driving ranges.

City golf pros buy the balls, then pay about 80 cents a dozen to have the Camp Chevrolet logo printed on them. In exchange, they get cut-rate leases on new cars.

The arrangement has been going on for years with the blessing of city officials, said golf manager Mike Stone.

“If the pros want to make an arrangement with an individual businessperson, that’s OK with us,” Stone said.

But it’s not OK with county commissioners, who learned Tuesday that MeadowWood pro Bob Scott was working out an agreement with Camp. Under the deal, Scott would pay $800 to have the logo printed on golf balls used at the course, and would pay $270 a month for three years to lease a 1997 Blazer.

County attorney Jim Emacio said the pros’ contracts require commissioner approval of any advertising. While the balls are private, the course is public, Emacio noted.

In an apologetic letter, Scott said he didn’t intend to violate his contract.

“As you can see, this is surely not a ‘sweetheart deal”’ he wrote, noting that use of the Blazer would cost him more than $4,000, not including licensing, over three years.

Commissioners Kate McCaslin and John Roskelley said the county should offer golf-ball advertising to whatever company will pay the most.

“At least let’s look at a proposal, if we can make some bucks off it,” said McCaslin.

They also want to review the county’s policy of allowing advertising on benches on the courses. Advertisers pay for the benches, but the county maintains them, a deal commissioners said is not sweet enough for the county.

But Commissioner Phil Harris said the county should not allow any advertising. Doing so would set a precedent that could lead to advertising by controversial groups, he said.

“It’s going to be very difficult to say ‘no’ to the North American Man/Boy Love Association,” Harris said, referring to an organization that fights laws prohibiting men from having sex with boys.

Emacio said the county can put limits on any advertising it allows.

, DataTimes