One of the last bastions of all-male sporting privilege is set to fall after the Royal & Ancient Golf Club announced Wednesday it has recommended its members should vote in favor of women being allowed to join the club in a ballot to be held on September 18.

The 260-year-old ruling body of golf, based at the St ­Andrews course in eastern Scotland, has come under increasing commercial and political pressure to remove its "men-only" rule.

Its decision to put the issue to a vote of its 2,500-strong membership represents a ­major change for an organization which had previously defended its policy on the grounds that it was a private club. However, a two-thirds majority will be required to change the club's rules at the September vote.

"Members of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, the founding club of The R&A, will vote on a motion to admit women as members," a spokesman said Wednesday.

The vote will strictly concern membership of The R&A. The Old Course at St Andrews, where the club has its headquarters, is a public course over common land where women have always been welcome to play.

British sports minister ­Helen Grant said she hoped it would signal an end to the "anachronistic" single-sex stance common to many golf clubs.

"This is welcome news from the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and I urge its members to follow their Committees' recommendations and vote 'yes' for women members," Grant said.

"It would mark a step in the right direction for the sport and I would hope encourage the remaining golf clubs that still have anachronistic single-sex member policies to follow suit."

AFP - Global Times