Keith Foster, the renowned golf course architect who pled guilty in December to federal smuggling charges, has been sentenced to 30 days in prison.
The sentence is a remarkable break for Foster. He had faced up to five years, and the court’s probation office had advised a range between 30-37 months.
Foster also will have to perform a year of supervised release.
Although he built several new designs, Foster carved out a niche for himself as a renovator of classic courses. His portfolio of renovations includes Southern Hills Country Club in Oklahoma, the Old White course in West Virginia, and Philadelphia Cricket Club. After his plea, Foster lost jobs at Congressional Country Club in Maryland and Olympia Fields Country Club in Illinois. It’s not clear what Foster’s prospects look like henceforth, but federal prosecutors noted in a filing earlier this month that “as a consequence of the spread of news regarding his offense, the defendant has suffered significant collateral consequences to his golf course design business.”
In January, I wrote a lengthy piece for Two Inches Short about the case’s backstory. I won’t repeat any of that here, except to say that Foster’s crimes were serious and that, from his perspective, a 30-day sentence is a win.
The press release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia is available here.