The Golf Channel has tweeted its way into the rough.

The channel decided to mark the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech with an invitation to its Twitter followers to share their “golf dream.”

The query sparked an Internet backlash that wasn’t becalmed by the red-faced network’s deletion of the lunchtime tweet and a belated apology,

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Tweeted responses ranged from “awkward” and “cringe worthy” to “Go to hell.” None were kind.

The Golf Channel tweeted an apology at 2:28 p.m. and said it didn’t mean to disrespect the late civil rights leader.

“Our earlier tweet was inappropriate. The intent was to celebrate this important date in history & we regret we failed to meet that standard.

The website Twitchy points out that the Golf Channel is owned by NBC Sports Group, and NBC has been promoting its #DreamDay page, where it simply asks Twitter users to “share your dream” in honor of the anniversary — a tribute that has been met with far less outrage.