On a smarter planet, Augusta membership wouldn’t be an issue
For a decade now, IBM has been one of three main sponsors for broadcasts of the Masters golf tournament, which begins a week from today. IBM technology helps to run the tournament; IBM hosts a hospitality cabin near the 10th hole for its clients and guests.
Reflecting that long and close relationship, the last four IBM CEOs have been invited to become members of Augusta National, a highly sought honor. (The Washington Post puts the number at the last eight.)
Last October, however, IBM CEO Sam Palmisano announced he was stepping down and named as his replacement a 53-year-old by the name of Ginni Rometty to replace him.
That would be Ginni, as in Virginia. And as we all know, Augusta National has yet to welcome a woman to don its exalted green jacket (it welcomed its first black member in 1990).
Ten years ago, when Martha Burk tried to strong-arm the club into inviting a woman to join its exclusive membership, club leaders resisted, insisting that any changes in its membership policy would be made in its own time, without outside pressure. Rometti’s ascension to the head of IBM offers Augusta National a natural, organic opportunity to take that step, a step that it should have taken sometime in the previous century.
Conversely, refusing to take that natural step with a corporate ally as prominent as IBM, with a candidate such as Rometti who has earned the perks that traditionally come with her job, would make the absence of women all the more glaring.
– Jay Bookman
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543 comments Add your comment
oblama
March 30th, 2012
9:00 am
Sharpton plays golf?
bob
March 30th, 2012
9:01 am
aquestion, back when Martha Burke was trying to raise money using Augusta, Bryant Gumbel interviewed Hootie and tried to make Hootie feel bad by not having women members. At the time of that interview, it was disclosed that Gumbel himself belonged to a men only club. You are correct, many private clubs, golf or otherwise, have restricted membership. The left goes after Augusta because it is the elite club run by men. This club has many rounds played by women and donate club time for womens college golf teams from the area.
oblama
March 30th, 2012
9:03 am
If the Fed was in charge of the Masters they would probably have been foreclosed on by now.
Ebenezer Snerdberg
March 30th, 2012
9:04 am
On a smarter planet we wouldn’t have liberal woosie weenies like you, Jay!
bob
March 30th, 2012
9:04 am
Doggone, what is taking so long, men are getting tired carrying the water !
rightwingextreme
March 30th, 2012
9:24 am
can whites join the congressional black caucus?? or males the national association of women???
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
March 30th, 2012
9:25 am
Granny:
Because a male has already “invaded” the uterus ……… females too !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McFCHzZVlWU&feature=related
Woodstock Mike
March 30th, 2012
9:27 am
Why are Democrats such wussies?? I’m so happy to not be a wussy!! When I look back growing up and see all who became hard lined liberals I found a connection… All wussies!!
Here we go!
March 30th, 2012
9:30 am
I come from a long line of woman’s libbers. I am female and have fought all my life for equal rights for the next generation, of which I have two. They in turn have taken up my cause. Two years ago we were in Augusta the weekend before the masters for a soccer tournament and one of my daughters got a history of the Masters. She was infuriated that woman were not allowed. As strongly as I feel Augusta is wrong in not allowing woman, I feel they have a right since they are private. I explained this to her (but she didn’t like it and to this day finds the Master disgusting). I do feel if men were smart, they would go to the board and demand this rule be changed. But, we are in Ga., where the redneck mentality still rules and the intelligence level is seen every two years on our voting record. Until woman raise their sons to make sure the “good ole boy network” isn’t cool anymore, this rule will stand. I fortunately, also have a son who loves his bro time, but will stand for woman’s rights down to being thankful he had a strong woman backing him while in Iraq and Afghantsan. The rule wil fall, it is just a matter of when.
Michael G.
March 30th, 2012
9:40 am
We have no problem barring men from universities like Spelman College, but women not granted membership at Augusta National (even though women are allowed to play rounds of golf there and are welcome on the grounds) is a travesty. Go figure. FWIW:Golf is an acronym that stands for Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden.
BADA BING
March 30th, 2012
9:41 am
Everyone wear a green hoodie in support of Augusta National.
