The UNPLAYABLE LIE1995

A woman in Indiana had belonged to the local country club since she was a child. Her parents were members. She gets married and brings her husband into the club. Eventually, she and her husband divorce. He remains a member and she is thrown out.... Traditionally and historically, men owned the shares in the clubs - they created the rules that restricted access to their non-working wives. In the past, women accepted such restraints. But today, a young, determined generation of women who grew up believing in equality insist that golf is a key to business success, and refuse to accept the indignities of the past. For five years, seasoned journalist and legal expert Marcia Chambers interviewed these women, following them from living room to courtroom, from clubhouse to statehouse, from fairway to picket line. Now, in the first book to expose the rampant discrimination that pervades the game, Marcia Chambers presents a lively, authoritative look at why traditional activism doesn't work, and offers winning strategies to help women break through these barriers and create positive change. From the informal, conciliatory approaches that have been successful in some clubs to the hardball tactics that become necessary when rules won't bend, The Unplayable Lie offers women a wide range of options and alternatives. From public and resort courses to some of the nation's most exclusive private - even all-male - clubs, Marcia Chambers draws on other true stories of women, and some men, who have challenged their clubs' policies, sometimes successfully, sometimes with disastrous results. She shows how their tenacity ultimately helped change the clubs' agendas, with positive and permanent results. The Unplayable Lie shows women how to claim their rightful status as equal partners enjoying the many benefits of golf - professional, social, and recreational - that have long been enjoyed exclusively by men.