Royal & Ancient Golf Club says it’s not practical to install separate changing rooms so women have to use facilities 100 yards away in a separate buildingMore than two years after a historic vote by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club seemingly to end centuries of discrimination by admitting women to the club, female members still have no changing room inside the St Andrews clubhouse. Instead women, who were allowed to become members from September 2014, are obliged to use facilities 100 yards away in a separate building, the R&A-owned Forgan House. Related: Muirfield members face their demons again: is it time to let the ladies in? | Marina Hyde Continue reading...
Ancient Athens was arguably run more successfully than the FA for quite a long time, so why doesn’t the ruling body adopt a lot-drawing system for selecting council members – how could it possibly be worse?Biannual news in catatonia, now, with suggestions that next month’s Football Association council meeting may feature discussion on moving into the late 20th century. This would feel radical. It is normally advisable to think of these gatherings as akin to the movie Awakenings – except with all the hope, tenderness and learning stripped out. Related: FA aims to double number of women involved in football by end of the decade Continue reading...
Once again the stark choice between preserving their lunching tradition and hosting the Open worth £80m to the local economy will vex the guardians of golf club privilege over whether to change their men-only membership rulesGiven it is the only notable event Muirfield Golf Club now stages, I increasingly look forward to its biannual row over whether to admit women members. Last played in May 2016, the contest returns this month and promises to put observers right inside the action of ye olden tymes as they enjoy breathtaking views uttered in front of a backdrop of breathtaking views. Think of it as a sort of Westworld for golf, shot on a cost of £80m to the local economy, which is...