Customer Reviews

The Unplayable Lie: The Untold Story of Women and Discrimination in American Golf

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This non-fiction book is extremely well reseached and written. The discrimination against women that it recounts is appalling, and sadly common place. This is an ideal starting place for anyone who wants to impliment change at his or her club. The book also deatails that manner in which the PGA Tour, the PGA of America, and the USGA foster continued discrimination against women by holding tournaments at clubs which discriminate. This is also a morality tale which shows just how far women have to go in American in the late 20th century to overcome sex discrimination. The men at these private clubs who are discriminating againt women are the same men who are at the economic top of our country. They are more than willing to do in private what they know is both leaglly and morally wrong to do in their business relations. But for Title VII and the state laws against discrimination, women would be far behind where they are today. An excellent book which should be read by anybody who loves the game of golf or who is concerned with social justice.

This is an excellent summary of the discrimination issues women have faced (and in 2008 that many continue to face) at private, family golf clubs. But the book is somewhat more than that because it compares the treatment of women at private clubs with those playing golf at public and resort courses. The evidence is anecdotal because by their private nature a lot of what goes on at clubs isn't exposed to public scrutiny. Nevertheless, the author manages to create a reasonable picture of what goes on behind the closed gate with respect to women and how their situation has been improved at many clubs in the past 20 years or so. Although clearly on the women's side, the attorney author presents her case in a reasonable, thoughtful manner. Somewhat surprisingly, there is very little other literature on the subject. For anyone dealing with these issues today, this book is probably the best starting point, notwithstanding its age.

This book will have very limited appeal. Taken at face value, the author's condescending ar guments are valid. But the average golfer has
very little sympathy for upper crust women who
want to have the same unfettered right to dis
criminate against the rest of us that their male
counterparts have enjoyed with impunity for
years. They are outraged that private country
clubs view them with the same disdain that they
have for public course patrons. The utter ab
surdity of their position is shown in the quote
that introduces the text. A divorcee who was
banished from her country club dares to proclaim
that "Rosa Parks was told to go to the back of
the bus. I was thrown off the bus." Yeah, right!