Augusta National admits women members for the first time

Darla Moore and Condoleezza Rice form the ladies' section.

There'll be a bit of a scramble to get a mixed foursome partner!

I thought it would happen soon, and Augusta would announce it in their own time, which they did. Only thing I thought they would do different was the women chosen. I thought it would be the head of one of their partners - is it IBM - who have a keen golfer as their CEO?

I think there'll be a few more. Augusta is closed at the minute, the course re-opens in October. So look for Virginia Rometty joining then.

George1507 wrote:I think there'll be a few more. Augusta is closed at the minute, the course re-opens in October. So look for Virginia Rometty joining then.

My understanding was they extend membership only once a year... is that incorrect or has the practice changed?

Is Condoleezza Rice female? I would not be certain that devil spawn actually has a sex.

Two fine selections I would say, tick lots of boxes too.

Imagine conversations are taking place about Ms IBM even as we contemplate.

Apparently Ms. IBM didn't show quite the same 'passion' for the game as the above mentioned two...

Meanwhile, DougF gives us Tiger's reaction:
“I think the decision by the Augusta National membership is important to golf."

Now that is deep...!

Why does Woods ever comment on anything? His empty comments make Rooney and Gerrard look like intellectual giants.

Do you think that we might have an LPGA Masters tournament, some time soon???

Big investment/work needed after this... They'll have to set up ladies' tees, not to mention ladies locker rooms, etc...

Darla who?

oldparwin wrote:Do you think that we might have an LPGA Masters tournament, some time soon???

certainly could provide ladies golf with a much needed boost. But, if the short games on show at the ladies British open on show are anything to go by, Augusta green complexes might be too much for most to handle.

I dont understand why women by and large don't have as strong a short game as the men, it's the one element of the game where they should be equal.

princedracula wrote:Big investment/work needed after this... They'll have to set up ladies' tees, not to mention ladies locker rooms, etc...

No, there are already tees for use by ladies, and changing rooms and other facilities.

Whilst women have only just become members, ladies have been playing as visitors since ANGC opened.

super_realist wrote:Why does Woods ever comment on anything? His empty comments make Rooney and Gerrard look like intellectual giants.

The media have brought it upon themselves. Their main focus is to find something controversial in the most innocent of quotes. He's right to give them nothing.

Better for Woods to question the banality of their questions. I can understand why he is non commital, but if he ever wants it to change he has to stop pandering to the wooden, soul-less persona that he is perceived as.

George1507 wrote:

princedracula wrote:Big investment/work needed after this... They'll have to set up ladies' tees, not to mention ladies locker rooms, etc...

No, there are already tees for use by ladies, and changing rooms and other facilities.

Whilst women have only just become members, ladies have been playing as visitors since ANGC opened.

Hmm... I'm not so sure about that... I know women have been playing there, of course, but proper ladies tee boxes and proper ladies members locker rooms is a different story. I'm far from being an expert on this, but I certainly found it impossible to spot any such proper tee boxes the only time I was there, and I did try... If there are any, they must've hidden them very well...

Quote from an Associated Press article yesterday:

"A club spokesman could not directly answer the question of whether Augusta National would need to add a women's locker room or women's tee boxes, pointing out that women were comfortable (!) in the past playing at the club."

The choice of the word 'comfortable' there, kind've suggests me that there's plenty of work to be done still on that front... On the other hand, I'm sure the ANGC crowd knew for a while this decision was coming and they may well have done some of this work already...

I made this comment elsewhere.... but maybe it's more appropriate here...

What about the R&A excluding women from their membership?

+++++++++++++

I've always supported a private club having the right to set their membership criteria as they see fit. So while I feel Augusta National was under no obligation to admit women, IMO it was the smart decision. Their membership policies were coming under renewed attacks this year, and regardless of how I feel about the lack of justification for those attacks, the truth of the matter is it was putting Augusta National a bad light in the view of many. Now that problem is solved and probably after one more day of discussion next April... they put the focus back on the MASTERS... IMO where the discussion belongs.

But on another matter... I feel entirely different about the R&A. They too exclude women from their membership. But the difference is, that in addition to being a private club... they are also one of the Governing Bodies for ALL of golf, not just men. IMO they need to decide what they want to be... just a private club or a governing body. IMO if they want to be both, then they MUST admit women. If they don't then I believe a call should be made for them to cede their Governing authority over to an organization that is inclusive to all.

