Alvin Brickrock
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A good ol' boys (golf) club in Sarasota
The only thing Gator Creek doesn't have is women, among its membership or on its grounds.
By BOB HARIG, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 3, 2003
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is nothing outwardly unusual about the place.
Like many private golf clubs, it offers the typical amenities, the posh locker room and the cozy dining area. It has excellent practice facilities and the course is in immaculate condition, a true test for an avid player.
Members play golf, have lunch, play cards. They laugh, tell jokes, enjoy each other's company.
Not until one encounters the silhouettes of women on the flagsticks is there a clue that Gator Creek in Sarasota is different.
No women could be offended by such a symbol, because no women are allowed.
Not only does the club not have female members, it does not permit them on the grounds. It is a men's club, period.
The Augusta National Golf Club membership controversy has brought some unwanted attention to places such as Gator Creek, which is the only known club in the Tampa Bay area to prohibit female members.
The major difference is Augusta National is home to the Masters, a major championship that next week will invite thousands of spectators onto its grounds and a national television audience.
Gator Creek does not have, nor want, such focus.
Paul Azinger, a 12-time PGA Tour winner who captured the 1993 PGA Championship, is an honorary member at Gator Creek. He frequents the club once or twice a month with friends and finds nothing wrong with its policy -- even though his wife, Toni, and two daughters can never accompany him.
"My wife loves the fact that I'm at Gator Creek and there are no women there," Azinger said. "It's a safe zone. I would think most married women in the country would love that their husbands are at a men's club where there are no women. My wife has never had a problem with that. As a matter of fact, I don't know many women who do."
Azinger is like many golfers who have no problem with Augusta National not having female members. Though the club reports that more than 1,000 rounds were played by women at the Georgia course last year, none are members.
At Gator Creek, no women played there last year, or any year. At one time, women worked at the course, but that practice ended years ago.
Urban legends abound. There are tales about women not being allowed to call the course, let alone step on the grounds. There is the story, unconfirmed, that a woman was not allowed on the property to tend to her husband, who had suffered a heart attack.
All overblown, said Tom Elliott, who played the course as a youngster when his father was a member and joined the club five years ago as an adult.
"I grew up out there," Elliott said. "I learned how to play there. It kind of ruins you for regular golf because you get used to playing so quickly. It's a great place."
Elliott, 38, is a Sarasota business owner who also runs his consulting company. He is the agent for several PGA Tour players, including Clearwater's John Huston.
He said the Augusta situation has not caused the membership, which numbers about 250, to alter its thinking on allowing only men.
"I couldn't speak for the populace," Elliott said. "Some would say this is nuts. It's such a touchy thing. You're kind of darned if you do and darned if you don't. I love it out there. It's an unparalleled experience for guys. It kind of reminds me of being in college. But if you say that, you look terrible.
"To me, it's a bunch of guys playing a championship golf course in record time."
Elliott said recommendations from three members are required before a prospect can apply for membership. Once in the club, members have equity stakes in Gator Creek.
A former member at the TPC of Prestancia in Sarasota, Elliott said the biggest selling point is the easy access to his home and the swiftness of play.
"I never know when I'm going to be free to play," he said. "I can get there and play in a game at 12:30 and be home at 3:30 in the afternoon. It's literally that quick. I could never get that at another club. Playing fast is not a premium at most golf courses.
"I don't think Gator Creek is a bad thing at all. I would liken it to whatever my wife or anybody else does with their female friends. You put work aside, go hang out with your buddies, literally to the extent of not being worried about offending anybody. The bottom line is it's just a heck of a lot of fun."
Gator Creek is not alone as a course that permits men only. Adios Golf Club in Coconut Creek was designed by Arnold Palmer, and he is a member there. Butler National Golf Club in Oak Brook, Ill., doesn't allow women and opted to no longer be home to the Western Open because of it more than a decade ago. Last year, when all-male Black Sheep Golf Club opened in Sugar Grove, Ill., club owner Vincent Solano said: "We're basically trying to have a place to come play golf, smoke a cigar in our underwear and go home."
Even the world-famous Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey does not allow women. Typically ranked among the top two or three courses in the United States, Pine Valley welcomed a honeymooning Jack Nicklaus to the course, but not his wife, Barbara, who remained outside the gates while her new husband played.
As for Gator Creek, Azinger has nothing but praise.
"It's a great course," he said. "It's not nasty there. There are no dirty pictures hanging up on the walls, no Playboy magazines. It's a nice club. It's a bunch of guys in the grill room, eating burgers, playing cards, smoking cigars. It's a place to hang out."
