Southern California has its history of discrimination at private clubs. Discrimination against black and Jewish golfers at Los Angeles Country Club was legendary. So perhaps it was not surprising, after the club had admitted former NFL wide receiver Gene Washington as its first black member less than 20 years ago, that a white member approached a black man on the putting green and said, "Welcome, Mr. Washington." The man was not Washington. He was a club guest.

Longtime LACC General Manager James Brewer would not discuss the club's membership policies -- past or present.

"It's a private club," Brewer said.

Similarly, Washington, now an NFL executive, would not talk about his membership experiences, nor did Louise Johnson, the first female member at Riviera Country Club, return phone messages left at her home.

Yet, Leenhouts, who worked previously in Arizona and Northern California, said it was no secret how clubs discriminated.

"In so many cases, it took two members to sponsor someone for application and three other members to serve as the references," Leenhouts said. "If you didn't want a certain group in your club, you could ensure they wouldn't be let in."

The late Jim Murray of The Times took notice of the exclusionary policies in a 1973 story he wrote for Golf Digest, "Golf in Los Angeles: Part Royal and Ancient, Part Disney."

Murray wrote of LACC, "Eligibility for membership is a Hoover button, a home in Pasadena and proof-positive you never had an actor in the family."

He repeated an anecdote about a Texas oil man named Frank Rosenberg, who was refused membership at LACC because of his Jewish-sounding last name, then was dismissed at Jewish-friendly Hillcrest when he felt it necessary to announce, "I'm not Jewish."

Stung by his second refusal, Rosenberg exclaimed, "Well, I'm an SOB!"

Quickly replied the Hillcrest committeeman, "If you can prove that, you can get in Riviera."

Riviera, home of the Nissan Open, is known for its decades-old acceptance. Babe Didrikson became the first -- and still only -- female to play in a men's professional tournament there in 1938. Shortly thereafter, Johnson became a full-fledged member. The first African American was admitted in the 1960s.

At Bel-Air Country Club, a black golfer didn't join until the 1980s, a club official said.

"Riviera doesn't care who they take, as long as they have money," said one member there. "That makes it more lively, more interesting than most clubs. Most clubs are boring. I understand this idea that as you get older and accumulate wealth, you like having people around you who are quiet, who you're comfortable with -- people who are more like you. The basic enjoyment of being around people you enjoy being with -- that's the point of paying the money to be in a club, isn't it?"

Private clubs certainly have acknowledged that point in some policies.

Weekend mornings, for instance, have been set aside by several clubs as golfing time for male members.

At Wilshire Country Club, women can't tee off before 11 a.m. on Saturdays and 10:30 on Sundays.

Rod Dedeaux, former USC baseball coach, said his Toluca Lake club, Lakeside, had a similar policy. Women are not permitted at the No. 1 tee until 11 a.m. on Saturday.

"The theory is, you want the people in the club to get to know each other, that there ought to be a time when a guy can meet the other members," Dedeaux said. "It's for camaraderie purposes, not to exclude. I've always thought Lakeside's ideas were totally wholesome, with no discrimination."

Dedeaux has been a Lakeside member since 1966. He said the club also had ladies' day each Tuesday.

"There are reasons for male companionship," Dedeaux said. "To hoot and howl, to do some free talking during your round, to tell the wild stories after your match. It's an atmosphere that might be offensive to others. To me, it's one of the most informal atmospheres I'm around. No one is trying to impress anyone with their wealth or their status. It's just a time for men to be men."

Karen Jacobs, the membership manager at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, said her club, which charges nonresidents a $300,000 initiation fee, has held to a policy of no tee-time restrictions. "Doing things like making it members-only on Saturday mornings, when most of the members are male and most of their wives are spousal members, that would be gender biased," Jacobs said. "We think that divides the membership."

Leenhouts acknowledged that Shady Canyon does restrict members' spouses -- male or female -- from arranging tee times for groups consisting exclusively of nonmembers before 9:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Those most popular times draw a crowd of members, Leenhouts said.

"When your members live close by, you're forced to do things to avoid overcrowding," Jacobs said. "What [Shady Canyon] is doing isn't that bad, especially when others are making all women wait until 11 a.m. or noon."

Yet, there's no doubting that the business of male bonding on fairways and greens remains a booming industry.

In Maricopa, Ariz., a men's-only golf club named Southern Dunes opened in November, immediately drawing 265 members. The club has taken some obvious public relations hits in light of the controversy regarding the exclusion of women at Augusta National.

"The reason Augusta is in trouble is that they are taking a lot of revenue from outside sources. We don't," a Southern Dunes official said. "Look, the first thing you do when you start a golf club is to start a men's club. Basically, that's all we've done."

(Robert Leenhouts, left, Shady Canyon Golf Club general manager)

The Plantation Golf Club, a men-only club in Indio, charges $50,000 for initiation and $5,200 in monthly dues. A club official would not elaborate on policies.

"Good or bad, we do not seek publicity," Pat Leeza said. "We are a private club."

Seven women, among them tennis star Lindsay Davenport, and about 25 minorities are among Shady Canyon's 190 members. Shady Canyon is an equity club, meaning its members eventually will assume ownership from the course's builder, the Irvine Co.

Leenhouts said his club's openness starts with its application process. Anyone who can afford initiation and dues can apply to a membership committee that will judge the applicant, special consideration given to golfing skills, business success and community involvement.

After the Irvine Co. decided to build homes around the course and make the golf club private, Leenhouts said Mike McKee, the company's vice chairman, and Joe Davis, its president, set club policies that would be inviting to a member's family -- rules that Leenhouts and Membership Director Sherri Van Waggenen later fine-tuned.

"We were operating under the thoughts of, 'How is this golf course going to fit best into this community?' and, 'What is the best way to sell this property?' " Leenhouts said.

With the exception of the pre-9:30 a.m. restriction on weekends, Shady Canyon members' wives can make tee times for their own groups and enjoy food service or a game of cards. There are women's tees and a women's tournament, and former LPGA Futures Tour player Eunice Choi is the women's pro.