Royal St George’s to accept female members

Royal St George's Golf Club has voted to accept female members

Royal St Georges
Royal St Georges
(Image credit: Getty Images)

After a unanimous vote, Royal St George’s Golf Club in Kent has lifted its ban on female members. A decisive 90% of members voted in favour of altering the rules.

After a unanimous vote, Royal St George’s Golf Club in Kent has lifted its ban on female members. A decisive 90% of members voted in favour of altering the rules.

The club, 14-times a host to The Open Championship, issued a statement saying it looked forward to welcoming ladies as junior and full members. More than 81% of the club’s members took part in the ballot.

“It is extremely good news going forward,” said Tim Checketts – Secretary at Royal St George's.

Dame Laura Davies, who recently became one of the first female members of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, said it was good to see the Kent club following suit.

"It would seem to be the correct thing for a club that hosts a big sporting event such as the Open,” she said.

"It's such a great course that it deserves to hold prestigious golf events and I'm sure that this will ensure its long future in doing so."

St George’s has welcomed significant women’s competition in the past – in 1988 the club was host to the Curtis Cup.

Two remaining Open venues in Scotland have male-only membership policies - Muirfield in East Lothian and Royal Troon in South Ayrshire, which has separate men's and women's clubs.

At the end of January, Royal Troon announced that it would "shortly undertake a comprehensive review to consider the most appropriate membership policy for the future".

Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly. 

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?