Thursday, April 5, 2012

Time for Augusta to pick a female golf member

The sizzling topic today is not politics, but sports - specifically whether the venerable Augusta National Golf Club will admit its first female member this year. MSNBC, USA Today's Christine Brennan and the Wall Street Journal's Jeremy Gordon are among a multitude who have chimed in. Even President Obama, when asked, offered an opinion: He thinks a woman should be admitted. Who knew?

Speculation is high that the club will. Indeed, as I write this, it might already have.

That's because the club has a long-standing tradition of inviting as members the chief executives of major sponsors of the Masters golf tournament. This year, for the first time, one of those CEOs is a woman, IBM's Ginni Rometty. IBM has sponsored the tournament for several years and the Augusta National has always extended membership to the company's officers. To decline to do so for Rometty, who does play golf, would be a public departure from its past policy.

The Augusta National is a private, members-only club, despite its very high-profile and iconic golf tournament, The Masters, which invites the public in through tickets and TV. So, members have a right to restrict membership anyway they please.

But they should take this opportunity to remove the barrier. Unlike in 2003 when Martha Burk, then president of the National Council of Women’s Organizations, brought picketers to the Masters trying to force the club's hand in admitting a female, all the club has to do now to get this monkey off its back is adhere to a policy it has followed in the past. And because Rometty would be admitted because she heads a major sponsoring organization, just as men CEOs have been, this invitation wouldn't obligate the golf club to approve any other women for membership who don't fit that qualification - if that's their fear.

The Augusta National should welcome the chance to get past this continuing controversy. It's membership discrimination based on the idea of it being a private club has been wearing thin for years. As I've said before, a private club with as much public persona as the Augusta National can't reasonably use being "private" as a shield against criticism of its refusal to admit female members. It wasn't an effective shield when the club dragged its feet about inviting a black golfer to the Masters - which didn't happen until Lee Elder participated in 1975. And it was ineffective when the club was criticized for not admitting black members, which didn't happen until 1990.

If Rometty isn't offered membership, it would be a slap in the face to IBM and its CEO. It will hard to spin the rejection otherwise. IBM should rethink future sponsorship if that happens.

But it is quite possible that the golf club has already quietly removed this last barrier against women, and by the time the green jacket is presented to the new Masters champ on Sunday this will no longer be an issue. As Billy Payne noted in his opaque statement on the issue on Wednesday, "all issues of membership are now and have historically been subject to the private deliberation of members." I hope they have privately deliberated wisely.

Augusta is my hometown. My family home, where my sister still lives, is about a 10-minute jog from the Augusta National. I grew up around golf. My grandparents worked at the Augusta National. My grandfather taught us grandkids to play golf on an improvised course on his farm. My grandmother did the seasonal hiring of grounds workers for the Masters. I worked there during the Masters a couple of times myself before I went to college. On many Easter Sundays, half the congregation of my home church could be found there working instead of worshipping.

So I'm very familiar with the tradition and history of the Masters and the Augusta National. It's a beautiful course and a great tournament. That will still be true if a woman is admitted as a member.

Posted by associate editor Fannie Flono

21 comments:

AL B said...

Well what do you know, Fannie says women should be allowed and it's a "controversy". No it's not. It's a private club, and since when do we need to have political "correctness" in everything. It's not up to the public, that's why it's private. No laws are broken. Not everything in our society needs to be open to all.
Sorry Fannie, no women allowed. If this was an all female club, would Fannie be pushing for letting men in? Probably not, but that's because she's just another hypocrital journalist.

Anonymous said...

Bolderdash!!

Ghoul said...

Wow! First off, an editorial by Fannie and comments are allowed!

So what happens first, a woman at Augusta, or a conservative on the Observer Editorial Board?

Wiley Coyote said...

Why should they?

We've already seen Hootie isn't going to bow down to anyone and when the time comes - if it does - they will let in who they want to let in and when they want to do it.

Get over it.

Anonymous said...

It's long past time that a conservative or two where put on this paper's editorial board.

Anonymous said...

Oh grow up Taylor!

Anonymous said...

Just the usual Fannie commie garbage.

Anonymous said...

I wonder how many whites attended Rev Wrights church?

Anonymous said...

As usual, Presidunce Downgrade utters another INappropriate remark outside the bounds of HIS job. Have women no dignity nor respect of THIS club? WHY do they WANT membership??? WHO 'deserves' first pick?

Anonymous said...

So when will the Congressional Black Caucus be admitting a white person male or female?

Its 2012 for petes sake and they still discriminate and dont allow whites as members? Shame on those racists.

Anonymous said...

Yea and dont forget they still refuse to allow white females too compete in the Miss Black America pagent either. Thats just not fair.

Shelly said...

nah. it's a private club. they get to do what they want. and i really don't care.

Anonymous said...

Can Fannie EVER write a column that doesn't obsess on race or gender? She even brought race into the NCAA basketball article.

Just as an exercise I'd like to see her try - TRY - to write a column praising a white male. I think she'd break out in hives.

Anonymous said...

Come on now. You know everybodys fanny has one purpose and one purpose only or at least thats what it was only supposed to be used for when Adam and Eve were created in the Garden in Mesopotania aka modern day Iraq the real cradle of civilization.

Anonymous said...

Why are we worried about wealthy women not being allowed to join. Why not let poor people in.

Anonymous said...

It's pretty sickening to see all these shrill demagogues trying to use Ms. Rometty as a tool in their misguided crusade.

Anonymous said...

private means private.

public means public.

get an education to know the difference.

jjw901 said...

What has Ms Rommety had to say on this? It can't be anything controversial or Fannie surely would have use it to support her view.

Anonymous said...

When Billy Payne gave Augustas most famous native son an honorary membership in the early 90s that proved symbolic.

Its a Mans Club. Get over it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCdc1YW001Q

Anonymous said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujwknJYrEm4&feature=related

step aside Masters for
The Augusta Godfather of Soul

Anonymous said...

Maybe former Charlottean and community leader, Bill Simms, will throw his weight around at Agusta National to make this happen.