
Men Only Clubs: An Open or Closed Debate
Derek Clements takes a look at the debate surrounding men only golf clubs in the build up to the Open Championship taking place at Muirfiled.
IMAGINE walking into a car showroom and telling the salesman that you wanted to buy a top of the range BMW and he told you that he couldn't sell it to you.
"But I've got cash, and I can give it to you right now - I don't have anything to trade in and I am not looking for any discount."
"Just confirm something for me - you are from Birmingham, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am."
"Well I am sorry, but we have a policy not to sell our cars to men from Birmingham."
It's discrimination against men from Birmingham, right? Of course it is.
Now hold that thought, and imagine you are a black man being told that you can't come in to watch the last round of The Masters.
"Why won't you let me in?"
"It's because you are black. We are not allowed to let black people in."
Can you imagine the uproar? And quite rightly too.
Okay, so now you are a woman and you have just written to the secretary at Muirfield, which is hosting this year's Open
Championship, applying for membership. You have already written to the secretary at Royal St George's asking him for an application form as you have a holiday home at Sandwich. And you have been toying with the idea of applying for membership of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St Andrews.
Back come the replies. "Dear Mrs Willoughy-McMasterton, We regret to inform you that we are unable to consider you for membership..."
Is this because Mrs Willoughy-McMasterton's handicap is too high? No. Is it because she is not the wife of a former Prime Minister? No. Is it because she doesn't own a Jaguar but instead drives around in a pink Smart car? No.
The reason that Mrs Willoughy-McMasterton will not be considered for membership of Muirfield, which hosts this year's Open Championship, or Royal St George's, where it was played two years ago, is because she is a woman. Another Open venue, Royal Troon, also has a men-only rule. Plain and simple.
Now just hang on a minute. Isn't this meant to be 2013? Isn't discrimination meant to be a thing of the past? Even Augusta National has changed its stance on women members, having vowed it never would. Fair enough, it only allowed its first two women to join last year and they weren't exactly ordinary women, unless you regard former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and ultra-powerful businesswoman Darla Moore as ordinary. But at least it was a start. In any event, very few women - or men for that matter - could afford the membership fees at Augusta National. That's not really the point though.
It is not so terribly long ago that most golf clubs in Great Britain wouldn't let their women members use the main lounge bars unless they were accompanied by an adult, sorry, a male. In most other circumstances they were forced to share a shabby room with the juniors.
Other golf clubs only allowed them access when a social function was being staged. And as for getting on the course - well, if they were really lucky, they could get on the first tee by 1.30pm and might, just might, be given one batch of early tee-times during the week. As long as no men wanted to tee off at the same time.
Perish the thought that they should be tolerated by an all-male fourball. Etiquette, not to mention basic good manners, would go out the window in such circumstances and the men would simply tee-off and play through any groups of women unfortunate enough to be on the course at the same time. If they were lucky, they might be afforded the courtesy of a cry of "Fore"", which indicated that they were expected to stand aside for their male "superiors".
Even now, many women complain of being treated like second-class citizens. It was as offensive years ago as it remains today. In many cases, women actually pay more for 12 months at a golf club than their husbands do, and that is down to having to pay the women's golf union. But do they have equal rights? Most will tell you that they don't, that they are made to feel uncomfortable when they walk into the clubhouse bar and that there remain times of day when it is well nigh impossible for them to get on their own course.
The R&A are happy to take entrance money from the thousands of women who attend The Open every year, but see nothing wrong with refusing them permission to play at courses such as Muirfield, Royal Troon and Royal St George's.
Sometimes the clue is in the title, and if we were to give Muirfield its proper full title, we should actually refer to it as The Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers - gentlemen, there is nothing particularly honorable in excluding women from your ranks. Are you frightened they will beat you? Are you concerned that, heaven forbid, they may want to talk to you?
According to Muirfield's club secretary, nothing will change anytime soon and it is none of our business anyway. “The state of membership at Muirfield is a private matter for the members to decide, its not an issue for the outside world,” said Alistair Brown. With a straight face, he added: “Single-gender clubs cannot be classed as discriminatory. It is simply the freedom of people to keep their own company – men or women. There will be no imminent change at Muirfield, it is not even on the agenda.”
A spokesman for the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in St Andrews, regarded as the "Home of Golf", said single sex clubs were part of the history of the sport, which was established in the town. And I think you will also find that dinosaurs form part of our history - and look what happened to them. St Andrews is home to the male-only Royal and Ancient Golf Club, but in a novel twist to the debate also has ladies clubs, the St Rule and the St Regulus.
It is worth noting that when the Royal & Ancient sets the rules for golf, it expects them to be followed by men and women.
At Royal Troon, it is written into the club's constitution that it is a male-only club, but it allows women in the clubhouse as well as on the course, but only as guests. And, inevitably, there is also a ladies club in Troon.
Golf has many issues it must address, not least its inability to attract young players. But why would a teenager want to get involved with a sport which they perceive to be run by stuffy old men in blazers and ties who splutter into their gin and tonics at the suggestion that women be given equal rights in the game? And why would they want to play a sport that so openly practices discrimination?
There are many schools of thought as to how the issue should be tackled, but surely any right-minded individual, whether man or woman, would agree that The Open Championship should not be held at clubs that discriminate against 50% of the population. It is, after all, The "Open" Championship, not The Closed Championship.
Royal St George's was notorious for the "No dogs, no women" sign that greeted members of the 1988 Curtis Cup teams - in case you have forgotten, the Curtis Cup is contested by the cream of American and British women's golf. The course had no women's tees or changing rooms.
Thankfully, small steps are being taken. Increasing numbers of courses are now employing women as club secretaries and bar/restaurant stewards. But until every golf club throws open its doors to men and women, golf will retain its image as a game played by the elite for the elite.
Perhaps the last word should go to Scottish comedienne Elaine C Smith, who said: “I’m appalled by Muirfield on so many levels but I suppose, outside a gay disco or circus, this is the only place men can wear a lavender V-neck and tartan trews without being laughed at by women.”
Image Credit: Flickr Span112 (www.flickr.com/photos/span112/5422903325/)
Derek Clements is a sports journalist with a particular passion for golf with over 12 years of experience covering golf and other sports including Chief Sub-Editor on the sports desk of The Sunday Times. To contact Derek email direct via derekclements@ntlworld.com
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