Arizona Golf Association Defends Misuse of Funds

The Arizona Golf Association, one of the largest nonprofit golfing organizations in the country, has filed a lawsuit against a Tucson-based Web site that obtained a copy of its annual budget and posted it online.

The association, which boasts 65,000 members statewide and owns the financially troubled Villa Monterey Golf Course in southern Scottsdale, says the operators of GolfArizona.com improperly obtained a preliminary copy of its budget.

The group won a temporary restraining order in Pima County Superior Court late Thursday ordering the Web site to take the information offline. But Web site publisher Robert Lewis said he plans to battle in court later this month to have the information placed back online. He said association director Ed Gowan is trying to keep the information hidden from the group's members.

Lewis said the group was particularly angered by the Web site's publication of salaries of association employees. He said a nonprofit group shouldn't have anything to fear by having that information publicized.

“Gowan is flexing his muscle here,” Lewis said. In addition to posting the budget online, the Web site also published a scathing column criticizing Gowan for allegedly misusing association funds by taking junkets to golf resorts around the country.

Lorraine Thies, assistant executive director for the association, took issue with the story, and said many of the trips mentioned by the Web site were paid for by other groups or were related to the U.S. Golf Association.

Arizona association attorney Bruce Samuels said the lawsuit filed Thursday is not attacking the commentary even though he believes some of the statements made in the article are inaccurate. He said even though the association is a nonprofit group, its books are not open for public scrutiny.

Any member of the association is free to review the group's finances, Samuels said, but not the general public. Thies said the posting of salaries caused the most concern.

In the midst of the dispute, the Scottsdale City Council on Monday is expected to approve a $19,000 payment to the Arizona Golf Foundation — the charitable arm of the association — to pay for reseeding the Villa Monterey course at Hayden and Camelback roads. The council gave the group $22,900 late last month to keep the course running and is expected to hand the association an additional $41,000 in November.

Roger Klingler, Scottsdale assistant city manager, said he wasn't concerned about the allegations raised by the Web site. He said the city is “tying the money to a specific use” so Scottsdale officials will know exactly how their money is being spent by the foundation.