This time the answer was yes.
Two years ago, when Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen applied to join The Country Club in Brookline, members of the primrose playground in Chestnut Hill expressed concern that admitting two such high-profile celebrities would attract too much attention, perhaps even — gasp! — paparazzi, and that would be most unwelcome at a century-old institution that prizes privacy and understatement above all else.
So the request was put on hold, and the Patriots QB and his supermodel spouse were temporarily stiff-armed. It was suggested they reapply after Brady’s playing days were over.
But, it turns out, Brady and Bundchen didn’t have to wait that long. The couple, whose multimillion-dollar home is adjacent to the club, have been seen playing golf at TCC in recent weeks. No, they didn’t sneak in. Brady has been quietly admitted to the exclusive club, and his membership gives both him and his Brazilian wife the privilege of using its many amenities, including the golf courses — both the 18-hole and the nine-hole — indoor and outdoor tennis courts, curling rink, Olympic-size swimming pool, skeet range, cross-country skiing trails, and skating pond.
Because they generally loathe the media, members of the cloak-and-dagger club won’t tell us anything about Brady and Bundchen on the record — David Chag, the club’s general manager, didn’t return our call. But three members, speaking on the strictest condition of anonymity, confirmed that Brady is a member now. And his name – Thomas Edward Brady – shows up on the roster of new members just posted on the club’s website.
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Established in 1882 and celebrating its 135th anniversary this year, The Country Club of Brookline has a long and well-deserved reputation for being aloof — some might say discriminatory. No Jews were admitted until the 1970s, no women (as full members) until 1989, and no blacks until 1994. (Former governor Deval Patrick wrote in his memoir, “A Reason to Believe,’’ that he and his wife, Diane, had been encouraged to apply but were eventually rejected, or “blackballed’’ as he put it.)
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In case you’re wondering, TCC applicants typically must be sponsored by two current club members and provide the admissions committee with testimonials from seven other people with whom the applicant has a personal relationship. Applicants also have to attend a cocktail reception at the club with members of the admissions committee. We don’t know whether Brady went through that process.
Aside from its convenience, the club’s appeal for Brady is obvious. The five-time Super Bowl champ is a serious — and seriously good — golfer, and The Country Club, which has hosted three US Opens and the Ryder Cup, usually ranks toward the top of any list of America’s greatest golf courses.