I frequently run in the Presidio and during a run last spring I faced a golf cart heading straight towards me on West Pacific Avenue. After veering out of the way to avoid a collision, I watched the golf cart roll by and witnessed the driver and the passenger holding plastic cups in their hands of what appeared to be beer. Proceeding to the Presidio Golf Course Clubhouse, I met with the manager, Brad Harmon, to alert him of what I just experienced. Mr. Harmon explained Presidio Golf permits golf cart drivers to drink beer as long they are not “ripped.”
After explaining the basics of driving under the influence of alcohol, Mr. Harmon explained driving golf carts and drinking beer are common practice at Presidio Golf. In response to my concern, Mr. Harmon took my description of the cart occupants, white males in their 30s, and said he would send out a staffer to check on them. I left the Clubhouse and proceeded on my run as planned but I was deeply disturbed with what had just happened.
What I experienced seemed so wrong on multiple levels – Does the Presidio really condone DUI?
The Presidio Golf Course is billed as a “Presidio Trust Initiative” so I contacted the Presidio Trust via email. The emails yielded zero response from the Trust.
A call to the Presidio Park Police, a branch of the National Park Service’s United States Park Police, generated an initial explanation that Presidio Golf is a private entity located on private property. When I reminded the answering officer that Presidio Golf is located on federal land – National Park Service land to be precise – he placed me on hold.
After returning, the Officer directed me to call Dispatch if I saw someone drinking beer and driving a cart off the golf course on Presidio roads, otherwise the Park Police could not respond. Finally, I turned to the Presidio Trust’s Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Hotline for an answer. The Hotline is promoted as a service provided to demonstrate the Trust’s commitment “to serving the public and upholding the highest ethical standards.”
A month after making a report to the Hotline, Presidio Trust provided a response through the Hotline: “Golfers may drink beer while driving the carts.”
A last attempt to seek clarification from the Trust this week yielded a response from Karen Maggio, Director of Hospitality. After a bit of discussion about the Presidio Golf operation, Ms. Maggio promised to provide me with clarification of the Trust’s Presidio Golf drinking policy by the end of the business week.
No response was provided by Ms. Maggio or the Trust by the end of the week as promised.
California Vehicle Code 23152(a) reads – “It is unlawful for a person who is under the influence of any alcoholic beverage to drive a vehicle.” Is a golf cart a “vehicle”? By all accounts a golf cart is as much a vehicle as a bicycle or an automobile. Looking beyond the law, basic common sense would err on the side of abstaining from alcohol consumption while operating any type of motorized mechanism.
At Presidio Golf, drinking and driving is not only permitted but enabled by the sale of alcohol directly to golfers through the Presidio Golf’s concessions. One of the Presidio Golf initiatives Ms. Maggio presented to me was introducing children and adolescents to the course who might not ordinarily be exposed to the sport. While I lauded this initiative I did question the unintended exposure of drinking and driving to impressionable young minds while on the course.
What is the policy at other local golf courses? Stanford University’s policy is firm, “The same rules apply to golf carts as they do with driving a motor vehicle. The criminal sanctions may be just as severe if you are caught driving a golf cart under the influence of drugs or alcohol.” When asked if drinking alcohol and driving golf carts was permitted at Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco, an employee responded, “Absolutely.”
As of press time, the Presidio’s Trust answer to drinking alcohol and driving golf carts is – yes. The practice seems inconsistent with the Trust’s stated commitment to “upholding the highest ethical standards.”
It also seems contrary to the mission of the National Park Service and adds a blemish during its Centennial celebration.
