The Plattsburgh (New York) Press-Republican on the Augusta National Country Club's decision to admit women as members, from Aug. 25, 2012:
Augusta National Country Club moved at its own pace on admitting women to its super-exclusive membership, refusing to court popular opinion and remaining virtually indifferent to whether the decision was based on what was right or what was expedient.
Augusta National opened in Augusta, Ga., in 1932 and quickly became a symbol of southern exclusivity - only white men were allowed as members. But, whereas, across America, those prohibitions gave way to common sense decades ago, Augusta held out, saying it would make those decisions under its own timetable, if at all. As a private club, it was not under any government compulsion to change its membership policies.
Club Chairman Hootie Johnson, in a retort to women's rights activist Martha Burk, famously said in 2003 that the membership would one day welcome women to their fraternity, "but not at the point of a bayonet."
Those who saw the proscription of women as members must have been at least equally incensed at the absence of blacks, until 1990. Socially and morally, that seems an even more outrageous gaffe, and it would have been underscored even more heavily had it continued into the era of Tiger Woods's dominance in golf. Imagine if Augusta National, home of the fabled Masters Tournament, would not have embraced into its brotherhood the most famous, most popular and best golfer of the era and the winner of its own tournament four times.
Rejecting women was merely haughty for the first 60 or so years. Then it became a matter of stubbornness. Augusta refused to be bullied. But, by the end of the 20th century, it was clearly counter to the club's best interests.
One of the club's highest priorities is enhancing the popularity of the game of golf. Snubbing half of the prospects is at extreme odds with that initiative.
But Billy Paine, who succeeded the retiring Johnson in 2006, had apparently all along been an advocate for women at the club and has finally enacted his longtime ambition.
Two rich, successful women - Condoleeza Rice and Darla Moore - will break the new ground, joining the rich, successful men at Augusta.
The club will not reap positive publicity for doing what it should have done long ago. Like most of those types of injustices, this one fell with a muted thump, rather than a resounding crash.
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