BIGOTRY WATCH : Unfair Ways

It is to be hoped that the decision of the Augusta National Golf Club to admit its first black member will inspire the oh-so-white private country club world of the United States of America to swing open its doors more widely.

But hope is just about all anyone has to lean on.

Shoal Creek Country Club, you may recall, agreed to accept its first African-American under the less than graceful circumstances of a $2-million advertising walkout by major corporations from the network telecast of the PGA Championship there.

Since then, three of golf’s governing groups issued new guidelines requiring clubs that want to host approved tournaments to prove that their membership practices do not discriminate against minorities--or women.

That clarion call prompted two major private golf clubs--one in St. Louis and the other near Chicago--to withdraw as hosts of planned PGA events.

Even the Augusta Club is likely to hear the applause of no more than one hand clapping. Its decision was triggered when the corporate sponsors of next year’s Masters--held every year at Augusta, Ga.--threatened to pull out. The sponsors are The Travelers Companies and Cadillac.

Faced with the reality of this sorry overall performance, every male American--i.e., the subgroup that constitutes the vast bulk of private golf club membership--needs to examine his conscience with some care and determine whether continued membership in his club, if it is discriminatory, is worth the moral erosion of his soul.