The membership of Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews voted on Thursday to finally admit female members. The vote immediately ends a 260-year-old rule of excluding women. The Royal and Ancient is one of the largest, most prestigious golf clubs in the world, but its 2,400 members came under ever-increasing pressure to end the antediluvian and absurd club rule.
Royal and Ancient Golf Club votes to admit women members
A 260-year-old rule is cast aside as the Royal and Ancient Golf Club votes to include women in its membership.
Rob Carr
The club’s chief, Peter Dawson, made the announcement, and the decision was lightly applauded as a step to join the 21st, or perhaps the 20th, century. The vote was overwhelmingly in favor of admitting women, 85 percent to 15 percent. But that 15 percent number means some 300 members still voted no ... in 2014.
85% said yes to inviting women to be members of Royal and Ancient. So 15% said no. But don't worry. They'll be v old. And will soon be dead
— James Corrigan (@jcorrigangolf) September 18, 2014 The plan for this September vote was announced in late March, and now that it’s passed, up to 15 women will be fast-tracked into the membership. Dawson said the vote had immediate effect, calling it now a “mixed membership club.“
A distinction should be made between the Royal and Ancient and the R&A. The R&A was founded in 2004 out of the original Royal and Ancient club. It’s the R&A that is the group responsible for organizing the British Open and governing the game and its rules in conjunction with the USGA in the United States. Many of the Royal and Ancient members were also part of the newer R&A governing body.
Several of the game’s top organizations had statements prepared. The LPGA announced:
The LPGA is happy to hear that the members of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club in St. Andrews have voted to include female members. This decision is certainly a step in the right direction and one that better captures the current diversity and inclusiveness of our great game.
The PGA of America, which has recently been one of golf’s more progressive organizations under president Ted Bishop, also applauded the vote.
1/3: Statement from PGA's Ted Bishop regarding R&A Vote: "Women have played & will continue to play an integral role in the game of golf."
— PGA of America (@pgaofamerica) September 18, 2014 2/3: "In fact, women represent the biggest growth market in the sport, and every step to make golf more inclusive is good for the game."
— PGA of America (@pgaofamerica) September 18, 2014 3/3: "The PGA of America is thrilled that the R&A is welcoming women into its organization, and loudly applauds its decision."
— PGA of America (@pgaofamerica) September 18, 2014 It should also be noted that the R&A’s (the governing body) rota for the British Open features three courses that do not permit women, including the venue (Muirfield) where Phil Mickelson won last year. Now that both Augusta National (in 2012) and the Royal and Ancient have voted to allow female members, expect the pressure to ramp up on those courses and clubs to do the same. And expect to see pressure on the R&A to exclude them from the Open rota until they do.
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