As pressure grows to end discrimination in Scottish golf, Shona Robison, the Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport, admits the Scottish Government has no power to accelerate the process of bringing gender equality.
In the wake of last week's decision by Augusta National Golf Club, home of the US Masters, to admit two women as members, a number of leading politicians have called on Scottish men-only institutions such as the Royal and Ancient and the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, hosts of next year's Open at Muirfield, to follow their lead and make membership available to all.
Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman was one of the first to join the debate, saying: "It is completely wrong that Muirfield is still men-only." On Friday, former prime minister Gordon Brown described the stances taken by single-gender clubs as "an unacceptable blot" on Scotland's reputation.
The R&A and Muirfield have defended their positions as private clubs, arguing it is their members' right to decide whether they want to admit women. However, neither suggested that change is in the pipeline.
"There will be no imminent change here at Muirfield," said Alastair Brown, secretary of the East Lothian club. "To the best of my knowledge it is not even on the agenda."
Despite this, and even after remarks by First Minister Alex Salmond echoing the comments of Harman and Brown, Robison conceded that the Scottish Government would not be taking action.
"I think we've been quite clear that we see the future with all clubs opening their doors," she said. "But that's ultimately a matter for the clubs. Some will maybe take longer than others, but I think what happened in Augusta is definitely the direction of travel.
"Clubs will have to decide when to do it. I hope that they will. I think it's right and proper in the 21st century.
"I can't speak for the R&A. I suppose there is history and tradition. Sometimes it takes a long time for change to happen. We have a good relationship with the R&A and they have to make their own decision. But this is our aspiration for Scotland and I think we'll get there one day. And I hope that clubs will agree with us on that."
Muirfield is sure to face growing pressure as July's Open Championship looms, and questions are increasingly being asked of the R&A's internal rules and its practice of allocating the Open to venues that do not offer memberships to women.
Royal Troon is also a men-only club, a status that means that two of the three single-sex Open rota clubs are in Scotland. Royal St George's, in Kent, is the only other Open venue to discriminate.
However, Robison claimed that hosting golf's oldest and most prestigious major championship at clubs which bar women does not have a negative effect on Scotland's image around the world.
"I'm not sure if you were to go and ask people in America and China that that would necessarily be the impression of the Open or of Scotland. I don't think that would come to mind at all. Scotland has a very good reputation for golf, which is why we have so many Chinese coming here to play. I don't think they are put off by that. It's not the image they have of Scotland or of golf in Scotland."
In parallel, the proposed merger of the Scottish Golf Union (SGU) and the Scottish Ladies' Golfing Association (SLGA), the governing bodies of the men's and women's games, has been stalled since last year when sections of the SGU membership blocked the move. An SGU spokesman would only say "positive discussions are ongoing".
Part of the merger's rationale is that public funding through sportscotland is worth around £1.3m to the two bodies, and this would be jeopardised if they do not coalesce into an organisation in which men and women have equal status.
However, Robison said: "They have to do it at their own pace and be comfortable with that. There's not a big stick from sportscotland threatening them that they won't get funding if they don't do this. That's not how sportscotland works. They're working to support the organisations to come together because of the benefits of that amalgamation."
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