One of the last men-only golf clubs in Europe has welcomed nine women as new full members and appointed Elaine McBride as its new general manager.
Portmarnock Golf Club, established in 1894 and often rated as one of the top courses in the UK and Ireland, voted last year to remove the words ‘who shall be Gentlemen’ from its constitution, and now has 37 female members.
The other 28 have so far been honorary members such as former internationals Mary McKenna, Ita Butler and Claire Hourihane, or students, girls and overseas members.
The club has revealed that in its election for full memberships including voting rights, there were 40 candidates, 10 of whom were women. It found vacancies could be filled for 19 of them – 10 men and nine women.
This comes just a few weeks after the club announced that Elaine McBride, the cover of the June 2019 issue of The Golf Business, will become its new general manager in January 2023. She replaces Andrew Whitelaw, who has moved to Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia, which will host the US PGA in 2026.
The club, which is located on a peninsula, is eligible to host R&A events now it has female members.
It was thought to be a contender to host the AIG Women’s Open, but The R&A’s chief executive, Martin Slumbers, recently said this wasn’t a consideration at the moment.
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