Women Golfers Enjoy (mostly) Equal Access
By Mike Rego
mrego@eastbaynewspapers.com
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EAST BAY - If only Augusta were in Rhode Island instead of Georgia all this fuss may not have happened after all, at least not to such an extent.
While Augusta National Golf Club Chairman Hootie Johnson and National Coalition of Women’s Organizations leader Martha Burk have rattled sabers and exchanged barbs in the media, the rest of the golfing world is going about its business with regularity, including here in the Ocean State where no women are knowingly excluded from club memberships.
"I don’t see that we have many problems," said Trudy Dufault, a Portsmouth resident and executive director of the Ocean State Women’s Golf Association (OSWGA).
"I think things are wonderful here," she added. "Every women has the opportunity to join two associations (OSWGA and the R.I. Women’s Golf Association). They can play in a lot of tournaments. They have the opportunity to play on just about all of the private and public courses in the state. Things are very good for women golfers in Rhode Island."
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R.I.’s rich history
Rhode Island has arguably the richest golf history in the region, especially so in the last few decades as professionals and amateurs, men and women from the state have performed on the sport’s biggest stages.
East Bay-area products Brad Faxon and Billy Andrade have not only shone the spotlight on the state with their exploits on the PGA Tour, the duo has also brought a first-class annual event (CVS Charity Classic) to its borders.
And they’re not the only ones. The Quigley Family, Pat Horgan, Patrick Sheehan, Joe Cioe, Ed Kirby and a host of other players with roots in Little Rhody have had or are about to have their moments in the golfing sun.
Professionally, Rhode Island has yet to have a female break out of the pack into the national or international ranks, except for the major successes of one-time resident Joann Carner. In the amateurs, however, the state and the East Bay have been and continue to be well represented in tournaments all over the globe.
Among the names that have become familiar to followers of the sport are Barrington natives Nancy Chaffee and Julie Greene.
Local notables
Ms. Greene is the most decorated woman in Rhode Island annuls, winning the R.I. Women’s Golf Association (RIGWA) championship a record 11 times. Her most recent titles came in a three-year stretch from 1996 to 1998. Her first championship was in 1963.
Ms. Chaffee has won the title four times in her career, and the last ended Ms. Greene’s streak in 1999. She also won a RIWGA junior championship and more recently a senior crown to give her statewide wins in five different decades.
"I just love playing the game," said Ms. Chaffee, a member at Newport Country Club. "I don’t care who I play it with, man or woman, as long as I get to play."
Ms. Chaffee grew up playing golf at Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington where her father, Thomas Johnson, was a member from 1936 until his death at the age of 98 in 1999. Today, she remains a club stalwart with her husband, David.
Ms. Chaffee said she faced little opposition when she was younger and that had a lot to do with being aware of proper golf etiquette by her father.
"I was always taught to play very fast, not to get in the way," she said. "And if you were on the first tee, get up there and hit the ball."
Ms. Chaffee has hit the ball well for quite some time. Her credible game and winning touch have also helped her overcome any obstacles she has come across.
"I think winning the junior championship was a big turning point for me," she said.
"After that, and even to this day, I still join up with the men or with the high school kids," she said. "I don’t think it matters if you’re a woman or a man. It’s about whether or not you can play the game."
Changes
Most women began playing the game in what could be referred to as golf’s "Dark Ages," when females and minorities were openly, blatantly discriminated against. At the same time, club memberships and decision-making positions were almost never available. Most of those things, thankfully, have changed for the better.
"I see now where women have more of a voice. I see them on boards at the clubs. I think people listen to women more than they ever have," said Ms. Chaffee.
"And I think that’s because they know women have good ideas, too," she continued. "It’s just like in business. If you don’t pool together the best ideas then things won’t improve. Some women have better ideas than men, and some men have better ideas than women. But at least it’s not all about decorations anymore for women. We’re not just on the house committee anymore."
