Golfers were greeted with a shock at a golf course in Indianapolis this weekend, where vandals carved a racial slur and a swastika into a putting green.
The incident occurred at Smock Golf Course in the capital city of Indianapolis, according to a report by Wave 3 News. Local golfer and Vietnam War veteran Phil Rossman discovered the defacement on the 8th green during a round over the weekend.
Course vandalizations are not rare in the game of golf. Reports of dug up greens and fairways torn up by joy riders surface regularly. But ones of this type, featuring hate-filled messages are not common. However, Wave 3 News reports that this these particular messages “were just the most recent in a number of swastikas found in Indiana in the past few months.”
Rossman, the golfer who discovered the swastika, said, “I guess I was a bit shocked to see it in the middle of a golf course. But not surprised to see it in society in general.”
In the report, Rossman suggests that recent political and social tensions could be to blame, especially in light of the tragic mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue last weekend.
“There’s a cause and effect relationship to all this stuff. If we have people out there that are doing this, what’s the next step they go to?”
A spokesperson for Indy Parks released a statement about the incident: “Our team is committed to keeping our parks and spaces open to everyone. We will not accept any action or activity that goes against welcoming people into our parks.”
