Golf Digest Woman ran an article in their March edition entitled Golf&Women,Woman Undercover. It is a an expose that features LPGA golfer, Kim Hall going to play golf on five occasions wearing different garb and playing to different golfing skill levels. She is covertly accompanied by golf writer Peter Finch. They arrive at the golf course as singles and end up partnering into foursomes with other golfers. The behavior displayed in the article by a several of men Kim ends up in a foursome with is deplorable.
The writer starts out by saying that he anticipated some men would not want to golf with a woman. You can read the article in it entirety here http://golfdig.st/yiOMy2 .As a lady golfer I am not surprised at the notion of men blowing by the forward tee box after they have hit their drives on hole one to avoid playing with a woman. In one scenario Hall and Lynch are held up by the guys that sped away on hole one through the fourth hole. At which point they ask to join the rude twosome for the sake of pace of play.(As an aside,I am a little intolerant of these kind of shenanigans,my drive on the first hole might have buzzed these two as they sped off)
The only issue I have with the article is at the beginning where some of the golf course staff are falling all over the Kim when she dons the fashionable clothing. In my opinion, it is not really fair to be critical of the men for being overly courteous to a woman.The premise and the expectation are a little silly in my opinion. They are male. They are going to fawn all over an attractive well dressed lady.
Women only comprise 25% of the total golf population, so I suppose I am a golf minority.The number of people playing golf over the last few years has declined, some might refer to this as an evening out period. Many courses were built during a ten year boom and there simply are not enough golfers to play the available courses. Adding to the golf decline is the present dismal economic situation, which finds people having less time and money to play.
The PGA of America has placed an emphasis on growing the game at present, as they should. If more people are playing, the course conditions and available places to play benefit from a financial standpoint. I am a member of private club here in Montgomery County but, frequently play public courses and semi-private courses. (I do not particularly like the way my home course sets up off of the forward tees, so I like to change it up a bit.) I bring this up because I want you to comprehend that I see the antics on display in the article constantly. I have encountered many surly old men with antediluvian attitudes that miraculously end up playing directly in front of me off of the pro tee at a snail's pace.
Apparently, the article dredged up one male golfer/freelance golf writer from New Hampshire, a Mr. Wayne Mills who took it upon himself to respond to the expose via a three page diatribe to Golf Digest. He begins by saying that he is upset by the presumption that men not wanting to golf with women makes them "knuckle-draggers." I think,fair enough,he is upset by the particular wording used in the article. As, I read on I realize that his tirade only serves to illustrate that he may actually be Cro-Magnon man. He goes on to contradict his own contentions numerous times. He claims to have the inside scoop, that everyone at golf courses hates women because they complain,are rude and cheap. (I'd love for you to be able to link to his letter in the entirety but, it has caused such a stir that Golf Digest has pulled it down. If you desire to read this madness,I can email it to you, as I saved the text for reference)
The only complaining I have ever done on a golf course is relevant to slow pace of play and the state of the greens. I am always overly courteous and follow proper etiquette on the course.I do not walk through people's lines while putting,repair ball marks and fill in my divots. Cheap?My friends and me socialize post round in the clubhouse. We order food and get drinks,just like our male counterparts.
Finally, Wayne cancels his subscription to Golf Digest and threatens that he will not reinstate his subscription to the magazine, unless he gets an apology for the, "irresponsible hack job."
To you Mr. Wayne Mills and your like minded brethren, I say, your chauvinist attitude is a plague on the game of golf. I seriously wonder whether some woman somewhere outplayed you on a golf course and emasculated you to the point that warped your mentality. Your mindset is the precise reason some women get intimidated and walk away from golf. You are the antithesis of the PGA of America's efforts to grow the game. Someone like you simply fuels a girl like me to want to play better and bring ten of my friends to the game as new golfers.
Since My Husband and I normally fight over the new issue of Golf Digest when it arrives at our home perhaps we should have two subscriptions.That would alleviate the need to regain Mr. Mill's subscription altogether. Something tells me Wayne Mills will not be able to refrain from re-subscribing. Who among us golf nuts can live without reading the Hot List?
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