Reserved Tee Times for Men’s Club Ruled Legal : Golf courses: The woman who complained about preferential treatment on the Costa Mesa municipal links said she may join the Men’s Club.

The city attorney’s office, in response to a complaint about preferential treatment being given the Costa Mesa Men’s Club at municipal golf courses, says the city may continue its 22-year practice of reserving early weekend hours for club members.

As a result, Marilyn M. Burrell, who made her complaint over the summer, said Thursday she is thinking about joining the Men’s Club so that she, too, can be privy to the early weekend starting times.

“My point is that (the club’s preferential starting times) should be during the week like the women’s clubs,” Burrell said. “I have nothing against a men’s club--just don’t hog the weekend.”

Burrell, a businesswoman, asked the city to look into changing the practice and allowing the general public to reserve early morning tee times on Saturdays and Sundays at the city’s two golf courses, Mesa Linda and Los Lagos. The city has set aside the hours of 7:01 to 9:30 a.m. on Saturdays and 7:01 to 8:39 a.m. on Sundays at both golf courses for Men’s Club members.

A report issued by Deputy City Atty. Sally May last week said that the city is well within its rights to allow Men’s Club members to tee off early on weekends in exchange for volunteer work that is of “substantial public benefit.”

In addition, the club must continue to keep its membership open to the general public and must be “established” by the City Council as providing a valuable public service by running several benefit golf tournaments during the year. The club has about 600 members, all men, according to club officials.

Men’s Club president John Briffett, a member for 15 years, said the Men’s Club has never denied a woman membership because no woman has ever applied. He pointed out that there are two women’s clubs, one that plays on Mondays and another that meets on Fridays.

As for the preferential starting times, they are granted by the city and not at the request of the club, Briffett said.

“The starting times is what is available to the members, but everything else we have to pay for, just like everyone else,” Briffett said.

Burrell, however, said she believes the preferential treatment is outdated. When the practice was initiated 22 years ago, the courses weren’t as crowded, but in recent years golf has enjoyed a surge in popularity, creating a higher demand for tee times, she said.

“Let them play during the week,” she said. “It isn’t their private golf course.”

Gloria Allred, a Los Angeles attorney who last year fought the private Yorba Linda Country Club over its practices of giving men and couples preferential starting times, disagreed that starting times can be exchanged for volunteer work.

“There is no provision in the state Civil Rights Act which provides for an exception because of someone giving community service,” Allred said. “Women’s rights should not be traded off because of some good cause.”

Wilma (Babe) Bouk, an eight-year member of the Costa Mesa Women’s Club and its representative on the city’s Golf Course Advisory Committee, said the Men’s Club recently moved up its starting times from 8 a.m. to 7 a.m. and has regularly traded off tee times during the weekend to members of the Women’s Club.

“I like for women to have equal this and equal that, but I don’t think we’re being slighted,” she said. “They belong to a club and they deserve a little bit of an amenity.”

Bouk suggested that women who want to receive the preferential tee times either join or become associate members of the Women’s Club and volunteer for some of their community service work.

Burrell is not a member of the Women’s Club.

The issue will be brought before the city’s Golf Course Advisory Committee at its monthly meeting next Thursday at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive, at noon.