East Lothian Courier | News | Lady golfers’ final protest

Saturday, 30th August, 2008

Published: Thursday, 26th June, 2008 08:10

Lady golfers’ final protest

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LADY golfers are set to leave Musselburgh Old Course Golf Club (MOCGC) following a row with club bosses.

Eighteen of the 22 female members who regularly play the historic links course will turn their backs on the club they have helped develop for the last 18 years – citing a desire to golf in a more “democratic and amenable atmosphere”.

The exodus is the culmination of a protracted six-month wrangle between members of the ladies’ section and the management committee.

Departing members claimed in January that rules had been bent to allow the club’s junior convenor to compete in an in-house golf tournament at an earlier time than had been scheduled, disrupting fellow players on the day.

After questioning the decision, the ladies were told that their captain, Barbara Bentley, had the final say in all matters concerning medal times (competition tee-off times) – contrary to Ladies Golf Union regulations, the women claimed.

A number of female members had later received “aggressive” letters from the MOCGC management committee, they said, requiring individual members to go before a panel of club bosses for interview.

Some ladies who attended said they felt intimidated and have since accused the committee of employing “bullying tactics”.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the exiting clutch of women golfers said: “The events of the last few months have been dealt with in such a hostile and intimidating manner that all the camaraderie we previously enjoyed has virtually disappeared from our ladies section and we can see no way this situation can ever be reversed.

“As a result we have formed our new club and all of us are fully committed to it. We can also assure any ladies who wish to join us in the future that a hand of friendship will be extended to them and they will be made most welcome.”

Club secretary, Robin McGregor, strongly refuted claims that the management committee had sent “aggressive letters” or that they had been, in any way, “intimidating”.

But he remained tight- lipped about the future of ladies golf at the club until the mass decampment was confirmed.

However, he said: “If there is a dispute there is a constitution that, as members, they have to abide by. If an individual is unhappy there is nothing we can do to stop them leaving the club.

“All we have done is try to understand the situation and it seems very strange that it should come to this.”

The ladies will continue golfing at the links and plan to call their new club: ‘Musselburgh Links Ladies Golf Club’, which may be based at the soon-to-be-built community centre there.

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