The Supreme Court found for Martin in a 7-2 decision.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Martin in a 7-2 decision, with Justice Antonin Scalia writing a dissent. In his dissent, Scalia drew upon Kurt Vonnegut's story, Harrison Bergeron. The Supreme Court found that the PGA Tour should be viewed as a commercial enterprise operating in the entertainment industry for the economic benefit of its members rather than as a private club. It agreed with the Magistrate Judge, Thomas Coffin, that the statutory definition of public accommodation included a "golf course," rejecting the Tour's argument that its competitions are only places of public accommodation in the areas open to spectators. The operator of a public accommodation could not, in Judge Coffin's view, create private enclaves within the facility "… and thus relegate the ADA to hop-scotch areas." The finding was originally upheld by the United States Court for the Ninth Circuit.