Golf clubs in Northern Ireland lagging behind on gender equality

Golf clubs in Northern Ireland are falling behind on gender equality, the sport's governing body has said.

Only 16% of female golf club members in Northern Ireland have full membership, compared to 60% in the Republic of Ireland.

The bulk of female members (46%) in Northern Ireland are associate members with fewer rights within their clubs.

Anne McCormack, from Golf Ireland, said it was not a very attractive proposition for women golfers.

She said women would feel they were not getting the same rights as everybody else.

Associate members do not have full voting rights and can only access the course at certain times of the week or day.

"This is about future generations of women," Ms McCormack added.

Anne McCormack said female golfers in NI did not have an attractive proposition

There are about 90 clubs in Northern Ireland and many do not permit women to become full club members.

It is up to each club to decide what memberships they offer.

The Republic of Ireland has moved more quickly around equality within the club sport, largely due to the Equal Status Act, with 60% of women there now being full golf club members.

There is no legal requirement for clubs in Northern Ireland to do the same.

In the rest of the UK women are at least twice as likely to be full members of clubs as women in NI, Golf Ireland said.

'I perceived it as a man's sport'

Berni Cowan used to play football for Northern Ireland and took up golf a few years ago.

She told BBC News NI she would never have been tempted had it not been for a programme which aimed to get women in to the sport.

She said: "[I] always thought it was viewed and perceived as a man's sport, always.

"Golf now is very welcoming for women, but if you're talking five, six years ago I wouldn't have thought about playing golf."

Former NI footballer Bernie Cowan (left) took up golf thanks to a program targeting women

The world governing body for golf, the R&A, encourages clubs to support access for women through the Women in Golf Charter.

Only a third of clubs in Northern Ireland are signed up to the charter.

Ms McCormack said legislation in the Republic of Ireland had had a dramatic effect.

"There was a bit of force of hand, full membership had to be open to both genders," she said.

"The legislation in NI is not the same so that's why we think there is that lag.

"In a lot of clubs, they've made considerable advancements to make full membership open to both genders. We're starting to see things move in a much more positive direction.

"This wasn't a massive piece of the agenda a few years ago, now it's central to the agenda."

Last year a golf club made history when it appointed the first woman captain in Northern Ireland.

Traditionally most golf clubs are made up of male and female branches, with different captains selected to lead each.

Berni Cowan said golf has become more welcoming to women in recent years

In 2021 the Royal Dublin Golf Club - believed to be the island of Ireland's last club with only male members - voted to "enshrine the principle of gender equality" into its constitution.

The club's members voted to adopt the governance principles of Golf Ireland, which operates on an all-island basis.

Those principles include commitments to gender equality and inclusivity.

Its gender equality principle states clubs should "take positive action to increase and encourage the number of women and girls playing, leading and working at the club".