Billy Payne, the new chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club, said Monday he had “no specific timetable” for addressing the issue of opening the club's membership to women and indicated he had no plans to meet or speak with Martha Burk, the former chairwoman of the National Council of Women's Organizations who has been pressing the club to change its all-male policy since 2002.

“I am very much aware of her position on all issues as they relate to Augusta National,” Payne said during a conference call with reporters. “I don't really see at this time that any dialogue would be meaningful or helpful.”

The club announced Friday that Payne, 58, the former president and CEO of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, would replace 75-year-old William “Hootie” Johnson as the club's chairman on May 21. Burk said at the time she hoped to have a “civil and private conversation (with Payne). He sounds like a guy who ought to be open to a discussion on the issue.”

Informed of Payne's comments Monday, Burk said she sent Payne a letter urging him to reconsider the club's membership policies in order to avoid

what would be a “continuing controversy.” The letter, also signed by Washington civil rights attorney Cyrus Mehri, asked for a private meeting with Payne and the club's attorneys.

“Excluding members based on gender puts America's corporate leaders in a position where the price of its club membership and sponsorship is to disavow all principles of fairness in the corporate workplace,” the letter read. “(It) improperly charges shareholders and taxpayers with these discriminatory business expenses.”

In a telephone interview, Burk said: “It sounds from what (Payne) said that nothing has changed. Hootie is still calling the shots and Mr. Payne sounds like Hootie Junior. In either case, women lose, their members lose and so do their sponsors. It's something that will continue to plague them. This just sounds very hard-line, and he didn't really leave a crack open.”

Burk, who retired from her NCWO post last fall, is director for the organization's Corporate Accountability Project, an outgrowth of the Augusta National controversy.

Working with Mehri, who led the effort to increase the number of minorities in front offices and as head coaches in the NFL, the project targets corporate sponsors of the Masters and chief executive officers of public companies who are members of Augusta National for possible stockholder action or sexual discrimination litigation.

Payne said emphatically that “my employment was not conditioned” on his views on allowing female members.

He said there will be slight tweaking on two of the course's holes - Nos. 11 and 15 - next year, including adding five to seven yards in front of the tee boxes at both and a three- to five-yard widening of the fairway down the right side of the 11th.

Payne said the club is considering changing Masters eligibility to include all winners of PGA Tour events, though that likely will not occur at least until the 2008 tournament. He said he hoped to persuade Arnold Palmer to become an honorary starter for the Masters.

He indicated the 7,445-yard course, the second longest in major championship history, held up extremely well at the 2006 Masters won by Phil Mickelson last month. “I think we've got the golf course pretty much like we like it right now,” Payne said.