The only thing Gator Creek doesn't have is women, among its membership or on its grounds.
By BOB HARIG, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 3, 2003
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is nothing outwardly unusual about the place.
Like many private golf clubs, it offers the typical amenities, the posh locker room and the cozy dining area. It has excellent practice facilities and the course is in immaculate condition, a true test for an avid player.
Members play golf, have lunch, play cards. They laugh, tell jokes, enjoy each other's company.
Not until one encounters the silhouettes of women on the flagsticks is there a clue that Gator Creek in Sarasota is different.
No women could be offended by such a symbol, because no women are allowed.
Not only does the club not have female members, it does not permit them on the grounds. It is a men's club, period.
The Augusta National Golf Club membership controversy has brought some unwanted attention to places such as Gator Creek, which is the only known club in the Tampa Bay area to prohibit female members.
The major difference is Augusta National is home to the Masters, a major championship that next week will invite thousands of spectators onto its grounds and a national television audience.
Gator Creek does not have, nor want, such focus.
Paul Azinger, a 12-time PGA Tour winner who captured the 1993 PGA Championship, is an honorary member at Gator Creek. He frequents the club once or twice a month with friends and finds nothing wrong with its policy -- even though his wife, Toni, and two daughters can never accompany him.
"My wife loves the fact that I'm at Gator Creek and there are no women there," Azinger said. "It's a safe zone. I would think most married women in the country would love that their husbands are at a men's club where there are no women. My wife has never had a problem with that. As a matter of fact, I don't know many women who do."
Azinger is like many golfers who have no problem with Augusta National not having female members. Though the club reports that more than 1,000 rounds were played by women at the Georgia course last year, none are members.
At Gator Creek, no women played there last year, or any year. At one time, women worked at the course, but that practice ended years ago.
Urban legends abound. There are tales about women not being allowed to call the course, let alone step on the grounds. There is the story, unconfirmed, that a woman was not allowed on the property to tend to her husband, who had suffered a heart attack.
All overblown, said Tom Elliott, who played the course as a youngster when his father was a member and joined the club five years ago as an adult.
"I grew up out there," Elliott said. "I learned how to play there. It kind of ruins you for regular golf because you get used to playing so quickly. It's a great place."
Elliott, 38, is a Sarasota business owner who also runs his consulting company. He is the agent for several PGA Tour players, including Clearwater's John Huston.
He said the Augusta situation has not caused the membership, which numbers about 250, to alter its thinking on allowing only men.
"I couldn't speak for the populace," Elliott said. "Some would say this is nuts. It's such a touchy thing. You're kind of darned if you do and darned if you don't. I love it out there. It's an unparalleled experience for guys. It kind of reminds me of being in college. But if you say that, you look terrible.
"To me, it's a bunch of guys playing a championship golf course in record time."
Elliott said recommendations from three members are required before a prospect can apply for membership. Once in the club, members have equity stakes in Gator Creek.
A former member at the TPC of Prestancia in Sarasota, Elliott said the biggest selling point is the easy access to his home and the swiftness of play.
"I never know when I'm going to be free to play," he said. "I can get there and play in a game at 12:30 and be home at 3:30 in the afternoon. It's literally that quick. I could never get that at another club. Playing fast is not a premium at most golf courses.
"I don't think Gator Creek is a bad thing at all. I would liken it to whatever my wife or anybody else does with their female friends. You put work aside, go hang out with your buddies, literally to the extent of not being worried about offending anybody. The bottom line is it's just a heck of a lot of fun."
Gator Creek is not alone as a course that permits men only. Adios Golf Club in Coconut Creek was designed by Arnold Palmer, and he is a member there. Butler National Golf Club in Oak Brook, Ill., doesn't allow women and opted to no longer be home to the Western Open because of it more than a decade ago. Last year, when all-male Black Sheep Golf Club opened in Sugar Grove, Ill., club owner Vincent Solano said: "We're basically trying to have a place to come play golf, smoke a cigar in our underwear and go home."
Even the world-famous Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey does not allow women. Typically ranked among the top two or three courses in the United States, Pine Valley welcomed a honeymooning Jack Nicklaus to the course, but not his wife, Barbara, who remained outside the gates while her new husband played.
As for Gator Creek, Azinger has nothing but praise.
"It's a great course," he said. "It's not nasty there. There are no dirty pictures hanging up on the walls, no Playboy magazines. It's a nice club. It's a bunch of guys in the grill room, eating burgers, playing cards, smoking cigars. It's a place to hang out."
