The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers at Muirfield yesterday opened its membership to women for the first time in its 273-year history but club captain, Henry Fairweather, admitted it could take “six or seven years” for the first female members to be admitted.
After last May’s initial vote on abolishing the club’s men-only policy failed to gain the required two-thirds majority, the results of a second ballot announced yesterday comprehensively pushed through the motion with 498 (80.2 per cent) voting in favour of change compared to 123 votes against. Having been taken off the Open Championship rota in the wake of the ‘no’ vote last year, The R&A, which organises golf’s most celebrated major, swiftly re-instated the East Lothian links to its list of venues.
The Open has been held at Muirfield on 16 occasions, with the most recent being in 2013, and the earliest the Championship could return is 2022. Whether the world’s oldest golf club has a female member in by then remains to be seen, though.
“They will go through the same admissions process as men,” said Fairweather. “They will be proposed and seconded by members and they will go before our candidates subcommittee. They will then go onto a waiting list. It will be the same process as for men.
“It’s all by proposal as is normal for a private members’ club. Nearly 500 members have supported women members so we’ll be looking for them to come forward with proposals.
“It’s quite a complicated admissions process. There is no standard length of time but on average it takes six-to-seven years. It can be accelerated or slowed down depending on the calibre of the application but the earliest point will likely be two years.
“The members are quite keen that men and women go through the same process to become members. But it can be quicker (than six years). The membership process is deliberately designed to allow people to be accelerated or slowed down depending on the calibre of their application.”
When Augusta National opened its doors to female members in 2012 it swiftly unveiled Condoleeza Rice, the former US secretary of state, and Darla Moore, a South Carolina fancier, as its first two women members. There remains just three. The Royal & Ancient at St Andrews, meanwhile, quickly announced a series of honorary female members when it ended its men-only policy in 2014.
Fairweather added: “Our members have been very clear that they don't want an artificial female presence. They want them to become members of the club and to be treated equally. We are not after a token woman.”
The admission of female members will see the club embark on a redevelopment of its facilities. “We do need to improve facilities for ladies,” said Fairweather. “The ladies locker room at the moment is not adequate either for visitors or for members so we have plans to improve that.”
The result of the second Muirfield vote was warmly greeted with Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister, taking to social media and saying: “Well done Muirfield – decision to admit women members emphatic and the right one.”
Catriona Matthew, the former Women’s British Open champion and a native of North Berwick, added: “I am delighted to hear the outcome of this second vote at Muirfield has come down in favour of embracing women members.
“I think it is another positive step, both for Muirfield and for golf as a whole, and I think the progress The R&A has instigated since opening its own doors in 2014 has been very important for the game.”
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