Royal and Ancient Golf Club to reveal results on allowing women members

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews are expected to announce on Thursday the result of their vote on whether to finally allow women members for the first time in 260 years.

On the same day that Scotland will vote on their independence from Britain, members of the R&A will also be asked if they would agree to 15 female members being admitted at once.

Women who have made a "significant contribution" to golf will be first in line to join the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, if the club votes in favour.

Possible candidates include former USGA president Judy Bell, St Andrews University principal Louise Richardson and former top amateur player Carol Semple Thompson, while Laura Davies has said she would "snap their hands off" if offered membership.

A spokesman for The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews said: "The club is balloting its members on a change to its membership rules that would enable it to welcome women members.

"Over 2,400 ballot papers have been sent out and the vote is independently scrutinised by Electoral Reform Services. A simple majority is required to effect the proposed change. Should the outcome be in favour of welcoming women members the decision will take immediate effect.

'Strong support'

"The first women members in a mixed membership Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews are likely to have made a significant contribution to the development of our sport."

R&A chief executive Peter Dawson said in March that the club felt it had "strong support" in favour of women members and although he insisted the move was not intended to place pressure on male-only clubs on the Open Championship rota, such an interpretation was unavoidable.

Muirfield, Royal Troon and Royal St George's are the three clubs on the 10-strong rota with male-only membership policies, although Troon feels it should not be directly compared to the other two.

Club secretary David Brown said in a statement: "At present, membership of Royal Troon Golf Club is open only to those of the male gender and we have no plans to change our constitution at this time, although I must point out that we are quite different from many of the other single gender clubs in that we share our facilities with an active Ladies Golf Club.”