Portmarnock Golf Club votes to drop men-only rule and accept female members

Club members voted 83.4% in favour of the motion to remove the words "who shall be Gentlemen" from the club's controversial Rule 3 which had been in operation for over a century

Portmarnock Golf Club. Picture Garrett White / Collins

Wed, 26 May, 2021 - 18:32

Stephen Barry

Portmarnock Golf Club has voted to drop its men-only rule and accept female members.

Club members voted 83.4% in favour of the motion to remove the words "who shall be Gentlemen" from the club's controversial Rule 3 which had been in operation for over a century.

That rule had previously stated: “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.”

16.6% of the club's membership voted against the change.

Portmarnock, founded in 1894, had been blocked from hosting publicly funded events, such as the Irish Open, or R&A events, including the Walker Cup or the Amateur Championship, while it retained its men-only status.

The club had won a Supreme Court battle with the Equality Authority in 2009 which had alleged it was in breach of the Equal Status Act.

A club statement read: "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."

The move now opens the possibility of the Irish Open returning to Portmarnock, which had hosted the event on 19 occasions since the inaugural tournament at the Dublin venue in 1927.

The Irish Open has not returned to the course since 2003, while the British Amateur Championship was only held at Portmarnock in 2019 as it was awarded the tournament before the R&A changed its policy on non-gender-neutral clubs.

“Golf Ireland warmly welcomes the very strong decision of the members of Portmarnock Golf Club to become a gender-neutral club,” said Golf Ireland CEO Mark Kennelly.

“We look forward to the implementation of this historic decision which is very much in alignment with the core values of Golf Ireland.”