Augusta National Golf Club Welcomes First Female Members — And Wait Until You Hear Who One of Them Is
- Posted on August 20, 2012 at 11:31am by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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NEW YORK (AP) — For the first time in its 80-year history, Augusta National Golf Club has female members.
The home of the Masters, under increasing criticism the last decade because of its all-male membership, invited former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore to become the first women in green jackets when the club opens for a new season in October.
Both women accepted.
FILE - At left, in a March 24, 2011 file photo, Darla Moore and Condoleeza Rice. For the first time in it's 80-year history, Augusta National Golf Club has female members. The home of the Masters, under increasing criticism the last decade because of its all-male membership, invited former Secretary of State Rice and South Carolina financier Moore to become the first women in green jackets when the club opens for a new season in October. Credit: AP
“This is a joyous occasion,” Augusta National chairman Billy Payne said Monday.
The move likely ends a debate that intensified in 2002 when Martha Burk of the National Council of Women’s Organizations urged the club to include women among its members. Former club chairman Hootie Johnson stood his ground, even at the cost of losing Masters television sponsors for two years, when he famously said Augusta National might one day have a woman in a green jacket, “but not at the point of a bayonet.”
The comment took on a life of its own, becoming either a slogan of the club’s resolve not to give in to public pressure or a sign of its sexism, depending on which side of the debate was interpreting it.
Payne, who took over as chairman in 2006 when Johnson retired, said consideration for new members is deliberate and private, and that Rice and Moore were not treated differently from other new members. Even so, he took the rare step of announcing two of the latest members to join because of the historical significance.
AUGUSTA, GA - APRIL 02: Founders Circle and the clubhouse are seen during a practice round prior to the start of The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 2, 2012 in Augusta, Georgia. Credit: Getty Images
“These accomplished women share our passion for the game of golf and both are well known and respected by our membership,” Payne said in a statement. “It will be a proud moment when we present Condoleezza and Darla their green jackets when the club opens this fall. This is a significant and positive time in our club’s history and, on behalf of our membership, I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome them and all of our new members into the Augusta National family.”
A person with knowledge of club operations said Rice and Moore first were considered as members five years ago. That would be four years after the 2003 Masters, when Burk’s protest in a grass lot down the street from the club attracted only about 30 supporters, and one year after Payne became chairman.
Moore and Johnson are close friends, both with roots in South Carolina and banking, and the person said Payne and Johnson agreed on the timing of a female member. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the club typically does not discuss membership issues, said it was important to Payne to be respectful of the membership process. The person said prospective members often are not aware they are being considered.
Augusta National, which opened in December 1932 and did not have a black member until 1990, is believed to have about 300 members. While the club until now had no female members, women were allowed to play the golf course as guests, including on the Sunday before the Masters week began in April.
The issue of female membership never went away, however, and it resurfaced again this year after Virginia Rometty was appointed chief executive of IBM, one of the Masters’ corporate sponsors. The previous four CEOs of Big Blue had all been Augusta National members, leading to speculation that the club would break at least one tradition – membership for the top executive of IBM or a men-only club.
Rometty was seen at the Masters on the final day wearing a pink jacket, not a green one. She was not announced as one of the newest members.
Moore, 58, first rose to prominence in the 1980s with Chemical Bank, where she became the highest-paid woman in the banking industry. She is vice president of Rainwater, Inc., a private investment company founded by her husband, Richard Rainwater. She was the first woman to be profiled on the cover of Fortune Magazine, and she made a $25 million contribution to her alma mater, South Carolina, which renamed its business school after her.
Moore was mentioned as a possible Augusta National member during the height of the all-male membership debate in 2002. She and Johnson worked on South Carolina’s $300 million capital campaign in the late 1990s.
“Augusta National has always captured my imagination, and is one of the most magically beautiful places anywhere in the world, as everyone gets to see during the Masters each April,” Moore said. “I am fortunate to have many friends who are members at Augusta National, so to be asked to join them as a member represents a very happy and important occasion in my life.
“Above all, Augusta National and the Masters Tournaments have always stood for excellence, and that is what is so important to me.”
Rice, 57, was the national security adviser under former President George W. Bush and became secretary of state in his second term. The first black woman to be a Stanford provost in 1993, she now is a professor of political economy at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.
“I have visited Augusta National on several occasions and look forward to playing golf, renewing friendships and forming new ones through this very special opportunity,” Rice said in a statement released by the club. “I have long admired the important role Augusta National has played in the traditions and history of golf. I also have an immense respect for the Masters Tournament and its commitment to grow the game of golf, particularly with youth, here in the United States and throughout the world.”
