LAST UPDATE | 2 Dec 2021
ROYAL DUBLIN GOLF Club have voted to accept female members, the last golf club in Ireland to do so.
The golf club, which was founded in 1885 and has hosted the Irish Open on six occasions, never explicitly forbade female membership but loyalty to a tradition has meant it has never had any female members.
That will now change, following a vote to enshrine “gender equality” in the club’s constitution.
The move brings the club in line with the governance principles of national body Golf Ireland.
“All genders are equally valued within the membership without discrimination and enjoy the same rights and opportunities across all membership categories and the opportunity to apply for membership, when open, is available to all genders”, read a club statement released to RTÉ.
Speaking on Thursday, Golf Ireland CEO Mark Kennelly said, “We welcome the news coming from Royal Dublin today, that confirms the club’s adoption of the Golf Ireland governance principles. The club’s commitment to gender equality stating ‘all genders are equally valued within the membership’ is a very positive development. We look forward to seeing both men and women take the opportunity to apply for membership in the future.”
Royal Dublin is the last Irish golf club to allow female membership: Portmarnock ended its male-only membership policy earlier.