private course Archives • Page 2 of 2 • GolfStinks

(photo by — Have golf courses like Augusta National been hiding behind the constitution for too long? (*photo by Roger Sayles / CC BY-ND 2.0)*

I wrote in a blog post the other day that golf is a “gentleman’s game.” My reference was rather tongue-in-cheek, but for some courses this is a literal truth. One would think men-only golf courses are in contradiction to what the USGA wants the game to become, yet it’s hard to squash the constitutional rights of a privatized club. I’m clearly not the first to discuss this topic (most prominent in recent memory being the continuing controversy between Hootie and Martha), but I thought I’d give the fire a stoking.

“We aren’t closed-door, wives and girlfriends can come out and have lunch. Really, the only thing they [women] can’t do is play the golf course.” – PGA professional Scott Walter (Bear Creek Golf Club, Denver Colorado).

Funny, I thought it used to be the only thing women couldn’t do in the United States was vote, and we amended the Constitution to change that about 90 years ago.

Bear Creek is one of about a dozen clubs in the U.S. that don’t allow women to play golf there. Others, such as Augusta National, don’t allow women members, while many more make it hard or undesirable for women to join (should note that while there are no women members at Augusta, a woman may be “invited” to play the course – especially a woman of notoriety, such as an LPGA player).

A course that is off-limits to women (both as members and players) is Southern Dunes in Phoenix, which has been the subject of a couple articles – one from travelgolf.com contributor Chris Baldwin. A few years ago, Mr. Baldwin had the opportunity to play Southern Dunes and subsequently penned the article “Defending the Undefendable: Men-Only Golf Clubs.” In the assessment of his experience there, Mr. Baldwin relegated the membership to “a bunch of golf nerds, through and through.”

Wrote Mr. Baldwin: “Let them be nerds! Women have their gyms where no men are allowed in to gawk at them in their stretch Spandex. They have Oprah. And any single or stay-at-home dad can tell you how open those playground clubs really are. Why can’t a bunch of golf nerds have their own club?” I find it amusing that just because these guys are a bunch of nerds, we should overlook the fact that women can’t play their course. And what nerds are members there? Here’s a few: Former NFL defensive tackle Dan Saleaumua, former Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer and former Mets catcher Todd Hundley. Yep, those guys epitomize the word “nerd” in my book!

Mr. Baldwin suggests that while clearly a stereotype, women may actually induce a slower pace-of-play on the course. Too funny. He should read this related post at Real Women Golf. (I should note that Mr. Baldwin ultimately said he would never join a men-only club, claiming the guys there seem to take their golf game too seriously for his liking).

But here’s the thing; Imagine you were on a quest to play Golf Digest’s Top 100 courses (which has been accomplished multiple times by various men). If you are a woman, you can’t do it. Is that fair? Up until the 1990’s, if you were an African American man you couldn’t play the top 100 either (and you may still be discouraged at some clubs today). That’s just sad. Meanwhile, the USGA is concerned the sport is not attracting enough minorities and women. Hello?

To play devil’s advocate for a second, this is a free country and private clubs should be able to exclude whoever they want, right? That got me wondering if there were any women-only golf clubs out there. Turns out there is one in North America…but it’s not in the United States. In Canada, there’s The Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto – and it’s nearly 10-years older than Augusta National! But even these ladies have softened a bit, as they now allow a limited number of men to become “guest card holders.”

As a public golf course connoisseur, it’s hard for me to imagine excluding anyone from playing on any course – if you know the etiquette of the game, I say tee-off. But I also understand the appeal of private memberships – I mean, your dues are paying for some type of exclusivity, right? But does that really have to exclude a gender? If you want male camaraderie, why can’t your foursome be men-only? Or does it really kill the afternoon to see a group of women playing a few fairways over?

Public golf course or private country club – which is better? It’s a debate that will continue on as long as the game of golf does. Unfortunately, it’s a rare occasion that your average weekend hack gets the opportunity to add a few divots to some exclusive private track. However, I was lucky enough to be given this chance and I can now offer my humble opinion. Right off the bat I can tell you, the country club life ain’t for everyone.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve played the very private TPC River Highlands (home of the Travelers Championship) right here in my home state of Connecticut, and it was downright amazing. The course itself was challenging, but not overbearing. The condition and maintenance of the course was exceptional and the staff was courteous and professional. All-in-all, this may have been the nicest course I’ve played up to this point. But, there’s more to this debate than just the course itself.

Some of the many fine points about TPC are rivaled by several public courses throughout the state at a fraction of the cost. At the time I played TPC, not only did I have to be invited by a member, but I had to shell out $180 to play. Other than Lake of Isles (ranked #85 on Golf Magazine’s Top 100 You Can Play for 2008) this would rank as the costliest course in the state. Not to mention the necessary membership fee, which at last check started at $13,500 per year and could reach as high as $36,000! Many courses throughout the state, and all of New England for that matter, feature beautiful scenery – something TPC was lacking a bit. Most courses have friendly and helpful staffs. Also, all of the upscale public courses throughout the state (99 out of 100 times) are well-maintained.

Further, there’s the stereotype of the typical private course golfer. You know the one – nose-in-the-air, can’t understand how or why you would want to play a public course…they have the “it’s private so it must be better” attitude. It is just a stereotype and I would imagine most private course members do not reflect this, but there was a guy like that in my foursome at TPC. In my experience both on-and-off the links, the private course member seems to take his game a little too serious – almost as if it’s a job. Whereas a typical public course player is more about the fun of the game and the camaraderie that goes along with it. Again, these are only stereotypes and to each his own, but I’m out there to have a good time.

In my own opinion, spending the money to play a beautiful private course is worth it…one time – if you’re invited or playing in a tournament there, go for it. But ultimately, I prefer variety. I guess I could understand if all your friends were members – but I would still want to travel around to various courses and experience the differences each has to offer. It seems to me playing a different course week-to-week adds something more to the game, rather than playing at the same place time and again. I’m not sure about you, but in today’s economy, I would feel committed to only playing on that one course if I were shelling out the monetary equivalent of a small car every year. And I’m a man…stereotypically I’m not supposed to be good with commitment.

Male-Only Golf Clubs: Sexist Bastards or Constitutional Right?

Public Golf vs. Private Club: Familiarity or Variety?

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