The clubs across the state, in fact, have been more than helpful over the years as the women’s game continues to grow in popularity and prosper, according to RIWGA president Trish Keough.
"I think the state of women’s golf in Rhode Island is very positive," said Ms. Keough. "The clubs have been very good to both women and men. I think we’re in a very good position here. The clubs, the memberships, have been very supportive of women’s golf. We get very good publicity. People know about our sport and a lot of that has do with the clubs."
Ms. Keough also pointed to the development of the Button Hole course in Providence, tailored towards the area’s youth, as another key to the growth of the game.
Time change?
One of the last hurdles women have to leap is that of preferred tee times, which remain mostly at private clubs though some public and semi-private courses still adhere to the practice.
It’s a tricky issue. For years, men got the better times because of their status within the club, the dues they paid and their superior ability.
Just about all those things are now equally shared, including women who can hit the ball upwards of 300 yards.
"Women want equal time," said Ms. Dufault, a member at Montaup Country Club in Portsmouth for more than two decades.
"A lot about preferred tee times has to do with the amount of dues members pay. Most men pay single dues, while most women are part of a family membership," Ms. Dufault continued. "But if women are paying the same money as men, are paying for single membership, then they should get to play at the same times."
Said Ms. Keough, "As far as tee times go, it depends on the club. My club, Potowomut, is gender neutral. If I have an equal membership with my husband than I can get the same tee time he does. It’s really about the club and the membership."
Ms. Chaffee and Ms. Dufault agreed that most women would be in favor of seeing the practice changed, but said there isn’t a significant force driving a switch.
"Things evolve," said Ms. Chaffee. "Everything is that way. I’m sure the younger girls would like to see it happen a lot sooner, but I think there’s less and less of it going on."
Said Ms. Dufault, "I think every woman in the State of Rhode Island would like to see it change, but I think progress is being made. I don’t think it will happen overnight."
Today, organizations such as the RIGWA and the OSWGA, locally, and the U.S. Golf Association and the Ladies Professional Golf Association, nationally, are working toward breaking down those last few barriers that exist.
No longer are women in golf shunned to the side. Rather, they are heard with the same ear as their male counterparts on most issues. And even men are beginning to take up their cause. Change may not come at the rate as some would like, but it is in the works.
"Everyone I’ve come across in the state, including men, have been more than professional about opening doors for women in golf," said Ms. Dufault.
Many doors may be open to women golfers in Rhode Island, but at Augusta they remain closed to this point. Ms. Chaffee, for one, said that might have been different as well if not for the commotion created by Burk’s insistence and Johnson’s resistance.
"I think if (Burk) had not said some of the things she did a woman would be a member at Augusta by now," said Ms. Chaffee. "But it’s still a men’s club. There are women’s clubs out there, too. They’re private organizations. It’s up to each one to decide."
Meanwhile, things will go as planned at the Masters. Hootie Johnson will present the much coveted green jacket to the tournament winner come Sunday afternoon and Martha Burk will likely lead groups of protesters just a few blocks away from Magnolia Lane.
If only Augusta were in Rhode Island, all this fuss may not be going on at all. Maybe. Maybe not.
Women’s golf websites
Here’s a list of local, regional and national websites of interest to women golfers. The local sites include information about area tournaments, handicaps and rules. The national sites have daily news updates, health tips, equipment evaluations and other items pertaining to the sport.
• Rhode Island Women’s Golf Association: www.riwga.org
• Ocean State Women’s Golf Association: www.oswga.org
• United States Golf Association: www.usga.org
• Ladies Professional Golf Association: www.lpga.com
• Women’s Online Golf: www.womensgolf.org
• Sporting Women’s Invitational Golf (SWING, a New England-
based organization): www.swing.org
• Tee Time Magazine (New England women’s golf publication):
www.teetime-mag.com
• Executive Women’s Golf Association: www.ewga.com
• She Golfs Inc.: www.shegolfs.com
• Women’s Golf Co.: www.womensgolf.com