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With so much going to hell in the world, one Phoenix man focused on righting a terrible wrong: His golf club did not give him the tee times he wanted.
That avenger is 69-year-old Brad Ghaster, a member of the Anthem Golf & Country Club on the northern outskirts of Phoenix since September 2023. Membership cost him a $47,000 initiation fee and as much as $1,315 a month in dues, and for that price, Ghaster expected to get tee times of his choosing.
Instead, according to a consumer fraud lawsuit Ghaster filed against the club in Maricopa County Superior Court last month, Ghaster was “only able to secure such a tee time approximately nine times.”
Only nine! It truly is a cruel, uncaring world.
When reached for comment, Ghaster told Phoenix New Times that he was “not filing a suit.” When shown a copy of his lawsuit, obtained via a public records request from the Maricopa County Clerk of Superior Court, Ghaster said he and his attorney, George King, had “also filed a dismissal.”
No such motion to dismiss the lawsuit appeared on the case docket when Ghaster spoke to New Times. After New Times asked about the suit, a notice of dismissal without prejudice – meaning he can still take a mulligan and refile the suit – appeared on the docket.
Ghaster’s complaint laid out his plight. In the fall of 2023, Ghaster and his wife forked over the equivalent of a middle-class income in Glendale to join the club as a “Full Golf” member. The complaint noted that the club’s website promised members “unbridled access” and “unlimited access” to the club’s two golf courses and clubhouse.
Over the course of the next 15 months, Ghaster claimed, he “repeatedly attempted to secure a golf tee time for a foursome,” an effort that was unsuccessful on all but nine occasions. It’s unclear how often he attempted to get his desired tee time.
On Dec. 2, he requested to end his membership and asked for a partial refund, citing his “continued inability” to secure a four-person tee time “of his choosing.” Protesting over the language on the club website, Ghaster said the club’s lawyers told him courses and tee times were actually “subject to certain limits and fees.” The club denied his request for a refund, prompting the lawsuit.
Club general manager Monty Becton and membership director Jamie Wray did not respond to a request for comment.
Ghaster’s complaint included copies of his membership agreement and the club’s bylaws, though they wouldn’t seem to help his cause. The bylaws state clearly that “use of the facilities may be restricted or reserved from time to time” by ownership, which “shall not result in any reduction or abatement of membership dues.” Additionally, nothing in the bylaws section describing the “Full Golf” membership parameters suggests that on-demand tee times are a part of the bargain.
Ghaster asks a judge to void the contract by declaring it “illusory.” He’s also sought damages for an alleged violation of the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act.
“The Club informed Mr. Ghaster that he would have no problem securing a tee time of his choosing,” the lawsuit reads. “However, Mr. Ghaster’s actual access to golf, and tee times of his choosing, were far more limited than the Club described.”
The club did not respond to the complaint in court before Ghaster filed his intent to dismiss it. But if there’s any truth to Ghaster’s original allegations, let it be known – apparently, $47,000 doesn’t bend the world to your will like it used to.