If the R&A doesn't or won't admit women or cede their rule making functions elsewhere.. then in my opinion they should no longer enjoy the standing to conduct championships for women. In that case, what I would like to see is the LPGA and LET get together and boycott the R&A conducted British Women's Open and form their own "new" Ladies British Open under the auspices of the USGA... who's membership is open to all.

EDIT: See my post below... it turns out much of the above is in error... MY BAD

princedracula wrote:

George1507 wrote:

princedracula wrote:Big investment/work needed after this... They'll have to set up ladies' tees, not to mention ladies locker rooms, etc...

No, there are already tees for use by ladies, and changing rooms and other facilities.

Whilst women have only just become members, ladies have been playing as visitors since ANGC opened.

Hmm... I'm not so sure about that... I know women have been playing there, of course, but proper ladies tee boxes and proper ladies members locker rooms is a different story. I'm far from being an expert on this, but I certainly found it impossible to spot any such proper tee boxes the only time I was there, and I did try... If there are any, they must've hidden them very well...

Quote from an Associated Press article yesterday:

"A club spokesman could not directly answer the question of whether Augusta National would need to add a women's locker room or women's tee boxes, pointing out that women were comfortable (!) in the past playing at the club."

The choice of the word 'comfortable' there, kind've suggests me that there's plenty of work to be done still on that front... On the other hand, I'm sure the ANGC crowd knew for a while this decision was coming and they may well have done some of this work already...

Just heard the great Bob Bubka on Talksport. ANGC does not currently have ladies tees or changing facilities.

Maybe it's now time for the Masters Tournament to end the discrimination of the European Tour...................

Robo - Membership once a year is also my understanding. For practical terms they are indeed members, but better described as "privilege holders". I think (and I'm NOT sure about this) there is a very small group that has actual voting privileges on polices, etc.

Super - Why professional woman golfers don't have as strong a short game as men? I've always suspected two things: (1) The talent pool is simply smaller at the top of the funnel and (2) The necessity to be "that" good (short game) and make a living isn't what it is in the men's game.

The way I understand it as they currently have it set up is that August has two sets of tees right now, the "Masters" tees which they use for the tournament each year then the "Members" tees. I read that the "Members" tees play to around a distance of 6,500 yards and that is the tees that female guests would play off of.

There are a number of changing rooms at Augusta National, and on any given day, one or several are set aside for women visitors. Now that they have women members, perhaps they'll just select one to be the new ladies' changing room.

As for ladies tees - I don't know. I assume they just stick some blocks further forward and that's it. I know a couple of women (we are supposed to call them women now) who have played there but they didn't mention where the tees were. Some of the tee areas are very big though - the 18th teeing ground must be 70 yards long.

It must be am impossible round for some members at 6500 yards. You would have thought a sun 6000 set would be good for the shorting hitting players.

Shouldn't ladies tees also be used by hackers?

There's a USGA campaign to 'tee it forward' at the moment. It's trying to break the macho 'must play it off the back markers' mentality that has developed in the last few years. Worryingly, that mentality is arriving here now too.

The idea is that players should be encouraged to play off forward tees and not be pressured into playing off the back tees.

Shotrock wrote:Robo - Membership once a year is also my understanding. For practical terms they are indeed members, but better described as "privilege holders". I think (and I'm NOT sure about this) there is a very small group that has actual voting privileges on polices, etc.

Maybe I spoke too soon... I just came across this article from 2003: http://www.golftoday.co.uk/news/yeartodate/news03/randa3.html

The article outlines how the Governing functions of the R&A were to be separated from the R&A Club. That's great, exactly what I was proposing, and if it has in fact happened... then GOOD ON THEM.

But that said... What good is the new policy if nobody seems to know about it. The American press seems completely unaware of any such distinction between the Club and the Governing body... and the R&A statement on Augusta's new policy failed to mention it.

Perhaps... it's time to rename the Governing body so it's policies towards allowing female members is not confused with the restrictive pollicies of the Club.

super_realist wrote:Shouldn't ladies tees also be used by hackers?

Maybe that will happen for us hackers someday. We can dream after all.