A LIV star kicked off the course? That's exactly what happened recently to Harold Varner III and his entourage at the Bear Slide Golf Club in Cicero, Indiana. What sounds like a nasty PR blunder for the LIV Tour was a harsh lesson in golf etiquette and course rules – with a dash of deception thrown in.
The trouble began when Varner had booked a foursome but showed up 30 minutes late for his tee time with six golfers. Club staff instructed the group to split into two threesomes to avoid disrupting the pace of play. However, this instruction didn't seem to be taken seriously.
The Truth on the Green
The incident then escalated at the 4th hole: Club staff observed all six golfers teeing off and putting out together – this after they had previously started as two separate groups. A group member's later claim that they had merely watched the group ahead tee off turned out to be a blatant lie. The consequence was unequivocal: The group was immediately asked to return their carts and leave the premises. Their green fee was refunded, but their day of golf was over.
🚨🥾⛳️ #BOOTED — Earlier this week, LIV golfer Harold Varner III & other members of his OKGC team were told that they were no longer welcome at Bear Slide Golf Club in Indiana & issued refunds after they attempted to play as a 6-some instead of in two seperate groups. After being
Silence After the Storm?
The incident occurred during the week of LIV Golf Indianapolis 2026, where Varner was competing. Public golf courses often set foursomes as the maximum group size to ensure a quick pace of play – a rule Bear Slide rigorously enforced. So far, Harold Varner and LIV Golf have remained silent about the incident. The story is currently being told almost exclusively from the club's perspective, which publicized the events on its Facebook page. It remains to be seen if and how this story will continue to unfold.