Adam
March 30th, 2012
9:41 am
“Troll” is not an analogy. Just sayin’
JamVet
March 30th, 2012
9:44 am
Mike, your 9:27 is absolutely brilliant.
I can always count on you to keep the intellectual contributions to this forum coming.
Good work…
obama Sin Laden
March 30th, 2012
9:45 am
who gives a rats ars. its a private club and they will do what ever they want. not what ever u left wing sniveling ,blind,one size fits all communists want.
JamVet
March 30th, 2012
9:45 am
Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden.
On one (sophist) level kinda cute.
On the other, those gals on the LPGA could hit a seven iron farther down the fairway than Michael could a driver…
obama Sin Laden
March 30th, 2012
9:49 am
Also,why would someone want to be in the company of others that dont want you around. take ur balls and form ur own little club. whine whine, sniff sniff
George Stein
March 30th, 2012
10:08 am
The marginal value to extending a woman an invitation to join is zero. In the interim, I’ll continue to sit out of Junior League meetings.
TL
March 30th, 2012
10:13 am
Its a men’s club that hosts a men’s tournament. They just happen to be really good at it; if you dont like it, dont go. I can think of a few folks that would gladly take your badge off your hands.
Martha is free to create a women’s club that hosts a women’s tournament.
Final Solution
March 30th, 2012
10:13 am
Hey Billy, Invite her husband to be a member.
HGY
March 30th, 2012
10:20 am
How about if she hires back the 40-50K IBM US employees that have been offshored from Sam’s days that she be allowed membership – well add the 2K more that she just layed off….
ChrisATL
March 30th, 2012
10:24 am
HereWeGo!: But, we are in Ga., where the redneck mentality still rules and the intelligence level is seen every two years on our voting record. Until woman raise their sons to make sure the “good ole boy network” isn’t cool anymore, this rule will stand.
@HereWeGo!.. Your rationale is the perfect example of the common liberal argument. You stand up for everyone’s rights that align with the way you view things, but generalize disagreeing opinions as redneck and unintelligent. Are there some sexist people who are against women being admitted to Augusta? Sure. But the majority of commenters I’ve seen, that don’t agree with forcing the issue at Augusta, believe that because they believe in a PRIVATE organization’s RIGHT to admit whatever members it pleases. We are not talking about a public institution. People should have the right to pursue their own objectives, WITH WHOM they please, so long as they don’t interfere with someone else’s right to do the same. Women or any minority can start a group, charity, country club, etc. and admit who they want. Why should people be forced to admit members to their private organization that they don’t want to? There is NO INEQUALITY here. Women are more than welcome to start an organization and not allow men (they already do, btw, but I doubt you are clamoring about the injustice there).
rhester
March 30th, 2012
10:26 am
Here we go again, trying to pressure Augusta National into the woman thing. I thing if Burke and the media had just let nature takes it course you may have seen the first woman member. Now that the media and Ms Burke are talking about what they should do and should have done you may force them to flex the muscles and remind you that they will on their time schedule not anybody else’s. I could care less who is a member at Augusta, I don’t offered tickets from any of them and am not a major client to IBM either. I did enjoy Hooty beating down Martha when she thought she was so powerful she could force the issue!! No, I am not a male chauvinist either!
Mike
March 30th, 2012
10:26 am
Bookman, just shut up and go back to your Obama love in…
oblama
March 30th, 2012
10:28 am
Jessie wouldn’t let me in the Rainbow Coalition – got my lawyer working on it.
sheepdawg
March 30th, 2012
10:29 am
Georgia is the new Mississippi. This wouldn’t be an issue in a blue state.
oblama
March 30th, 2012
10:42 am
Jay – where do you stand on socialism – for or against it?
oblama
March 30th, 2012
10:46 am
What don’t you get? This is a private club – not funded or run by the government. Reminds me of the sex changer who wants to be MISS Universe or whatever. Sorry – if you weren’t born a woman you can’t be Miss Universe. AND if you weren’t born black you can’t be Miss Black Universe. Sounds fair to me.
oblama
March 30th, 2012
10:48 am
I know the NCAAP doesn’t want me . No hard feelings.
oblama
March 30th, 2012
10:53 am
Next thing you know people will want everyone to be asexual. Eliminate females and males and just have no sex at all. Clone everyone and make them all just alike. No races, no sexes, Would this be your ideal world? Sounds boring to me.
