When golf fans drive down the beautiful Magnolia Lane next week on their way to watch the Masters championship at Augusta National Golf Club, they will have to witness a protest that has nothing to do with the war in Iraq.
The past year was saturated with accusations of discrimination directed toward the prestigious golf club in Augusta, Ga., and with the Masters commencing next week, Augusta National is the center of a nation-wide debate.
Martha Burk, chair of the National Council of Women’s Organizations, along with outside help from the Rev. Jesse Jackson will set up protests April 10-13 near Augusta National to raise the issue of sex discrimination as the Masters takes place.
“The goals of the protests will be to point out corporate hypocracy,” Burk said. “The members of Augusta National run the largest corporations in the country, and they depend on women.”
The controversy began June 12, 2002, when Burk submitted a letter to Augusta National with intentions to persuade the golf club to invite a woman to become a member.
Although Augusta National has no policy guidelines for its extremely exclusive membership, potential prospects must be invited by the club to be members. Since the opening of Augusta National in 1932, no woman has ever been invited to become a member of the distinguished club.
Burk urged Augusta National’s chairman, William “Hootie” Johnson, to invite a woman before the 2003 Masters Tournament to prevent the issue from arising.
In a letter of response submitted by Johnson on July 9, 2002, he wrote, “We take our membership very seriously. It is the fabric of our club. Our membership alone decides our membership — not any outside group with its own agenda.”
The NCWO believes Augusta National has a moral obligation to accept women as members.
Burk said there is no excuse for sex discrimination, and it should be held on the same level of importance with race discrimination.
She based her point on the 1990 Professional Golfer’s Association Championship held at Shoal Creek Country Club.
At the time, Shoal Creek did not have or intend to have any black members. The sponsors of the tournament — IBM, Toyota, Honda and Sharp Electronics — threatened to withdraw their sponsorships until the club opened its membership to blacks.
Shoal Creek complied — as well as other clubs, including Augusta National — and invited a black to become a member.
Burk and the NCWO wrote letters to each of this year’s Masters sponsors — Coca-Cola, IBM, and Citigroup — in hopes each would act in the same manner as the sponsors in 1990.
In response letters to the NCWO, the sponsors said it would be inappropriate for them to comment on the membership practices of a private club such as Augusta National.
Burk said the only difference between the case at Shoal Creek and the one at Augusta National is one deals with race and the other deals with sex. She said she is confused by the “double standard.”
“Part of our job at the NCWO is to make sure that changes,” Burk said. “People in this society do seem to find it more acceptable to discriminate on sex than on race, but that doesn’t make it right. The sponsors clearly do not consider sex discrimination as serious as race discrimination when it comes to putting your money where your mouth is.”
Johnson relieved the sponsors of their responsibilities, telling them their sponsorship would not be needed for this year’s Masters. He did not want the sponsors to have to make a decision on the issue, and they were spared having to stand on either side of the rope.
The Masters was already the most tightly controlled televised sporting event with regards to advertisements. Previous Masters averaged four minutes of ad time per hour compared to 16 minutes for the average sporting event, and CBS will air this year’s Masters with no commercial interruption.
Johnson added in his letter he believes this is a direct attack on his “private club.”
“The message delivered to us was clearly coercive,” Johnson wrote. “We will not be bullied, threatened or intimidated. We do not intend to become a trophy in their display case.”
Golfing legends Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods were compelled to speak on the issue as well.
Nicklaus, a member at Augusta National, told the Atlanta Journal Constitution he wants no part in the fight between the golf club and the NCWO.
On his Web site tigerwoods.com, Woods wrote, “Everyone has to understand that Augusta isn’t quick to change things. Would I like to see women members? Yes, that would be great, but I am only one voice. I’m not even a regular member, I’m an honorary member, and it’s going to take a lot more than me, a women’s group or the media for Augusta to change its policy.”
Burk criticized Woods for not taking a stronger stance on the issue and told the Associated Press, “If others had taken that view, he’d be a caddie at Augusta, he wouldn’t be a player.”
Karen Bahnsen, head coach of the LSU women’s golf team, said Augusta National has its own right to do what it wants with regard to its membership policy. She also said it would be nice if they would invite a woman to be a part of the club.
“You can’t force someone to do something,” Bahnsen said. “If someone stood there and told you not to do something, what would you do? This has created a standoff, neither side will budge.”
Many people have come out in support of Johnson, including I. S. Leevy Johnson, who was one of three black legislators elected in 1970 with Johnson’s support.
“He had the reputation of being progressive,” Leevy Johnson told the AP, “You can’t intimidate him. He’s been a fighter all his life.”
Leevy Johnson said he thinks the controversy has delayed Augusta National’s decision to change its male-only membership practice and said, “In my opinion, Hootie was already trying to do it on the inside.”
Johnson eluded to that sentiment in his letter when he wrote,