Muirfield golf club

The principle of private clubs being able to choose men- or women- only membership may be acceptable, but they shouldn't expect to host public events.

And golf is played on a course thatbags, though never by me; life's too short.

Thanks, grumpps. Course, of course!

Someone mentioned the Womens Institute , are men allowed to join? just a thought

Things do change though. At our lcoal golf club, where new members had to be sponsored and voted in, which took ages in the 70s- they are now short of members and it's much easier to get in...

Women in those days could only get 'off peak' membership, but one of our friends who was a medic and worked full time challenged it in the 80s, as she could not play off peak due to her profession- and after quie a battle, they relinquished.

Who would want to paly with such pompous, sexist dinosaurs though?

I Find it interesting that we can segregate by sex, but not by race, colour or creed.
Is this fair ? As my teacher used to say, please discuss.

Men aren't permitted to join the W.I. but apparently they can participate in courses organised by them.

Likewise . the masons have ladies nights.

But why shouldn't women be masons. Women now have the skills that would make them eligible to be a mason in the old sense.

I expect there are female masons, that is, stone cutters.

Coincidentally I was just watching "How it's made" and it featured a female diamond cutter.

The suffragettes were very fond of taking part in radical actions on golf courses- digging up greens and leaving bombs. Obviously they realised these were the last bastions of male power. Maybe we could stage some re-enactments

Leaving bombs sounds like terrorism to me.

Can we have a definitive answer on the WI, please? Would they turn a man away? I'd love to know. In the meantime, yah boo sucks to Muirfield Golf Club. May their balls get covered in dog pooh.

Men cannot be members of the WI.

They are allowed to do courses put on by the WI. Bit like the wives of Muirfield golfers being allowed to take part in club activities but not be members.

Is anyone here totally opposed in principle to the women only clubs I mentioned (or any others there may be): WI, Curves women's gyms, and Girl Guides?

NotTooOld and Bags see 18.25.02 yesterday

I knew someone had already given a definitive answer, marmight, but I was too lazy to go back and look who! Naughty me!

So, yeah, as the younguns say, does anyone object in principle to women only clubs like WI? Cos if not and you're complaining about Muirfield, you are being inconsistent. Single gender clubs are either okay in principle or they aren't. We can't have it both ways.

Please make your brain register the ifs in my post before you take umbrage

I don't have any problem with private clubs/organisations that elect to have male/female members only to be honest.

I think it is more a question of what/why do they feel the need to be so selective. In most cases I would hazard a guess I would say 'It's entirely a private club/organisations perogative to choose who they heck they want to join/be members.'.

Muirfield is not alone in choosing to have a single sex membership and that's up to them. Do I think single sex clubs/organisations should be banned , certainly not. I would however wonder if I would feel the same way if there was a club/organisation that existed for the sole purpose to subjugate or cause harm to the opposite sex then that would most certainly be a cause for calling for it's disbandment. That is why I feel the question is more about the what/why the club/organization exists not simply the fact it elects to be single sex membership.

When a golf club chooses to continue to be male only membership I do wonder if they have somehow have lost the plot a tad but it is for the members to decide . I know my hubby would be totally uninterested in such a club but that to is beside the point I guess.

There are actually Masonic lodges for women although they don't seem to get much publicity.

Apparently one of the reasons for not letting women join the golf club is that the members are doctors and lawyers who want to socialise with their own kind. Not sure what that says about all the female doctors and lawyers, although I doubt if they'd want much to do with a lot of boring old F*rts!

I can understand men wanting a place to go where they only get male company. I can understand the equivalent for females. No big deal. Muirfield is all male because it always has been and the current members don't see the need for any change. If and when they do see a need for change, as have most other golf clubs that used to have male only members, they will vote for change. I suspect that time will not be all that long in coming, but if it doesn't and if the club wishes to continue to isolate itself from other clubs (because they won't be allowed to host the Open Championships, for instance) that's up to them. There's nothing intrinsically wrong in being a bit isolationist, nor of being old farts, come to that.

Pressure may come from other parts of East Lothian because of business lost as a result of this club's unchanging attitude. That, I reckon, is what'll make enough of the old farts change their minds and vote to allow women members.

It's a thorny issue but women usually come off badly, and not only in sport. I discovered that the rush to make all schools co-ed means that women seldom get headships anymore. Can't keep the boys in order(?)

Leave it to them in my view. Yes, they are dinosaurs, and like dinosaurs they will die out. Leave them to gather dust in their little corner of the world while the rest of us move on.

jeebur I could not disagree more! Both regarding the headships and the control
I think the only area where men might be at an advantage in education might be Primary/Early Years as there are so few male teachers and it can be felt that there is always the need for a male figure in some children's lives.

Not sure if this is true but once read that the word GOLF actually means gentlemen only ladies forbidden. Surely this has moved on these days ?

Bunch of old dinosaurs -would be cross with their feebleness but hate golf anyway -all golf courses should be turned back into free public parks -golf is a non sport for the feeble