David Shwarz has waded into the sexism row engulfing a prestigious golf club in Victoria after three members were banned after protesting against a cheaper membership offering to women.
Melbourne footy great Schwarz revealed he is friends with the trio – named Terry, Nigel and Kevin – who copped two-month bans from Victoria’s 13th Beach Golf Links after one of them dressed up as a woman and enquired about the membership deal.
‘It was a joke … I’m one of those members that would love a six-day membership because I don’t play weekend golf,’ Schwarz — who won the Demons’ best-and-fairest award in 1999 — told the Herald Sun.
‘I’ve been a member there for 15 years, and never played on a weekend, ever. I’ve never played in a club championship, and I’d love the opportunity to have a six-day membership.’
Schwarz added that many members of the club take the same view as him, with 130 signing a petition for the removal of chairman Grant Phelps.
‘I understand we want to grow the game, and we want more women and whatever they can do to get more women to play, we’re all for that, but this is not the right way to go about it,’ he said.
‘I think what most other clubs … right around Victoria do, is offer a discount on a joining fee for junior memberships and that’s certainly a way to get to get more participants, but to isolate one section with a special membership is just totally unfair and probably not thought through because there’s a lot of people that financially find it difficult to pay their subs each year.’
David Schwarz has waded into the row engulfing one of Victoria’s most prestigious golf clubs
The 13th Beach Golf Links has been mired by a sexism storm in recent months
Schwarz said that the latest row is one of a number of issues that have divided the club, including recent renovations that had ‘raised some eyebrows’.
A teenager was also suspended for posting on social media that the pies were more expensive at the club than at the MCG, although that decision has been successfully appealed.
‘There’s just been a lot of been a lot of mistakes (where) I think members haven’t been consulted,’ he said.
‘And when you try and make a point, it’s like the f***ing Gestapo.’
Explaining the reason for the latest suspensions, general manager Rob Hurley said the trio allegedly breached club policies ‘in that they treated staff with disrespect, filmed them without their consent, and then published that video on a messaging service.
‘The suspension did not relate to the chosen attire of the members,’ he said.
’13th Beach has a clear process for dealing with complaints related to member behaviour, and the process for this matter is still ongoing. 13th Beach is committed to protecting and providing a safe work environment for its staff.’
James Sutherland of Golf Australia backed the club, saying the organisation strongly opposes ‘people who protest, harass or campaign against efforts to correct historical under-representation in our sport’.
‘We want golf to be a sport for all. We strongly believe that all of us can be golfers and 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 an act of protest
‘There are some incredible success stories over recent times where clubs have transformed themselves in line with the ambition for golf to be a fun, welcoming community sport. As such, we strongly support the initiative of 13th Beach Golf Links in seeking to grow and diversify its membership base.
‘Behaviour that opposes golf’s ambition to become more inclusive, whether it be with women, juniors, people with a disability or those from culturally diverse backgrounds, only reinforces the perception that golf is stuck in the past and refuses to change.
‘Such behaviour should not be tolerated and should be challenged by the broader golfing community.’
13th Beach have announced new special deals aimed to encourage more women players to participate. The club’s goal is to raise female membership from its existing 18 per cent to 30 per cent by 2027.
In May, the club said on social media that the new membership deals 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 10 women had taken up the six-day membership deal and defended the move.