Rice recently was appointed to the U.S. Golf Association’s nominating committee.
Johnson regarded the membership debate as infringing on the rights of a private club, even though every April it hosts the Masters, the most popular of the four major championships, which brings in millions of dollars through television rights for the highest-rated telecast in golf.
In a 2002 interview with The Associated Press, Johnson said the makeup of the club was more about four members-only parties each year than who plays the course.
“Our club has enjoyed a camaraderie and a closeness that’s served us well for so long, that it makes it difficult for us to consider change,” he said. “A woman may be a member of this club one day, but that is out in the future.”
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Comments (83)
BrerRabbit
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:40pmAin’t ever gonna be the same. Goodbye tradition, hello PC bunk!
Report Post »pdw
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 1:15pmThis seems to be happening all over our country, even all woman’s college are going co-ed. I do see some reasons for change but deep down in my gut I believe there is a more sinister reason for all these changes. Sometime in the future the laws of any organization will not be able to stand. Maybe Black KKK membership or NAACP white membership who knows what laws will be passed for the “Greater Good?”
Report Post »Detroit paperboy
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 2:34pmDang, I thought it was gonna be big SIS… Janet Napolitanto…hmmmm
Report Post »Thors Hammer
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 3:14pmYou’re right, it’ll never be the same; the ‘class factor’ just went up 200%. What, were men afraid the women were going to whup them at golf!? Please! There is no reason in America to keep men and women isolated in any public arena; that’s what Islamic countries do, and we’re supposed to be more civilized than that. If you can’t control yourself in the presence of women, stay home.
Report Post »Miami
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 4:25pmWell as long as they don’y get to vote or drive…..
What…? They can do that already…?
Well as long as blacks can’t….
What…? Are you serious…?
Woodrow Wilson would not be very happy with this out come
Report Post »IvanK
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 4:29pmPDW, you wrote “Maybe Black KKK membership or NAACP white membership who knows what laws will be passed for the “Greater Good?”
FYI buddy, The black community already has a KKK. It’s called The New Black Panthers” and unlike the KKK, they are protected by Holder’s justice dept.
Report Post »LadyLawyer
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 5:00pmAs a freedom loving woman and a lawyer who has studied the law with respect to the rights of private organizations, I have always respected the right of Augusta National to determine who would be invited to membership.
However, as a woman who grew up in Augusta, walking to the National course to see all the golfers and the beautiful scenery, I am happy that they have decided to invite some women.
And I could not be happier with the choices. Congratulations to both women who have certainly earned this invitation!
Report Post »nzkiwi
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 7:48pmI remember attending a function in an Australian golf club in the early 80s.
They had allowed female members, but there was still a section of the bar that was for men only. I stood there having a drink thinking that it was pretty special, but after a while I wandered away.
Because there were no women there to chat to.
Report Post »jackboydspeaksout
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 8:53pmIVANk, the NAACP was started by white people. The KKK was started and is still run by IDIOTS!!
Report Post »The_Jerk
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:29pmAugusta ain’t so august anymore.
Report Post »fieldwork
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:28pmWell isn’t this just so special.
Report Post »floridacockleburr
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:26pmAugusta National – a bunch of f*&king wimps.
Report Post »BrerRabbit
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:41pmYep! What happened to the time when there were REAL MEN!
Report Post »pissantno.10
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:23pmwell i guess possum lodge will be the next place to go
Report Post »Alvin691
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:20pmI think I will go pee in the women’s bathroom. They always seem to have nice furniture in theirs.
Report Post »lonestarbill
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 1:59pmMake sure you put the seat back down.
Report Post »www.TopTheNews.com
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:18pmGood for them, but was this done solely out of political correctness? Why is this a headline story everywhere, yet the Marine indefinite detention is not???
We are missing the real news.
Report Post »The_Almighty_Creestof
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:17pmSettle down people…I’m already hard at work drilling the peepholes…and it’s going to be 10 bucks a head!
Report Post »Wildblue3
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:22pmWhy would you want to?? They aren’t that attractive.
Report Post »semihardrock
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:29pmSounds to me….U R the peep-hole…..
Report Post »red_white_blue2
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:16pmAnother one bites the dust. Why is it that there can be some places just for men or just for women and everyone else just leave it at that…..Why? They should have selected Helen Thomas–no one would have known the difference.
Report Post »OneTermPresident
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:11pmI Am A Man…
When do men get to play on the LPGA tour like women have played on the PGA tour? When do male reporters get to go into women‘s locker rooms like female reporters do in men’s locker rooms?
