European Intervention??

[beau d.]

Am I wrong or right in assuming that due to "Equality" Golf clubs have to reserve a certain number of membership positions for lady members?
Firstly I have absolutely nothing against lady members, but do these people realise the adverse effect that this policy is having on some Golf Clubs. Our club has been and is in the position that we have a waiting list for male members but having to offer incentives to Ladies to encourage them to join. In my clubs instance that is a £1,500 reduction in subs over 3 years and straight in as a full member, whereas men have to wait 2 to 3 years for full membership privileges or be off 5 or less and pay the full subscription. So the club is basically loosing money when they could fill membership places. I find this all most unfair, a club should have a waiting list full stop, if a club has a majority of lady or gentleman members fine, as a healthy mix is always desirable, but if spaces exist surely it is not discrimination to fill those places with whichever sex is next on the waiting list......

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Some golf clubs still don't allow female members

 

[El Bandito]

Not sure there is a law..I believe private clubs still have the right to stay single sex if they want to?...?

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I didn't think private Sports clubs had to follow the equality laws, hence why some clubs are single sex?

 

[beau d.]

I am unsure where the ruling comes from, however I do know that there are laws in place stating that ladies should have equal privileges regarding tee times as male members which in my opinion is right and proper, some were well miffed at my old club though when their fees went up to the male rate.....

 

[Deleted member 17920]

Don't think there is a rule about numbers of women but fees have to be the same now!

 

[Deleted member 18588]

Don't think there is a rule about numbers of women but fees have to be the same now!

Not necessarily.

A club can take action, including reduced subs, if that action is to encourage a perceived minority.

 

[stevie_r]

Don't think there is a rule about numbers of women but fees have to be the same now!

Or clubs can work around it by operating separate gents and ladies clubs at the same course.

 

[john0]

Some golf clubs still don't allow female members

Sounds a good idea. Do any of these clubs also not allow seniors? If so point me in their direction, I need to sign up

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Most private clubs generally set their own limits for membership categories, for example it may be something like 400 male members, 150 ladies and 100 juniors. Check your club constitution/rules, should be on the website, probably in the members section.

 

[Sweep]

Golf clubs do not have to reserve any numbers of places for either gender. All golf clubs do have to comply with Equalities legislation. A club can, in certain circumstances, offer incentives to certain groups, but they must be able to show sound commercial reasons for doing so. These kind of incentives (no joining fee for one gender over another, for example) do carry some risk for the club, because if they are challenged under the Equalities Act it could prove extremly expensive. Any club can designate itself a single sex club.
To be fair, the situation with clubs trying to attract Lady members was around well before the Equalities Act came into force. A club with a full male membership will still very likely have plenty of availability for female members and when I started playing, ladies could always walk straight into any club membership, where there was always a long waiting list for men. The simple reason is that more men play golf than women.
And the Equalities Act was nothing to do with Europe. It was the brainchild of Harriet Harman.

 

[chrisd]

Golf clubs do not have to reserve any numbers of places for either gender. All golf clubs do have to comply with Equalities legislation. A club can, in certain circumstances, offer incentives to certain groups, but they must be able to show sound commercial reasons for doing so. These kind of incentives (no joining fee for one gender over another, for example) do carry some risk for the club, because if they are challenged under the Equalities Act it could prove extremly expensive. Any club can designate itself a single sex club.
To be fair, the situation with clubs trying to attract Lady members was around well before the Equalities Act came into force. A club with a full male membership will still very likely have plenty of availability for female members and when I started playing, ladies could always walk straight into any club membership, where there was always a long waiting list for men. The simple reason is that more men play golf than women.
And the Equalities Act was nothing to do with Europe. It was the brainchild of Harriet Harman.

This is the situation as far as I was aware too

If a club is full for men and juniors it still might need, say, 80 ladies to fill that category too and the club are entitled to offer, I believe, short term incentives to an under represented section of the club