In the run-up to the 2003 US Open at Olympia Fields, I was handling media interviews for the club and I wound up being interviewed by an African American news anchor who wanted to play the race card as it related to member admissions at the club. She told the story of an African American banker who bought a home on the 16th hole of the North Course and then walked up to the front door and said he wanted to join the club. He was turned down somewhat summarily. He would have been the first black member at Olympia. She asked me if racism was involved in the decision to turn him down. "Sure," was my reply, while adding, "but that was years ago. All of the clubs on the south side now look like the UN. The better question is why Michael Jordan can't join clubs on the North Shore or why I can't join places like Lake Shore or Northmoor" (Jewish clubs). I told her that the clubs on the south side of town figured out that they couldn't afford to discriminate anymore, so the times had changed. The man in question actually joined nearby Flossmoor. I was one of his sponsors.
There are still clubs in town that don't allow women, that don't allow Catholics, that don't allow Jews, that don't allow blacks and maybe a couple that don't allow any of the above. It's not the best business model, but some of these places will continue to thrive while others will struggle to find the next generation of members only to relent and stop discriminating. I will say that I haven't seen any white flight out of clubs after black members begin to become more plentiful. Personally, I think it's refreshing to see the member ranks look more like America. I recently hosted a gca guy who is thinking of joining Beverly. He is an Asian American. The day he played, he saw a member of Indian descent, several African American members and more than a handful of Jewish members at what has historically been an Irish Catholic club. He felt welcome, I believe. We certainly tried to make him feel like he would be happy to be a member and happy to bring his friends out, regardless of their race, ethnicity or faith.
Nothing against the other models, I just happen to think that the non-discriminatory model breeds a happier membership overall.
As for President Obama, whom I've known for many years, I rather doubt that he would join any club after he beats his Vulcan opponent by four points in November and then completes his second term.
Not enough upside to warrant the grief that he would get in the media. I would venture to say that he'd be most comfortable at Beverly, however, since we have a lot of members from the Hyde Park/University of Chicago community, including several of his closest friends and the man who gave him his first law job in Chicago.