Billy Payne… caved in at the end of a bayonet no matter what he says.
Report Post »BrerRabbit
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:43pmBilly Payne is a sissy!
Report Post »kryptonite
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 3:54pm@ONETERMPRESIDENT
Report Post »Well, because this is a man’s world and they (women) long to be included. If you want to behave like a barbarian, there are plenty of countries that promote male supremacy. As a result, their women wither away. Is that what you want? I will fight against women in combat — not them becoming members of some stupid golf club.
bikerdogred1
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:09pmWhy not Jessie Jackson‘s wife or Al Sharpton’s WHY WHY WHY.
Report Post »michael48
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:19pmthey wanted free contraception…for destro-it…
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:08pmFinally, I can get a good night’s sleep.
Report Post »hi
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:01pmI wonder when they will get the “You Decide” bathrooms that are on college campuses.
Report Post »Sirfoldallot
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:06pmA Bush implant C. Rice go figure. I really don’t care.
Report Post »The_Jerk
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 11:57amFools for giving in to the liberal demands. Men are becoming more feminine than women.
Report Post »oldguy49
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:07pmyes but when are caucasians going to be allowed in all black college or in the miss black beauty pagent
Report Post »Arc
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 11:57amBravo!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »hauschild
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 11:56amMore kowtowing from the losers in this country with no spine.
Report Post »JAMACAMECRAZYMAN
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 11:55amGolf’s name originated from an acronym – Gentlemen only ladies forbidden.
Report Post »Kupo
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 11:53amJust another example of caving under politically correct feminist pressure. In this day and age, the idea of men having their own havens is absolutely unthinkable, meanwhile women aren’t criticized at all. Look no further than your neighborhood Curves or domestic violence shelters which overwhelmingly refuse to accept male victims of DV.
Report Post »smats88
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 11:52amI thought it was going to be Barney Frank!
Report Post »Sirfoldallot
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:02pmlol, me 2, lol.
Report Post »Attention2Detail
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 11:44amThe feminists who were complaining will hate this even more than not allowing women as members. I love it when you can give liberals what they want in a way that just infuriates them.
Report Post »JRook
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 11:52amLet‘s get quotes from these two women on what they think of Todd Akin’s intellectual comment of the week.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:07pmJR: Let’s ask Joe Biden what he thinks .
Report Post »Listen_then_think
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 11:43amIts a golf club for crap sakes! A joyous occasion? Really? Proves Caddyshack right that golfers are elitist jerks.
Report Post »Kisses6350
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 2:49pmLoved Caddyshack!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Guess Condi Rice is the Gopher,,,,,,,,,,,,,,***Smirks***
Report Post »Mr.Fitnah
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 11:40amIm sure they can afford it while the rest try to make ends meet.
Report Post »RightUnite
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 11:49amWell, gee… Maybe if you put forth more effort you could make more money, and could join those at Augusta rather than having a woe is me mentality… How about that, huh??
Report Post »jbon311
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:21pmI know! We should go to Augusta and force all those rich socialites to give us all of THEIR money! That would be fair, right?
Report Post »Sirfoldallot
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 11:39amWhen is the LPGA going 2 be held there ?
Report Post »justangry
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 11:39amDoes this mean all women gyms are now open to the general public? Or is that somehow different? Meh, I don’t golf anyway.
Report Post »Git-R-Done
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 12:09pmIt’s only wrong when white heterosexual Christian males get to discriminate.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 1:29pmConsidering you are already ” just angry,” it’s probably best that you stay away from a frustrating sport which entails carrying a club.
Report Post »justangry
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 3:29pm@Git-R-Done, I reckon that’s why we have the garage and duck blind.
@Barber, Sigh…
Report Post »kryptonite
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 8:10pm@JUSTANGRY
Report Post »Barber, Sigh…
—
Come on, dude. You can do better than that. How about, “Touché?”
Git-R-Done
Posted on August 21, 2012 at 10:03pmBarber2 – Yet you won’t complain about the Congressional Black Caucus getting to exclude non-blacks from their caucus, hypocrite.
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 11:35amAs for clubs that won’t allow female members, all opponents needed to do is just infiltrate them with Gays, then declare, it is a Gay mens club. There would be women allowed very quickly. But then again, I would never join a club that would have me as a member, anyway.
Report Post »OldGeek72
Posted on August 20, 2012 at 11:43amI’ve always agreed with that quote about clubs that would allow me as a member. Add to that any bank fool enought to approve a loan :)
Report Post »