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Photo by Stuart Franklin /Getty ImagesThirty years ago, women’s golf was scandalized when CBS sports commentator Ben Wright allegedly claimed that women were “handicapped” by virtue of having breasts, which, he stupidly claimed, would “get in the way” of their golf swings.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorAt the time, many offered a low-hanging retort to Wright: that male anatomy should, by his logic, prevent men from being effective runners. The world had a laugh, and women’s golf emerged unscathed. (While Wright ultimately lost his job over this, plus other offensive comments.)Considering what scandalizes women’s golf in 2026, one can fondly recall the Wright incident as a quaint scuffle that preceded the real battle of the sexes in sports: namely, the invasion of the female category by biological males.The National Post newsletter that doesn’t hold back, giving readers the unvarnished truth on media, politics and culture.By signing up, you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Right? will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againThis summer, two transgender-identifying golfers Veronica Ivy and Rachel Elser, won five women’s golf championships in Alberta and British Columbia. Collectively, they’ve taken the Fort McMurray Club Championship, the 2026 Miskanaw Ladies Open, the Chilliwack Golf Club Women’s Mid-Amateur, and Women’s Mid-Master, and one unidentified club championship.Ivy previously competed in women’s cycling under the name Rachel McKinnon — and won the women’s World Masters title for 2018 and 2019. At the time, McKinnon accused those who called the wins unfair of engaging in “hate speech” and “transphobia.” More famously, Ivy also told female detractors to “die in a grease fire.”Addressing detractors after the recent golf wins, one of Ivy’s social media posts from last month reads: “To the bigots: stay mad, and get a better hobby. You’re deeply unwell and you’re obsessed with harassing a stranger. You’re not going to make me stop existing and succeeding. I feel really sorry for you. You have my pity.”Ivy and Esler are only partly to blame for their unfair wins. They were enabled by a 2025 Alberta Golf policy change that allows golfers to compete in the category corresponding with their professed gender, rather than their sex.The policy stipulates that adult males “who have undergone gender reassignment after puberty” can compete as women after one year of hormone therapy, with medical documentation. Females, by contrast, can begin to compete in the men’s category at any point after providing medical documentation. Finally, “(a)ny transgender Golfer who is not taking hormone treatment related to gender reassignment may participate in sex-separated events in accordance with their assigned birth gender,” the policy reads.By virtue of creating different rules for males and females who identify as trans, including those who’ve not taken hormones, Alberta Golf has conceded that there are biological differences in sport performance between the sexes. Despite the attempt at nuanced rules, their policy does not mitigate biology — and is still grossly unfair to women. There is a reason that not a single female-to-male transgender athlete has ever dominated in male sports. That reason is obvious to anyone who practices intellectual honesty.Incredibly, British Columbia Golf has even more permissive policies, allowing persons to play in whatever category they choose and with no documentation required. “All identifications of Gender Identity or Gender Expression by Athletes are believed to be made in good faith and do not require further disclosure or documentation,” reads their policy. “British Columbia Golf recognizes that discrimination, prejudice and victimization based on Gender Identity and Gender Expression is a violation of human rights and will not be tolerated.” The swing width on this policy can only be marvelled at.Going back to 1995, was Wright’s comment about women’s breasts meant as obtuse commentary on the male sporting advantage? Who knows, but there’s no denying that males have one — even before puberty hits, and even for men who take female sex hormones or suppress their natural testosterone. One 2024 academic article, appearing in the Journal of Applied Physiology, describes the “profound sex differences in human performance in athletic events determined by strength, speed, power, endurance, and body size such that males outperform females.” It goes on to conclude that “(t)estosterone suppression among male (XY biology) athletes who have undergone male puberty reduces performance but much of the male advantage is retained.”All of this is intuitive — at least to those who’ve not been bamboozled by the claim that one’s inner, metaphysical “gender identity” overrides the physical body. Yet despite having both common sense and science on women’s side, we are caught in an infuriating, multi-front battle to protect our sports. League by league, and association by association — as far up as the International Olympic Committee — we are having to assert what was commonly understood up until a decade ago: that women, while certainly not inferior to men, are at a sporting disadvantage compared to them.In golf, women’s tee boxes (the place from where players hit the ball) are set forward to make up for the fact that, on average, women cannot hit the ball as far as men can. Women’s average driving distance, measured in how many yards they can hit the ball, is approximately 86 per cent of male driving distance. That’s no small difference.The policy of Alberta Golf and British Columbia Golf, which obliterates any evidence-based distinction between male and female categories, caters to ideologues and the feelings of a small number of transgender-identifying athletes, rather than to the truth. It is stunningly unfair and backwards. In fact, I much prefer the soft bigotry of men like Ben Wright, who would laugh at our female anatomy, over the deluded policy making that knocks female athletes off our own winner podiums.National Post Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.