Man “refused golf club membership because of head tattoo”

A former police officer claims his application to join a golf club was rejected – because of a huge tattoo on the back of his head!

Speaking to the Wirral Globe, Charles Roughley says he has been turned down for membership of Heswall Golf Club on multiple occasions.

That, he insists, is as a result of the ink on his head. The 66-year-old got the skull tattoo a decade ago to cover up medical scarring.

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Roughley says he has played Heswall as a guest on several occasions but when he tried to apply for membership, was turned down without explanation.

“I’m a keen golfer and I’ve played at the club many times,” he told the newspaper. “All my friends in the area are all members of the golf club so I thought I could apply for a membership and spend the rest of my retirement playing golf with them.”

After being turned down for a second time, he decided to try to find out why his application was unsuccessful.

“The feedback I got from my friends who are at the club was that I had been refused because of my tattoo and that some council members found it offensive,” he added.

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“I am a man of good character, and I am well known in the area so I am very embarrassed that the club has refused me. All of my friends play there and it denies me the opportunity to play golf with them for the next 15 years.

“Other members have tattoos on their body so it’s not like they have a no tattoo policy.”

Compounding matters, Roughley claims that his non-member privileges have also now been revoked.

“I did ask the club for feedback as to why they refused my membership, and I received a letter to say they were not obliged to give any feedback so now I can’t even enter the club as a guest because I’ve been refused membership.”

A spokesperson for Heswall Golf Club told the Wirral Globe: “Heswall Golf Club welcomes membership applications from new and existing golfers of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds, and is aware of its obligations under the Equality Act 2010.

“All applications are considered on a case-by-case basis, and on occasions membership may be refused. As a private members club, the club is under no obligation to detail the reasons why membership has been refused, either to the applicant or third party.”

The spokesperson added that the club “does not operate a ‘no-tattoo’ policy”.

Main pic: Wirral Globe