| Which sport don't you regard as a sport? on 10:53 - Nov 29 by 1953Original |
Anything Equestrian related! What's show jumping all about - horse does all the work!! |
I think the one thing that irks me most about golf is the institutionalised misogyny displayed by many clubs. Women are often treated as second-class citizens and banned from being members in some. In many women are barely tolerated as guests and limited to only certain lounges with some bars closed to them.
The Royal & Ancient GC of St Andrews finally voted to admit women members in Sept 2014 under much political pressure from government that they would lose all their tax breaks otherwise (as applied to their massive Open income). When their women members' rules are finally formulated and voted on by their members you can bet they will be restrictive and demeaning. Other clubs (such as Troon and Muirfield) have voted to remain female-free zones, as apparently they are permitted to do under law, as private members' clubs.
For this discrimination alone, I do not believe golf can be considered as a 'sport' open to all.
Edit to add: The Royal & Ancient GC of St Andrews has been a different entity to the R&A that now runs the Open, since 2004 in fact. And the 7 courses in St Andrews are owned by a trust, not by the GC. Nevertheless, the Royal & Ancient GC still benefits financially. I wonder how many women members they have by now? After the vote, they said they were going to fast track a significant number. [Post edited 30 Nov 2014 12:59]
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