David Shwarz has weighed in on the sexism row at a prestigious Victorian golf club after three members were suspended after protesting against cheaper membership for women.
Melbourne football legend Schwarz revealed he is friends with the trio, Terry, Nigel and Kevin, who were banned for two months from the 13th Beach Golf Links in Victoria after one of them dressed as a woman and asked for membership.
“It was a joke… I’m one of those members who would love to get a six-day membership because I don’t play golf at the weekend,” Schwarz — who won the Demons’ best and fairest club award in 1999 — told the Herald Sun.
‘I’ve been a member there for 15 years and I’ve never played on a weekend, ever. I’ve never played in a club championship and I’d love the chance to have a six-day membership.’
Schwarz added that many members of the club share the same sentiment, with 130 people signing a petition calling for the resignation of chairman Grant Phelps.
“I understand that we want to grow the sport and we want more women. We’re all for doing what we can to get more women into sports. But this is not the way to do it,” he said.
‘I think most other clubs … in Victoria, they offer discounted entry fees for junior memberships. That’s certainly one way to get more members. But to isolate one section with a special membership is just unfair and probably not well thought out, because there are a lot of people who find it financially difficult to pay their fees every year.’
David Schwarz has weighed in on the row surrounding one of Victoria’s most prestigious golf clubs
The 13th Beach Golf Links has been hit by a storm of sexism in recent months
Schwarz said the latest row is one of a number of issues dividing the club, including recent renovations which have “raised some eyebrows”.
A teenager was also suspended for posting on social media that the club’s cakes were more expensive than the MCG, but the decision was successfully appealed.
“There were just a lot of mistakes made (where I don’t think members were consulted),” he said.
‘And when you try to make your point, it’s like the f***ing Gestapo.’
General manager Rob Hurley cited the trio as violating club policy “by disrespecting staff, filming them without their consent and then posting the video on a messaging service” as the reason for the latest suspensions.
“The suspension had nothing to do with the members’ chosen attire,” he said.
’13th Beach has a clear procedure for dealing with complaints about member conduct. The procedure for this matter is still ongoing. 13th Beach is committed to protecting and providing a safe working environment for its staff.’
Golf Australia’s James Sutherland supported the club, saying the organisation strongly opposes “anyone who protests, harasses or campaigns against attempts to correct the historic under-representation in our sport”.
“We want golf to be a sport for everyone. We strongly believe that we can all be golfers and that people should feel welcome and included in our golf community,” he said.
A golf club member has been suspended after dressing up as a woman in protest
‘There have been some incredible success stories in recent times, where clubs have transformed themselves in line with the ambition to make golf a fun, welcoming, community sport, which is why we are very supportive of the initiative by 13th Beach Golf Links to try and grow and diversify its membership.
‘Behaviour that runs counter to golf’s ambition to become more inclusive, whether it is of women, young people, people with disabilities or people from culturally diverse backgrounds, only reinforces the idea that golf is stuck in the past and refuses to change.
‘Such behaviour should not be tolerated and must be addressed by the entire golf community.’
13th Beach has announced new special deals aimed at encouraging more female players to join the club, with the club aiming to increase female membership from the current 18 percent to 30 percent by 2027.
In May, the club said on social media that the new membership agreements provided “the perfect opportunity for women new to golf, or seasoned golfers”, to play at 13th Beach Golf Links, located near Barwon Heads.
Last month, Phelps said only ten women had taken advantage of the six-day membership and he defended the decision.