AUGUSTA - Terry Wick couldn't ask for a better place to cater to VIP golf fans than The Clubhouse, a banquet hall he manages across the street from the main entrance to Augusta National Golf Club. <br>
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For the Masters tournament in April, big companies throw private parties and pay in the five figures for Wick's red-carpet treatment. They get duck with orange brandy sauce on the menu, leather couches facing three TVs in one dining room, and a putting green in the parking lot. <br>
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But with the Masters nearly five months away, Wick's already worried. He received e-mail from a major telecommunications company canceling its plans. The message said Augusta National, under fire for its all-male membership, is too controversial for wining and dining clients. <br>
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Wick says that's about $60,000 they will lose and there could easily be repercussions across the board for everybody. <br>
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As a sort of Mardi Gras for the country-club crowd, Masters week in Augusta is known for corporate largesse. Companies rent clusters of private homes for executives and guests, throw elaborate catered parties and plaster their logos on rented limousines. <br>
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But some Augustans, such as Wick, say the battle between Augusta National and the National Council of Women's Organizations is taking a bite out of the lucrative business they count on from Magnolia Lane. <br>
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Hootie Johnson, chairman of the private golf club, has refused demands from the women's council to admit a female member by the 2003 Masters. With the Rev. Jesse Jackson threatening protests and Tiger Woods on the defensive, some companies are deciding to duck the controversy by staying away.
