The Week That Was, september 9, 2012

scotland It’s Still a Man’s World

Now that Augusta National Golf Club has gone co-ed, are some of the world’s other high-prestige all-men’s clubs planning to follow suit?

I wouldn’t bet on it happening anytime soon.

At least three world-famous golf clubs in Scotland don’t admit women, including two legendary venues for the Open Championship: Muirfield in East Lothian, the host of next year’s Open, and Royal Troon Golf Club in South Ayrshire, which is scheduled to host the event in 2016.

Muirfield has taken some heat about its policy from various sources, most prominently the Scottish government.

“Augusta National’s decision to admit women members for the first time is a positive move forward for women’s sport,” a government spokesperson said in a comment reported by the Daily Record. “The Scottish government is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all people living in Scotland, and ministers believe that all golf clubs should be open to men and to women.”

It’s a comforting sentiment. But Muirfield is standing its ground.

“Single-gender clubs cannot be classed as discriminatory,” the club’s secretary answered. “It is simply the freedom of people to keep their own company -- men or women.”

He added: “There will be no imminent change here at Muirfield. To the best of my knowledge, it is not even on the agenda.”

One of the nation’s former prime ministers has chastised another prominent Scottish club, Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, for having a restricted membership.

“If the golf club in Augusta can start to admit women, then shouldn’t St. Andrews?” Gordon Brown asked pointedly. “If they can do it in South Carolina and we can’t do it in Scotland, then I think we’ve got to think hard and long about issues of discrimination in our own country, where we’ve got to tackle that inequality and that injustice.”

Another soothing sentiment. But Royal & Ancient, like Muirfield, has its own row to hoe.

“The rules of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews specify a male membership,” one of its spokespeople commented dryly, “and this policy remains a matter for our members to determine.”

If you’re wondering, yes, I’m aware that Augusta National is in Georgia. But we don’t need to quibble.

As long as we’re talking about the United States, I might as well mention that our nation reportedly has 25 clubs that are closed to women, and I haven’t been able to find any suggestion that any of them will soon be making changes.

The owner of Black Sheep Golf Club in suburban Chicago, Illinois, summed up the American attitude this way: “Why is it not politically correct to have a place where men can gather and enjoy themselves, playing a sport? It really isn’t about women. It’s simply about golf.”

india The Bear Market

For years, Jack Nicklaus has been trying to cash in on design opportunities in India. To date, however, his firm has produced just two golf courses in the nation (Classic Golf Resort in the state of Gurgaon and Kalhaar Blues & Greens in the state of Gujarat), and his website lists only one other project in planning.

This is a surprise, and not just because Nicklaus is one of the world’s most famous architects. Nicklaus is responsible for five courses in the Philippines, six in South Korea, and seven in Thailand -- all nations with far less golf tradition than India. What is it about India that’s prevented him from producing more than one golf course?

Nicklaus recently shared some of his thoughts about golf in India with Golf Digest India. Here’s a little of what he had to say:

Golf has been played in India for decades, but there has not been a great amount of play relative to the incredible population of the country. While cricket and soccer continue to be popular in India, golf has been a bit slow to catch on with the masses. 

With golf becoming an Olympic sport, combined with the population in India and a large middle class, there’s a real opportunity that exists to introduce and grow a game that really fits the demographics and also the collective talents of an athletic nation. The opportunity truly exists, and it’s an exciting one. I think you’re going to see the game of golf grow in India because of golf’s inclusion as an Olympic sport. My hope is that this heightened global awareness will help promote the game. . . . 

There is a certain lifestyle that surrounds the game of golf, and I think that lifestyle appeals to many potential consumers in emerging markets such as India. I also think there is a greater understanding in these markets about the increased value associated with residential tied into golf. There is a growing market in India of aspirational, second-home buyers, and golf-related real estate helps respond to that demand. . . . 

We have been working hard to contribute to the development of golf in India. But like many emerging markets, India has its own challenges. It can be very difficult to acquire land and assemble people to put it together and commit to it. We’ve done a couple of projects in India, but it’s been relatively slow. I can understand that because of the world economy and because of the lack of available land and water. 

Having said that, I have challenged everyone in our design firm to make certain that if someone comes to us with the desire to create a golf course, no matter how much land they have, we should do everything in our power to provide them a golf experience. Nowhere does it mandate that we have to create for the client an 18-hole golf course of championship length. The best thing we can do for India and the development of the game is to provide every interested owner or developer a “golf experience.” This can be anything from 12 holes to nine to six to just three. It can be a golf academy or even a learning center that has practice holes and greens. 

The game of golf has always been controlled by how far a golf ball goes. But I think it should be the other way round. We have a lot of people coming to us with 40 acres, 60 acres, and 80 acres of land and an intent to do a golf course. I think we owe it to the game of golf to introduce them to the game, retain them, and design a course on that piece of property. We need to develop a golf ball to fit the property, and not the other way round. If we can do that, the game of golf will grow in India, and golf will be a far more affordable and accessible sport.

united states Minimalist Fanfare

So far this year, we’ve checked off three much-anticipated golf courses: Coore & Crenshaw’s 13-hole course at Bandon Dunes, Rod Whitman’s Cabot Links in Nova Scotia, and Martin Hawtree’s layout at Trump International Golf Club Scotland.

By the end of the year, we’ll likely check off three more: the complimentary 18s designed by Coore & Crenshaw and Tom Doak at the Streamsong resort in Florida, along with a Coore & Crenshaw track on Hainan Island in China.

So what can we look forward to in 2013?

As best I can determine, so far just one forthcoming course is making significant noise: the Doak-designed second course at Dismal River Club in Mullen, Nebraska. Golfweek reports that the $2 million layout -- the price certainly appears to be right, doesn’t it? -- is expected to open late next year.

wild card click Back in the day, my favorite political button simply said RESIST.