THE chorus of criticism about Muirfield's male-only membership policy grows louder by the day.
The Prime Minister, David Cameron, spoke out yesterday, suggesting the rule harked back to the past. Nick Clegg said much the same thing while Andrew Lansley, the leader of the Commons, described it as reprehensible. Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman went further, calling for a ban on male-only clubs.
Their comments followed a decision by the Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Maria Miller to boycott the Open, being held at the historic East Lothian club, in protest. First Minister Alex Salmond – a keen golfer – has already let it be known he is staying away this weekend for the same reason.
Uniting those political foes is harder than taming the infamously tricky East Lothian links themselves, but the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers seems to have managed it. Not that the members will be losing much sleep. And why should they?
They are not in breach of equalities legislation, they are a private club and they are entitled to stick to their rules.
What they should not be entitled to expect, however, is the honour and prestige of hosting the Open. And there the R&A, golf's governing body which decides where the great championship should be played, should take a take a stronger stance.
The Open may be the R&A's event but it is of national importance, both economically and in terms of showcasing the areas it visits. Those who run the game should reflect on that wider responsibility.
Unfortunately the signs are not encouraging. Peter Dawson, the chief executive of the R&A, has promised to look at the issue of male-only clubs after the Open but admitted it would be a "hard push" for the body to change its mind. The Ladies Golf Union, meanwhile, has offered only mild criticism, insisting the issue was far from the most pressing facing the women's game. Things will probably change over time was their relaxed message, echoing the R&A.
So where will the hard push come from? Politicians are right to speak out but what about the players? It's all very well for Mr Salmond and Ms Miller to boycott the Open but if Rory McIlroy chose not to play, change would be instant.
Augusta National in Georgia, the home of the US Masters and possibly one of the most conservative institutions on planet, admitted its first women member last year after a decade of pressure. The sky did not fall in on the azaleas. The shift should send a clear message to golf on this side of the Atlantic.
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