With the approval of 83.7 percent of the two-thirds of its membership that voted, The Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society in Edinburgh, the world’s fourth-oldest golf club, ended its policy that has stood since its founding in 1761. Bruntsfield is the third historic Scottish club that has voted this year to now allow women members. The membership of Royal Burgess, the world’s oldest golfing society, rejected the change in 2013, but there are now reports of new pressure on the club to revisit the issue.
The world’s fourth-oldest golf club, the Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society in Edinburgh, Scotland, has voted to end its men-only membership policy with immediate effect, reported The Golf Business, a UK golf-industry publication.
Bruntsfield in Edinburgh becomes the third historic Scottish golf club this year to allow women to join for the first time, The Golf Business reported. The proposal to admit women members for the first time since the club was established in 1761 was passed with a majority of 83.7 per cent, with 67 per cent of all voting members participating.
Bruntsfield Links has hosted numerous leading amateur events over the years and previously was a venue for British Open Regional Qualifying, The Golf Business reported.
“This is an historic occasion for the Society, with overwhelming support to allow the Society to welcome ladies as members,” said Bruntsfield Links’ Club Captain, Mike Smith.
“This change, together with a £1.2m investment in our course redevelopment, will ensure we are well-positioned for the future,” Smith added.
Earlier this year, The Golf Business reported, two other clubs in Scotland, Panmure Golf Club and Royal Aberdeen, ended their men-only policies, with Ronnie MacAskill, the Club Secretary/Director of Golf for Royal Aberdeen, saying “I think the days of single-gender clubs are slowly disappearing, and we don’t want to be left behind.”
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, Royal Troon and the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers at Muirfield are other Scottish golf clubs to have also opened their doors to female members in the past five years, The Golf Business reported.
The most prominent golf clubs in Scotland that have retained their men-only status, The Golf Businessreported, are Glasgow, Western Gailes and the Royal Burgess Golfing Society.
There have been reports that Glasgow is involved in the same process to change its membership criteria, while Royal Burgess, which is the oldest golfing society in the world, scrapped proposals to admit women members in 2013 after less than a third of its membership supported it in a referendum. But according to The Scotsman, there will now be renewed pressure on the club to revisit that proposal, The Golf Business reported.