The Background - ClubCorp/Invited Clubs 2014-2023

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The summary below provides the major events discussed in this video, but it cannot fully capture the story.

Words on a page are inherently limited.

A written summary cannot convey tone, emotion, inflection, frustration, disappointment, or the impact these events had on me personally.

The video can.

For that reason, I strongly encourage readers to watch the recording before reaching conclusions.

In the video, you will hear these events described in my own words, with the context, emotion, and perspective that cannot be fully communicated through a written timeline.

You will hear why certain events mattered.

You will hear why specific interactions stayed with me for years.

You will hear the difference between a simple workplace disagreement and what I experienced as a sustained pattern of hostility.

Most importantly, you will hear the story directly from the person who lived it.

Whether you ultimately agree with my conclusions or not, I believe the video provides a far more complete understanding of these events than any written summary ever could.

The summary above is intended to provide context.

The video is intended to provide the story.

In this video, I discuss my personal experiences working for ClubCorp (now Invited Clubs) and my interactions with Mamee Groves. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on events that I personally witnessed or experienced. Many of the events discussed are supported by documentation, witness testimony, employment records, and other materials that will be published throughout this website.

This video is not intended to be the final word on these events.

It is my firsthand account of what happened, why I believe it happened, and how those experiences ultimately shaped the disputes that followed.

My journey with ClubCorp began after the closure of my own business, Main Street Sliders.

I started as a bartender at Hartefeld National Golf Club.

From there, I advanced into management and was ultimately selected for increasingly complex assignments throughout the company.

I was sent to Ford's Colony Country Club in Williamsburg, Virginia, where I participated in a major reinvention project. According to my experience and the feedback I received from company leadership, the project was highly successful. Financial performance improved, member satisfaction improved, operations stabilized, and the club became stronger.

As a result, I was repeatedly asked to assist with evaluations, turnarounds, and operational reviews at other clubs throughout the region.

The company continued to invest in my development, sent me to leadership programs, and increasingly relied upon me to assist struggling operations.

I first met Mamee Groves at River Creek Country Club.

At the time, I was assisting with operational evaluations for regional leadership and had already been entrusted with responsibilities beyond my formal role.

According to my recollection, Regional Vice President John Cegielski introduced us while Ms. Groves was interviewing for the Regional Food & Beverage Director position.

At the time, I had hoped to be considered for that position myself but was never given the opportunity to apply.

That meeting was brief and professional.

I had no issue with Ms. Groves.

In fact, I wished her well.

Unfortunately, that would not remain the nature of our relationship.

One of the central themes of this video is a question that readers should consider for themselves:

Who was actually driving the conflict?

My position is straightforward.

Every significant negative interaction I describe in this video originated from actions taken by Mamee Groves against me, not the other way around.

According to my account:

• She accused me of inventory misconduct that was later determined to be unfounded.
• She attempted to discipline me for procedures that were ultimately verified as correct.
• She repeatedly criticized successful operations despite strong financial and member satisfaction results.
• She attacked decisions that were producing positive outcomes.
• She removed a bonus that I believe I had rightfully earned.
• She repeatedly created conflict where none needed to exist.

I did not accuse her of theft.

I did not attempt to discipline her.

I did not attempt to remove her compensation.

I did not attempt to undermine her career.

The conflicts discussed throughout this video flowed in one direction.

From her toward me.

That is not simply my opinion.

It is the pattern that I believe emerges when the timeline is examined from beginning to end.

One of the most significant incidents discussed in this video occurred at Ford's Colony.

According to my account:

• Ms. Groves questioned inventory procedures involving wine.
• I was formally written up.
• The accusation implied that inventory was being manipulated or improperly handled.
• A subsequent review determined that the procedures I followed were correct.
• The inventory in question had intentionally been excluded pursuant to established company procedures.
• The disciplinary action was ultimately withdrawn.

To me, this was not a minor disagreement.

It was an attack on my integrity.

I had built my career on honesty, accountability, and operational excellence.

Being accused of misconduct by someone who had never taken the time to understand the procedures in place left a lasting impression.

What made the situation worse was that no apology followed after I was proven correct.

The accusation was made.

The damage was done.

Then everyone moved on as if it had never happened.

I never forgot it.

The theft accusation was not an isolated event.

Throughout the years that followed, I experienced what I believed was a consistent pattern of hostility, criticism, and confrontation from Ms. Groves.

Among the examples discussed in this video:

• Inventory disputes.
• Operational disagreements.
• Criticism regarding supplies and equipment.
• Complaints about successful operational decisions.
• Confrontations regarding dining room presentation and service standards.
• Repeated criticism despite strong financial performance and positive member satisfaction results.

The common theme was simple:

No matter how successful the operation became, the criticism continued.

No matter how strong the results became, the attacks continued.

No matter how much responsibility I accepted, the hostility continued.

Perhaps the most important moment discussed in this video occurred when I attempted to stop the conflict altogether.

Rather than filing complaints.

Rather than escalating matters.

Rather than attacking her in return.

I attempted to speak with Ms. Groves directly.

I wanted to understand why our relationship had become so hostile.

I wanted to clear the air.

I wanted to move forward professionally.

That conversation did not go the way I hoped.

According to my account, Ms. Groves became angry and terminated the conversation with the statement:

"I don't have time for this."

The phone was then slammed down.

Importantly, I was not alone during that call.

There was a witness present.

To me, that moment was significant.

Because it demonstrated that even when I attempted to resolve the conflict professionally, the effort was rejected.

I extended the olive branch.

It was not accepted.

After that conversation, the relationship did not improve.

The hostility continued.

The criticism continued.