ChrisATL
March 30th, 2012
10:57 am
sheepdawg, this issue, for most people, isn’t about bigotry. Its about a private organizations right to congregate with, and only with, the people it chooses. This is a principled issue that applies to every demographic. A woman’s organization should not be forced to allow men into it if a few men are offended when they are denied entry. Same goes for every minority as well. No one is fighting for a white males rights above anybody else’s. No one at Augusta is exercising a right that every other minority does not have. You’re mischaracterizing the issue as sexist is ridiculous. Augusta probably would have let women in by now on their own accord if they weren’t forced to flex their freedom as a private organization to allow whomever they please.
christy
March 30th, 2012
10:57 am
I find it terrible that a company like IBM would associate itself with this close-minded country club. If we are to have a society without discrimination then we need to stop supporting clubs with backward ideas.
PMC
March 30th, 2012
11:00 am
If they didn’t put on the best of the four golf majors every year would anyone care if there was a private mens golf club in Augusta Georgia?
Here we go!
March 30th, 2012
11:05 am
ChrisATL – Read again what I posted. I do not disagree with what you said. It is a private organization and therefore have a right to do what they want. Doesn’t make it right, but they have a right. My remark about Ga. being redneck is not just about this issue. It is all the issues I have seen in the last 10 years. I have lived here all my life and this state is truly embarrassing. Look at education, the flag issue, Chip rogers stands for all paying their mortgages until it comes time for him to pay the bank on HIS default. These are the kinds of irresponsible people running and ruining our state. Yes I am liberal in my thinking, that doesn’t mean I think ONLY liberal people have the only good idea. I personally could care less about the Masters or mens clubs. I have no desire to go and if you want to go, great. I do think there will be a time whent he wall comes down and woman will be admitted. When, I don’t know. There are far too many serious issues going on in the world than worrying about a golf club who just admitted bAfrican Americans 12 years ago (because they had to) and still refuse to admit woman. I see it as their issue, not mine.
oblama
March 30th, 2012
11:05 am
Is the Girls Scouts wrong for being an organization for Girls? Personally I won’t be offended about it but maybe you will want to boycott them. Guess you don’t have more important things to do.
oblama
March 30th, 2012
11:06 am
“The View” has women “only” on their panel….. doesn’t bother me.
Wreck
March 30th, 2012
11:06 am
Wow, I actually agree with something Jay wrote. Must be a crazy Friday indeed. This is a very good organic opportunity for Augusta National to take that step without it being some feminist strongarm move. Good piece.
oblama
March 30th, 2012
11:09 am
“House Wives of Beverly Hills” won’t let me be a house wife on their show just because I’m a man. How offensive!
oblama
March 30th, 2012
11:13 am
In a leftist’s perfect world we would all be a clone all thinking and looking identically ….. of course we would have to be just like them. Individuality and differences of opinion would not be acceptable.
BADA BING
March 30th, 2012
11:51 am
Let Chaz Bono join, then the ladies could claim a partial victory. Everybody wins!
Buckshot
March 30th, 2012
11:52 am
It is a PRIVATE CLUB!!!!! You bleeding liberals kill me! Invest your money and time into your own club if you want. Leave Augusta National alone.
alphadog
March 30th, 2012
1:30 pm
Augusta National should do what it did in the past. They admitted a token Black member and we never heard about the issue again. I doubt if he ever stepped foot on the first tee.
alphadog
March 30th, 2012
1:56 pm
I was going to say that the token Black member invited to join in 1990 never darken the door at Augusta National, and we haven’t heard anything about that issue since. Invite Ginny, let her say yes or no, and move on.
skipper
March 31st, 2012
2:32 pm
Last rhetorical statement; if Martha Burk was the best they could do they weren’t serious to begin with.