The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers is to seek a second ballot on admitting women members by the end of this year just six weeks after the vote against led to the club losing its place on the Open Championship rota.
A fresh ballot is required to restore “the reputation of the club that has been damaged by the earlier ballot outcome,” read a statement from club captain Henry Fairweather.
It follows the furore around the game from the club’s rejection of a resolution to admit women members announced only in May. Within minutes of the vote being made public the R&A removed the Honourable Company’s Muirfield course from the Open rota, stating they would no longer take the championship to venues with restricted membership policies.
The Muirfield links near Gullane in East Lothian has hosted the Open 16 times, the last in 2013 when the club’s membership policy came under intense scrutiny and forced the vote on women members.
The Honourable Company is the world’s oldest established golf club and has been men-only for its entire 272 year history. The club is regarded to have framed the original rules of the game and had a key role in the establishment of the Open Championship.
The ballot held earlier this year failed to reach the two-thirds majority required under the club’s rules, but the club’s governing committee will ask the membership to consider again before the end of 2016.
“Six weeks ago the admission resolution, supported unanimously by the Club Committee, failed to reach the required two-thirds majority for change,” read the statement from the club.
“An independently scrutinised postal ballot recorded a vote of 64 per cent in favour of the resolution and 36 per cent against on a turnout of 95 per cent of members eligible to vote.
“The Club Committee will now seek authority from the membership, at a Special General Meeting, to hold a fresh postal ballot before the end of the year”.
Captain Henry Fairweather said: “A substantial majority of our members voted for change and many are disappointed with the ballot result and subsequent events.
“The Club Committee believes that a clear and decisive vote in favour of admitting women as members is required to enable us to begin the task of restoring the reputation of the Club that has been damaged by the earlier ballot outcome.”
The perception that many rebels against the resolution within the club believed the R&A were “bluffing” with the threat to remove the Open from Muirfield, that the subsequent publicity has severely damaged the club’s treasured historic reputation and the fact that less than 20 members are required to change vote to secure the two-thirds majority seems to have convinced the HCEG committee to have a second ballot so quickly.
In the interim, Royal Troon, host of this year’s Open, accelerated their process to admit women members in the light of the R&A’s decision on Muirfield. While this year’s championship would not have been moved, future Opens at the Ayrshire links were in doubt if Troon stayed all-male.
A vote of Royal Troon members – with a simple majority required – is to be announced on Friday and it’s widely expected women members will be approved.
