Golf is a sport that many see as a luxury for the wealthy. It’s primarily played at country clubs where men can play a round and have a drink at the bar afterward. What I didnt know was that this stereotype we see in America also extends to other countries like Mexico. As the article mentioned, these class stereotypes are clearly present, but they also extend into race and gendered ones as well. These country club golf courses create these environments that create clear lines that divide the wealthy from the poor, whites from Hispanics, men from women, members from staff, and so on.
It was interesting to read about these Mexican women golfers and their experiences with men on the course. The fact that women had to be allotted these unofficial times when they were allowed to golf blows my mind. It’s not that surprising that men would not want to play with women; the mixing of genders in areas like sports is not something that men, and some women, have been comfortable with in the past or in the present. It’s just shocking that there was so much work to bar women from playing in the same social sphere as them. Making them play at specific times, forcing lower handicaps onto them, and trying to alter the clubs and tee to make them fit for the female body. Even though it is a sport that is not as physically taxing as others, men still have to find ways to secure themselves above women in it. Women can participate, but they have to do it in a feminine way to please the men that play around them, not with them. As Ceron-Anaya mentions, this type of behavior exhibited by men is defined as hegemonic masculinity. The need for some men to prove themselves as dominant not only above women but also above people of lower class and status. Golf is the perfect example of this trait because some men who play golf at club courses want to separate and elevate themselves above women but also people of a different status than them.
Despite the fact that I do feel like women are breaking this masculine block more and more as time goes on in the world of golf, it still remains a very existent barrier put in place. Women have become more prevalent at professional tournaments, but there still seems to be a strict barrier in place when it comes to everyday games at places like country clubs.
