Ladies and English golf clubs

[matriga]

Hello there,
I lived in England for year and played several golf courses around Worcestershire. I was very sorry to see that many clubs don't let women play on the course except on tuesdays or mondays. Others have a rule saying women aren't allowed in one of the clubhouse's bars after 7 pm or another that had one women's bar and one men bar plus a course for both sexes. (Posh club)

What is your opinion on this discrimination towards ladies?
Do you prefer it like that? Do you think it's unfair? Would you change it?
Please, no need for macho's

PS: I'm a 15 y o girl

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Personally, if they are private members clubs then I don't have a problem with it. It works both ways, there are also women only golf clubs (Sunningdale Ladies springs to mind). Granted there are more men only clubs than ladies only ones but it's not just golf where this exists.

 

[sev112]

i think there shoudl be no discrimination whatsoever

then we get rid of seniors, veterans, ladies only comps, men only comps, etc etc and anyone can play when they want

but then everone should pay the same

not the most practical solution, but you will get to know that with me

Well done on your club championship

 

[duncan mackie]

I have played a huge amount of golf over the last 35 years and have been totally unaware of such practices - so it's rather difficult to comment

I am aware of some with strict dress codes, and a lot who don't permit anything but 2 balls, but none that don't permit women.

 

[rikkitikk]

Sunningdale Ladies does have male membership. Personally I think that similar access to both clubhouse and course should be granted to both men and women.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

i think there shoudl be no discrimination whatsoever

then we get rid of seniors, veterans, ladies only comps, men only comps, etc etc and anyone can play when they want

but then everone should pay the same

not the most practical solution, but you will get to know that with me

Well done on your club championship

The women and seniors are going to love it when you get rid of red and yellow tees as well and everyone plays from the back

 

[louise_a]

club champion and 10 handicap at 15, well done you, great stuff.

At my club, we have restrictions, Wednesday is mens midweek medal so we can only go out after the last ones in the medal have started, similar on Saturday men's main comp day we can go out after 6pm, the same on Sundays if there is a mens comp. Thursday is our day but men can play but must give way. We do have a couple of saturday comps and several sunday ones. In the clubhouse the only restriction is we cant go into the gentleman;s lounge on friday evenings, they have a presentation night on fridays apparently. The wqomen's lounge is off limits to men on thursdays.
so there is an amount of segregation but we pay £545 a year and the 7 day men pay £799 so I am not complaining.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

louise

I'm really surprised at that, I thought that nowadays if a club was mixed, it had to be completely equal.

Like my club, were women can now play anytime they want at weekends but still have the course to themselves on Thursdays

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I use to belong to Wimbledon Common which for years was men only. It eventually saw the light and introduce lady members as it needed fresh blood to survive. I have no qualms about having lady members at Royal Ascot. They have their set times on Tuesday but are more than welcome to play anytime and there are usually at least a dozen or so regulars up there most days. I thought they were doing away with separate fees based on sex???

 

[williamalex1]

if ladies wish to pay the same full fees . play off the same medal tees ; and have the same maximum handicap system . and use the same toilets in the trees . same dress code ect. and no narking . why not have equal rights in golf clubs. no probs .better than some of the ugly gits i have to play with

 

[bluewolf]

I think it's a really sad indictment of golf when a 15yr old girl feels this way. Golf should be open to everyone who wants to play. Restrictions should only be placed on those individuals who have no interest in abiding by the etiquette and rules we all abide by. I hope you find that not all golf clubs are run this way.

 

[louise_a]

louise

I'm really surprised at that, I thought that nowadays if a club was mixed, it had to be completely equal.

Like my club, were women can now play anytime they want at weekends but still have the course to themselves on Thursdays

The mens comps on saturdays are always over subscribed, the tee's are reserved for their comps.
Personally I dont have a problem with the restrictions, I pay a lot less and normally dont want to play weekends anyway, I have other stuff to do then, maybe a selfish atttitude on my part.
Certainly if I was payin the say as the men I would expect to be able to play when I want, but i am payign about 30% less.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

louise

I understand what you are saying but I thought that under the Equality Act, all parties had to be completely equal in a mixed club?

 

[bluewolf]

Certainly if I was payin the say as the men I would expect to be able to play when I want, but i am payign about 30% less.

Not meaning to have a go, but is equality something that can be bought and sold?

 

[chrisd]

Our lady members paid less than the men and agreed not to tee off before 11am at weekends. It was an arrangement that they were happy with but the equality laws put paid to that. They now pay the same and we rarely see any ladies playing before 11am! Otherwise, there are no differences in the membership and that is the way it should be. The men have competitions on a Sunday morning but some tee times are left free for ladies, but so far, none have ever been taken up.

I think that making lady and gent members pay the same could, in the short term, be detrimental to ladies golf as some will no doubt join the "nomads" when they have to pay more.

 

[louise_a]

I can only assume that these rules were voted for before I joined, not sure how equalaties act affects private clubs.

 

[DaveM]

The equality laws effect all clubs, private members or any other. It not only applies to sex but also age.

 

[richart]

Like my club, were women can now play anytime they want at weekends but still have the course to themselves on Thursdays

Same at my place, except ladies day is Tuesday.

 

[louise_a]

i must ask why my club is how it is.

 

[Foxholer]

louise

I'm really surprised at that, I thought that nowadays if a club was mixed, it had to be completely equal.

Like my club, were women can now play anytime they want at weekends but still have the course to themselves on Thursdays

So that;s not 'completely equal' is it. The Ladies actually have more 'rights' than the Men! I hope they pay higher subs for that privilege!

Sunningdale Ladies used to allow men to have Associate Membership, but it's full membership (only) now I believe. Great course btw!

I can see the reasoning on competition days reserving times for the competition, so 'excluding' those not playing in it from playing.

Having different tees for different levels makes a lot of sense, whether by handicap, age or sex. Only the particularly inane (mainly Scottish) clubs have single tees! Even that supposed bastion of male sanctuary, Muirfield, which has 'limited facilities' for ladies has 'Red' tees appropriate to Ladies/Seniors.

Perhaps as a Junior, and benefiting from significantly reduced subs, there were restrictions on you, but most of the clubs I've been associated have been pretty equal. It is actually possible to run a mixed competition as a single competition - with 1 winner - using equity for the different Pars/SSSs.

In fact, my observation has been that the middle-aged ladies that played golf seemed to get much better value out of their 7 available days at the club than their working husbands who generally only got to play 2 days - but that just reflects society and will probably change somewhat over time.