SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Three days before the first tee shot of this year’s United States Open at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Long Island, the United States Golf Association, which conducts the event, reached an agreement with the Shinnecock Indian Nation that will allow the tribe to reap some parking revenue and also establish a permanent golf facility on the Shinnecock tribal grounds.
The Shinnecock will offer parking to spectators on their territory adjacent to the golf course, according to a joint statement issued Monday by the U.S.G.A. and the seven-person Shinnecock tribal council. The golf training facility, which will include driving bays, a short game area and putting greens for adults and youth, will be named for Oscar Bunn, a Shinnecock member who played in the second U.S. Open in 1896 held at Shinnecock Hills, a course situated on a strip of Long Island once owned by the Shinnecock Indians and built by a Shinnecock work crew.
The relationship between the U.S.G.A. and the tribe dates to that championship with generations of tribal members working at the golf club thereafter as groundskeepers and caddies. When the championship took place at Shinnecock Hills in 1986, 1995 and 2004, the tribe and the U.S.G.A. continued to partner in various ways, including arrangements that generated substantial financial benefits for the Shinnecock.
Leading up to this year’s U.S. Open, the 122-year relationship seemed to be fraying. Talks at one point appeared to have broken down, with several tribal members dissatisfied by the terms of a potential deal.
Monday morning, as the event’s first practice rounds were taking place, some tribal members set up a protest area near the golf course. But by late afternoon, the tribal council and U.S.G.A. had come to a settlement.
“We sincerely appreciate the U.S.G.A.’s efforts to work with the Shinnecock Nation with this year’s U.S. Open,” the tribal council said in a statement issued by the U.S.G.A. “We are very proud of the history we share and are excited to welcome the championship this week.”
Craig Annis, who directs the U.S.G.A.’s communications and community affairs, added, “It is our hope that this effort binds the community in a meaningful way, honoring the past while providing opportunity for future generations to connect with the game we all love.”
Source : NYtimes
