Portmarnock Golf Club votes in favour of women members
Portmarnock Golf Club
Portmarnock Golf Club has voted overwhelmingly to bring the club into the 21st century and remove the ban on women becoming members.
The move paves the way for the great north Dublin links to host such events as the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and even The Open Championship.
Announcing the result of the vote today, the club said in a statement: “A vote by the Members of Portmarnock Golf Club, that Rule 3 be amended through the removal of the words 'who shall be Gentlemen’ has been passed. The result is 83.4% in favour and 16.6% against.
“As a consequence of this decision, the Rules and Bye-Laws of the Club will now become gender-neutral, which marks a positive development in the Club’s long and distinguished history.
“In welcoming the decision, the Officers and Committee acknowledged and thanked the Membership for their engagement with, their support for, and their constructive contributions throughout the process and look forward to welcoming Women as Members of the Club.”
Founded in 1894, the club could not host events that benefited from public funds or R&A events such as the Walker Cup or even The Open as long as it remained men only.
The move towards becoming a gender neutral club gathered momentum in 2019 when the R&A made it clear that the Amateur Championship Portmarnock hosted that year as part of its 125th-anniversary celebrations would be its last R&A event until it changed its membership rules.
A Special General Meeting was held on March 31 so members could temporarily make an amendment to club rules to allow an online or postal ballot and then pass a motion on the gender issue.
A vote was held to amend Rule 3 of the Rules of Portmarnock Golf Club, which states that "the Club shall consist of members and Associate Members who shall be Gentlemen properly elected and who shall conform with the rules of amateur status."
The members agreed to amend Rule 3 as follows: 'That Rule 3 be amended by the removal of the four words 'who shall be Gentlemen' and that the Committee be empowered to make the necessary changes to other Rules to make them gender neutral."
