Sexism and Golf
Muirfield as a private male only members club on Scotland famous as being a venue for the British Open the last one being won by Phil Mickelson in 2010.
They have hit the news for all the wrong reasons because the members have taken a vote and decided to continue to ban women from their golf course and as a result have been removed from the rota for future British Open Championships.
The reasons that they gave were sexist in the extreme in that they believe that women players are not of a sufficient golfing standard and take too long to play golf.
I saw something similar to this many years ago at a beautiful course in the Midlands called Little Aston while playing a county match when one of or players (who had got married the previous day) brought his new wife to caddy for him on route to the honeymoon but after numerous phone calls with the Chairman and President of the club she was allowed to sit in the car on the car park all day!
I have also seen various golf courses with separate club houses for lady members who were not allowed to walk across the front of the clubhouse and only enter and exit from the rear of the clubhouse.
Call me old fashioned but I thought that those days had long gone.
Having lived here in Spain for 12 years I can assure you that you don’t have to be female to play bad golf slowly!
I am sure that none of this matters to those in power at Muirfield except perhaps for the ban from the Royal and Ancient but if any golfer of a suitable playing standard who has the money to pay the green fees and keep up with play should be allowed to play.
Now I am sure that many lady players will be applauding this stance and many misogynistic men will think I have gone loopy but I am of the old school where golf is for everyone and not the privileged few.