As I peruse the day’s news, I am always astounded by the number of “non-stories” the media tries to sell the public and the latest, “Should Women Join Augusta National,” is about the most ridiculous bunch of blather I’ve ever seen. Please, we crossed that bridge long ago and to rehash it – just because primary sponsor IBM has a new female CEO – is a case of some writer having nothing better to do.
I have been to the Masters over 20 times down through the years and, yes, it is one of the few sacred jewels in sports still standing.
The course, once an indigo plantation, may be the prettiest sports venue in America and the staid clubhouse reeks of genteel Southern life, easy laughter and a fervent following of the greatest golfers in the world.
The club membership at Augusta is also made up of the finest and most successful men in the world. Mark this down; at Augusta every member is a chief – there ain’t no ordinary Indians – and to taunt the stiff shirts only heightens their response to keep their membership strictly male. I was there when the first black member was seen wearing a trademark green jacket and I tried not to yawn. Big deal.
The same will happen when some of the old geezers, who still shiver at the thought women’s rights advocates would try to picket on the far side on Magnolia lane, eventually die off and a gentler, kinder leadership takes over. For years it was privately whispered Chattanooga’s fabled Betty Probasco, truly a fabulous golfer in her younger days, would be the first woman but it never happened.
“Betty Pro,” who has singularly done more for women’s golf than anyone will ever know, won many state championships in Kentucky – before she fell in love with Scotty – and then ruled Tennessee’s courses for years. There is a beautiful plaque that attests that at The Honors Club in Ooltewah. She’s widely known in Southern golf circles.
But golf would be a small factor in her getting an invitation from Augusta. Betty is one of the most consummate Southern ladies I have ever known. She is the ultimate partner of a golf course, full of inspiration and enthusiasm and kind laughter but she is also very humble, exceedingly polite, ever gracious and … well, truly a woman of God. That’s what used to get you into Augusta.
Big money got into the picture. Computer giant IBM, for example, pays gazillions as one of few sponsors and the “rub” is that the last four IBM chairmen have been selected to join Augusta National. While they might be good guys, the idea of “buying” one way inside the hallowed hall is almost as distasteful as “buying” your favorite politician. Can you imagine anyone doing that?!?
Anyway, the stage was set when Ginni Rometty was named as IBM’s new CEO in January. Considered one of the most powerful female business women in the world, the 54-year-old Rometty is said to prefer scuba diving over golf, which she plays only sparingly. Her most notable commendation came from former IBM CEO Sam Palmisano when she took the helm. He candidly said, "Ginni got it because she deserved it... It’s got zero to do with progressive social policies."
Bingo! There is your answer – if she deserves to get into Augusta, so be it, but what if she doesn’t care anything about taking off a week in early April and baby-sitting some old, cranky men in Augusta. The news service Reuters tried to make a big deal of it, saying to not tender Rometty an invitation would be to “spurn one of the tournament’s biggest advertisers,” but the way I’ve got it figured the only reason she would put her membership on her IBM expense account is so she could “network” with people like Bill Gates or Warren Buffet. C’mon, in the high circle that called “doing business” but the thought of listening to some old geezer talk about how he once sailed on the Queen Elizabeth doesn’t stir me at all.
President Obama, who you’ll remember is actively seeking votes, was quick to say he thought women should be accepted at Augusta but noted it is a private club. That is why people like me think that is a matter between Ginni Rometty and the fat cats in green jackets. I’m past worrying about why women aren’t included in the Klu Klux Klan, not allowed to take up the offering in some churches, or become members of the governing bodies that supply the Masters players. Who really cares?
Don’t you see? It is a non-story, what newspaper folks used to call “filler” because the tournament had not started earlier in the week and some writer needed a 15-inch story for an early edition. I, for one, have had about enough whining from those interested in “progressive social policies” and that fact I learned Ginni Rometty “earned” her CEO spot was just about the only redeeming feature in the 546 articles that Google presented to us.
Please, let’s move on.
royexum@aol.com