Arizona man goes to golf course without a collared shirt just to hit the driving range. He’s taken aback by what he’s told

Golf has long carried a reputation for rigid, old-fashioned rules. From collared shirts to no denim, courses often enforce dress codes down to the letter.

But one Arizona man said his recent run-in with that culture wasn't really about the dress code at all.

‘This is not a Black-friendly golf course'

A content creator who goes by Tattzbybutterz on TikTok (@tattzbybutterz) shared an account of being denied access to the Verrado Golf Club in Arizona. His video has since accumulated more than 45,000 views.

The creator, who is Black, said he'd golfed at the Verrado Golf Club before. He added that he always golfs in a collared shirt as required by the club's dress code.

But then he saw something strange.

“So I see a white dude come in, you feel me, into the thing without a collared shirt,” the creator said. “And he got escorted by one of the dudes that work here or whatever. And they was trying to bend the rules for this [expletive]. But when it come to me, they want to make [expletive] follow the rules to the T and try to pick and choose.”

In his caption, the creator warned that “this is not a Black friendly or Person of Color course!!!” because of the double standard he'd witnessed. He warned other People of Color not to go to the Verrado Golf Club, calling the staff “racist.”

‘We were able to come [to] an understanding'

The creator's comment section was full of other People of Color who said they'd experienced similar treatment at the Verrado Golf Club—or in the surrounding area. One man commented, “Brother we in AZ, most of those spots don't want us there anyway fr.”

“Dawg, I went to Verrado High School,” one resident wrote. “Trust me, they don't want us in that neighborhood. Stares at the local grocery store and everything smh.”

“They did the same to me,” another commented. “Allowed a guy play in flip flops but wouldn't let me on with a shirt at the driving range.”

Another woman said that she and her family “would go to the pool and they didn't believe [her] that [they] lived in Verrado.” A man, who explained that he was a Person of Color, said he was “sorry [the creator] had to find out this way … but that's a known thing.” He added that the staff had even “[shaken] they heads” at him, too.

In a comment of his own, the creator said that he and the general manager had spoken, but didn't elaborate on the nature of their new “understanding.”

“Update after speaking with the gm in length we were able to come [to] an understanding,” he wrote.

@tattzbybutterz This is not a black friendly or person of color course!!! Verrado founders. They can't pick and choose when they want to enforce policy. It was the fucking driving range not even the course. But here comes a white man with his wife with a tee time and magically the course Marshall wants to plead his case and make an exception for him. I won't be spending another dollar at either course and if your a POC you shouldn't either #Storytime #boycott #racist #Arizona #Verrado ♬ original sound – tattzbybutterz

Does golf have a documented race problem?

Historically, yes. And golf industry leaders even acknowledge it today.

The PGA of America maintained a bylaw restricting membership solely to white golfers until 1961. Essence reported that this restriction kept golfer Charlie Sifford, one of the most talented players of his era, fighting for years just to compete on the same courses as white golfers.

Exclusion of Black members from private clubs and tournaments continued in practice well past that point in many parts of the country. Jay Karen, CEO of the National Golf Course Owners Association—which represents more than 3,400 courses—acknowledged this to NBC News. 

“There are real diversity issues in golf and there is a real history of exclusion and racism,” he told the outlet. “We need to reconcile this history, but we also need to do better.”

More recently, participation data suggests meaningful change is underway, even if the legacy Karen described hasn't fully disappeared. According to the National Golf Foundation, nearly 7 million Black, Asian and Hispanic Americans played golf on a course in 2024.

Buzz News reached out to the creator via TikTok comment, as well as Verrado Golf Club via email.