The Royal & Ancient (R&A) and the Ladies Golf Union (LGU) are set to proceed with a merger at the start of next year in a move that is being hailed as a major step towards growing the game.
Last February, the two St Andrews-based bodies unveiled that they were in talks over a possible amalgamation and that will now go ahead as of January 1 2017.
The LGU, which was formed back in 1893 and runs a series of prestigious amateur and professional championships including the Ricoh Women’s British Open and the Curtis Cup, will be brought into the R&A’s group of companies when the unification goes through.
Martin Slumbers, the chief executive of the R&A, said: “This is a tremendous opportunity, both for the R&A and the LGU. The LGU feel very positive that the R&A can help them and we feel they can help us achieve our objectives.
"Not long after the R&A became a mixed club [in 2014], this is the next step in the process of the R&A supporting the game as a whole. It is a practical step and we are delighted because by having men's, women's, boys' and girls' golf under the same umbrella it means that we can talk about golf as whole. Growth of family golf is also the best opportunity for the game to grow than any other demographic group."
Asked if the merger meant the letters LGU would disappear from the golfing alphabet, Slumbers replied: "Yes, over time. But the LGU will continue as planned this year, when the events include a Curtis Cup, before we get full integration on 1 January, 2017."
Trish Wilson, the chair of the LGU, added: “The LGU has a long and proud tradition of supporting women’s and girls’ golf. Funded by the lady golfers of Great Britain and Ireland, the LGU has positioned golf as a game for all women and girls. Building on the strong relationship it already enjoys with the R&A, the LGU looks forward to realising the potential of this merger.”
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