"Well, as has been the case, whenever that question is asked, all issues of membership are now and have historically been subject to the private deliberation of members, " BillyPayne said.
It even inserted itself as a moral authority: remember club chairman BillyPayne scolding a scandalized Tiger Woods for failing to "live up to the expectations of the role model we saw for our children"?
At the Masters, Augusta National Chairman BillyPayne dodged a string of questions about the club's position on female members, surely knowing the tournament is about to begin and the issue is likely to be pushed into the background the true tradition unlike any other.
The latest story is the killing of 23-year-old Billie Jean Hayworth and her fiance Billy Clay Payne, after Hayworth un-friended 30-year-old Jenelle Potter on Facebook.