The attacks continued.

Eventually, I concluded there was nothing further I could do to repair the relationship.

Eventually, I reached the conclusion that the situation was not going to improve.

Despite strong operational results, positive member feedback, successful projects, and years of dedication to the company, I felt that I was being targeted rather than supported.

The breaking point came when I realized that the conflict with Mamee Groves was not ending and that my efforts to resolve it had failed.

When I submitted my resignation, I did not tell my supervisor that I was leaving because of money.

I did not say I was leaving because of hours.

I did not say I was leaving because I disliked the work.

According to my recollection, I handed in my resignation and told my supervisor:

"I can't be attacked by her anymore."

That statement reflected exactly how I felt at the time.

I loved the hospitality business.

I loved leading teams.

I loved serving members.

I loved building successful operations.

What I could no longer tolerate was what I perceived to be a continuing pattern of criticism, hostility, accusations, and attacks coming from a regional leader who should have been supporting successful operators rather than targeting them.

The decision to resign was not easy.

I had invested years of my life into ClubCorp.

I had developed friendships, mentored employees, and helped transform operations throughout the company.

Walking away from that was painful.

But I ultimately concluded that remaining in an environment where I felt I was under constant attack was no longer sustainable.

Looking back, that resignation statement remains one of the clearest summaries of why I left:

I wasn't running from the work.

I wasn't running from responsibility.

I was trying to escape a situation that I believed had become toxic and personally damaging.

The video also discusses a company-wide sales competition in which my club achieved one of the top results in the company.

According to my account:

• The incentive was earned while I was still employed.
• The bonus was approximately $750.
• The payment initially appeared on my final paycheck.
• The payment was subsequently removed.
• Mamee Groves was responsible for removing it.

I want to be clear about something.

This was never about the money.

By the time this occurred, I had already resigned.

The amount itself was insignificant.

What mattered was what had happened before it.

By the time the bonus was removed, I had already reached the point where I felt I could no longer continue working under Mamee Groves' leadership.

I had already submitted my resignation.

I had already told my supervisor:

"I can't be attacked by her anymore."

In my view, the removal of the bonus did not occur in isolation.

It occurred after years of conflict, criticism, accusations, disciplinary actions, and interactions that I believed were directed at me personally.

The fact that the bonus was removed is not my opinion.

It happened.

The fact that Mamee Groves was responsible for that decision is not my opinion.

That happened as well.

My opinion concerns why it happened.

I believe the decision was personal.

I believe it was another act in a long-running pattern of hostility directed toward me.

I believe it reflected a need to deliver one final message after I had already decided to leave the company.

Others may disagree with that interpretation.

But when viewed in the context of everything that came before it, that is the conclusion I reached.

The issue was never the $750.

The issue was what the decision represented.

To me, it represented one final attack from the very person whose conduct had already convinced me that I could no longer remain with the company.

What makes these events particularly difficult to understand is that they occurred during one of the most successful periods of my career.

The evidence will show that I consistently produced the results the company wanted.

Throughout my career with ClubCorp:

• Financial performance improved.
• Member satisfaction improved.
• Teams became stronger.
• Employees were developed and promoted.
• Operations stabilized.
• Clubs successfully completed major reinventions and transitions.

Those are measurable outcomes.

Those are not opinions.

Those are results.

A leader who consistently improves financial performance, develops people, increases member satisfaction, and successfully executes complex projects would normally be supported, recognized, and developed.

Instead, I experienced years of criticism, accusations, hostility, and conflict from a regional leader who, in my opinion, should have been supporting successful operators rather than attacking them.

Groves should have celebrated those results.

Instead, she attacked the person producing them.

That contradiction sits at the center of this story.

After years of interactions, observations, comments, and experiences, I reached a conclusion that many people may find uncomfortable.

I do not believe my treatment was based on my performance.

My performance speaks for itself.

I believe race played a significant role in how I was treated.

That belief did not arise from a single incident.

It arose from years of interactions, observations, comments, and conduct that I personally experienced.

Throughout this website, I will present the documents, testimony, witness accounts, employment records, and evidence that led me to that conclusion.

Readers are free to agree or disagree.

My purpose is not to tell you what to think.

My purpose is to show you what happened, why I reached the conclusions I did, and to allow you to review the evidence and decide for yourself.

When I returned to Invited Clubs in August 2022, I did so with one condition: that my prior issues with Ms. Groves would not become an issue again.

Before accepting the position, I expressed my concerns. I had already experienced significant conflict with her years earlier, and I wanted to focus on what I do best—building teams, serving members, developing employees, and operating successful clubs. I was assured that those concerns would not be a problem.

What follows is my personal account of what happened from the time I returned to the company until my termination on July 3, 2023.

This is not a legal filing. It is not a court transcript. It is my recollection of events, supported where possible by emails, text messages, photographs, performance records, and other contemporaneous documents. I encourage you to review those materials and draw your own conclusions.

One document in particular is important. In late June 2023, despite what I believed to be ongoing conflict and repeated difficulties, I extended what I viewed as another olive branch. I invited Ms. Groves to join us for a wine dinner at the club. The text message exchange is displayed alongside this video.

I include it because it reflects my state of mind at the time. Rather than escalating conflict, I was attempting to maintain a professional relationship and move forward. Whether you agree with my conclusions or not, I believe the message itself provides valuable context.

The video that follows details my experiences, observations, and interactions during that period. Some of what you will hear is difficult to revisit. Much of it I wish had never occurred. But it is part of my story, and it is the reason this website exists.

As with everything on this site, I encourage viewers to examine the documents, review the evidence presented, and reach their own conclusions.