City and County of Denver
Audio By Carbonatix
Is nothing sacred?
Someone has been going around Denver posing as a golfer and stealing golf bags from the bag-drop areas in front of clubhouses, with at least six courses targeted in recent weeks, according to city officials.
The male suspect has been dressed head to toe in golf gear for his heists, which have gone down at the Willis Case Golf Course, Kennedy Golf Course, Wellshire Golf Course, Fox Hollow Golf Course, Broken Tee Golf Course and Legacy Ridge Golf Course.
“It’s sad,” says Susie Helmerich, director of pro shop operations for the City and County of Denver. “It’s one person who’s stealing them. He looks like your typical golfer. He’s wearing golf clothes in all the instances we’ve seen. Golf hat, khaki shorts, etc. He just pulls up to the front of the clubhouse, then either walks around the clubhouse or he just grabs a bag that might be sitting out front and drives off.”
According to Helmerich, “multiple bags” have been stolen since the start of summer from bag drop areas, the spots where golfers typically leave their clubs as they check in for their tee times or visit the pro shop.
“Golfers do it all the time and you don’t think twice about it,” Helmerich says. “We all have just left our clubs thinking they’re safe and that everything’s okay. And then you come out and they’re gone.”
Describing the dapper delinquent’s tactics, Helmerich tells Westword: “He’s taking clubs from the front, taking clubs off of carts. He has a dark-colored Nissan Pathfinder SUV with a bunch of ladders on the top of it. We have him on our surveillance cameras and we have his license plates. We have filed police reports in all the different jurisdictions, and he just hasn’t been caught yet.”
Through a spokesperson, the Denver Police Department confirms that it is investigating multiple thefts at golf courses across the Mile High City, including three run by Parks & Recreation: Willis Case, Kennedy and Wellshire. “Denver Police is aware of these thefts and actively investigating,” the spokesperson adds. “No arrests have been made at this time. As these cases are under investigation, video is not available at this time. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers.”
On Monday, July 31, the social media team for Denver Golf sent out notices informing the public about the golf bag thief and what to do moving forward.
âš ï¸ PLEASE READ THIS! âš ï¸
🚨Courses around Denver have seen an increase in golf club theft from the front of clubhouses. Please minimize your chances of your clubs being stolen. Don't leave your clubs unattended by the front door. Leave them in your car while you check in. pic.twitter.com/0J68cqTnf5— Denver Golf (@DenverGolf5280) July 31, 2023
“You just have to be mindful of your stuff,” Helmerich says. “I think that goes for anything – anywhere, anytime – these days.”
Parks & Rec has been dealing with lots of bad behavior at city-run facilities in recent weeks and months, ranging from several instances of vandalism to the theft of a digital swim clock at the Congress Park pool.
“It’s sad at this time where we have individuals that do not value our park system,” said Scott Gilmore, deputy executive director of Parks & Rec, after the clock was swiped. (It has since been recovered, and no charges are being filed against the juveniles responsible.)
The golf bag heists add to the challenges that Parks & Recs is currently facing, including Denver’s water fountain debacle – in which numerous water fountains have been broken by vandals or shut down because of staff shortages – and a major shutdown of public bathrooms, also because of vandalism.
In mid-July, the department reported that someone had stolen all of the copper tubing from the Ruby Hill Park bathrooms. Over the past month, there have been at least ten portable toilets in parks lost to vandalism; over the past sixteen months, there have been four instances of explosive devices being set off inside Washington Park toilets.
“These people just do not respect the public realm,” Gilmore added.
Denver Golf officials hope that surveillance footage of the golf bag suspect will be the key to catching him – especially since he’s been caught on camera at both courses and pawn shops. “He’s been trying to sell [the golf sets],” Helmerich says. “He’s been to pawn shops, Play It Again Sports. He’s been doing it all over the city.”
Until he’s caught, the city’s golf courses are stepping up their game.”We’re all kind of in this together,” Helmerich says. “We’ve been communicating and letting each other know what’s going on and how we’re dealing with it – that we’re all in on this.”
