Kansas man jailed after golf course apology turns into club-swinging brawl

A 52-year-old Kansas man spent the weekend behind bars after police say an attempt to apologize for a bad golf shot escalated into a violent brawl that left one man unconscious and another struck in the head with a club.

Scott Denning, of Winfield, was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail early Saturday on charges of aggravated assault, aggravated battery, assault, battery and criminal damage to property, according to jail records reviewed by KAKE News. He remained held on $50,000 bond as of Monday.

The Wichita Police Department said officers responded to the Arthur B. Sim Golf Course, in the 2000 block of West Murdock, around 6:20 p.m. Friday for a disturbance involving Mr. Denning and three Wichita men. Investigators told KAKE News that a preliminary probe found Mr. Denning had approached the group to apologize for an errant shot, but the exchange turned into an argument and then a physical fight.

By the time it was over, a 38-year-old Wichita man had been knocked unconscious. Police told reporters that Mr. Denning then chased down two other men, ages 28 and 52, while armed with a golf club, and that he struck the 52-year-old man in the head — an allegation that has not been tested in court. Mr. Denning himself did not walk away unscathed — his booking photo shows the side of his face badly swollen and bruised.

Mr. Denning was treated at a hospital before being taken to jail. No other arrests had been made as of Monday, according to the KAKE report; a separate account published Tuesday said Mr. Denning remained in custody that afternoon. Police said the investigation remains open.