THE Royal and Ancient Golf Club has voted "overwhelmingly" in favour of allowing women members for the first time in its 260-year history.

More than three-quarters of the 2,400 global members took part in the ballot, with 85 per cent voting in favour of females joining the St Andrews club. It will become a mixed membership club immediately and a "significant" number of women are being fast-tracked to allow them to join the institution, club secretary Peter Dawson said.

"This is a very important and positive day in the history of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club," Mr Dawson said. "The R&A has served the sport of golf well for 260 years and I am confident that the club will continue to do so in future with the support of all its members, both women and men."

Cabinet Secretary for Sport and Equalities Shona Robison praised the decision, adding: "We firmly believe that there should be no barriers at all to being involved in sport. I hope this welcome development leads to the few remaining single-gender golf clubs to take a similar path."

Founded in 1754, the Royal and Ancient's members play on the St Andrews links course regarded as the "home of golf".

Although women have been allowed to play on the course, they were, until yesterday's vote, not allowed in the clubhouse and had no significant part in the sport's rulemaking arm, the R&A. That body, separated from the club 10 years ago, controls golf around the world apart from in the US and Mexico. When the vote was announced in March, Mr Dawson insisted it was not intended to place pressure on the three male-only clubs on the Open Championship rota - Muirfield, Royal Troon and Royal St George's in Kent - but it is unavoidable.

Pressure from sponsors to change the policy had been mounting, with HSBC's global head of sponsorship and events Giles Morgan saying in January that: "The R&A are clear that it's a very uneasy position for the bank."

He said yesterday: "As a partner of the R&A and a long-term international sponsor of golf, we welcome this news with open arms."

Ted Bishop, president of the PGA of America, said in a statement: "Women have played and will continue to play an integral role in the game of golf. In fact, women represent the biggest growth market in the sport and every step to make golf more inclusive is good for the game.

"The PGA of America is thrilled that the R&A is welcoming women into its organisation and loudly applauds its decision."

The LPGA said: "The LPGA is happy to hear that the members of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club in St Andrews have voted to include female members. This decision is certainly a step in the right direction and one that better captures the current diversity and inclusiveness of our great game."

Muirfield, Royal Troon and Royal St George's in Kent have male-only membership policies, but Troon feels it should not be compared as it shares its facilities with The Ladies Golf Club Troon.

Muirfield, which is owned and run by The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, is reviewing its membership criteria with a report to be completed by March 2015, while Royal St George's is "considering its position".