To get past, just ask
By: Sternberg, Stina. Golf Digest
Q. It seem s impossible to get the men at our club to let a group of women play through, even if they’re holding us up. But if we don’t let the men through, we have a ranger on our backs. What should we do?
A. In Sweden, where I grew up, golfers are tested on how to play through before being allowed to play the game. Twosomes or threesomes at any Swedish course can play through five or six groups without incident.
Here, I hardly ever see golfers play through. You’re right—the male ego is involved—but many golfers are also too polite to ask, too ignorant to step aside or too unsure how to do it. So everybody stays put. You say the men at your club resist letting women through, but have you asked them? I can’t imagine anyone would turn you down if you asked in a confident way and promised to make it fast. Wait until the group in front of you has teed off on an appropriate take-over hole (par 5s are best for this), then ask. Be ready with the right club in hand, do not take any practice swings, tee off and get out of sight.
Q. I like betting when I play golf, but we play with a woman who never pays up after losing, and I feel uncomfortable asking for the cash. Thoughts?
A. If you’re taking part in a bet, pay up. I don’t care if you’re rich, poor, male or female. Women like your friend give the rest of us a bad name. But your reluctance to make her pay is almost as inexcusable (as is refusing to accept money from a woman after she loses a bet—something that’s happened to me more than once). There is no chivalry between genders in gambling. I would bring it up on the first tee the next time you play. Tell her you’d love to bet, but only if
she promises to pay.
Q. If Michelle Wie can play on the men’s tour, why can’t men play on the women’s tour? Where’s the equality? Is it a publicity stunt?
A. Michelle Wie is not a publicity stunt. She’s close to being competitive in men’s events now, at 16, so who’s to say she won’t win one someday? But having a man play in a women’s event is silly. I believe in gender equality, but there are physical differences between men and women. It’s biology: Men have more muscle mass. When a female player comes along with the power to hit it as far as the guys, it doesn’t make sense to suggest that her anatomy should forbid her from teeing it up with them. Her lack of a Y chromosome only puts her at a disadvantage to the rest of the field. Flip it around, though, and a man would have an advantage over the entire field.
Q. It seem s impossible to get the men at our club to let a group of women play through, even if they’re holding us up. But if we don’t let the men through, we have a ranger on our backs. What should we do?
A. In Sweden, where I grew up, golfers are tested on how to play through before being allowed to play the game. Twosomes or threesomes at any Swedish course can play through five or six groups without incident.
Here, I hardly ever see golfers play through. You’re right—the male ego is involved—but many golfers are also too polite to ask, too ignorant to step aside or too unsure how to do it. So everybody stays put. You say the men at your club resist letting women through, but have you asked them? I can’t imagine anyone would turn you down if you asked in a confident way and promised to make it fast. Wait until the group in front of you has teed off on an appropriate take-over hole (par 5s are best for this), then ask. Be ready with the right club in hand, do not take any practice swings, tee off and get out of sight.
Q. I like betting when I play golf, but we play with a woman who never pays up after losing, and I feel uncomfortable asking for the cash. Thoughts?
A. If you’re taking part in a bet, pay up. I don’t care if you’re rich, poor, male or female. Women like your friend give the rest of us a bad name. But your reluctance to make her pay is almost as inexcusable (as is refusing to accept money from a woman after she loses a bet—something that’s happened to me more than once). There is no chivalry between genders in gambling. I would bring it up on the first tee the next time you play. Tell her you’d love to bet, but only if
she promises to pay.
Q. If Michelle Wie can play on the men’s tour, why can’t men play on the women’s tour? Where’s the equality? Is it a publicity stunt?
A. Michelle Wie is not a publicity stunt. She’s close to being competitive in men’s events now, at 16, so who’s to say she won’t win one someday? But having a man play in a women’s event is silly. I believe in gender equality, but there are physical differences between men and women. It’s biology: Men have more muscle mass. When a female player comes along with the power to hit it as far as the guys, it doesn’t make sense to suggest that her anatomy should forbid her from teeing it up with them. Her lack of a Y chromosome only puts her at a disadvantage to the rest of the field. Flip it around, though, and a man would have an advantage over the entire field.
posted by James at 3:02 PM
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