Open Championship venue Royal St George 's has voted to allow women members for the first time in its history . A statement from the club read : 'The Royal St George 's Golf Club is pleased to announce that , following an extraordinary general meeting held on 14th February 2015 and a subsequent ballot of the full members of the club , a resolution to alter the club 's rules to make ladies eligible for membership has been duly passed . 'Under the club 's rules , the resolution would only be passed if it obtained the support of three-quarters of the votes cast on the ballot . More than 81 per cent of the full members took part in the ballot and a decisive 90 per cent voted in favour of ladies being eligible for membership . Darren Clarke won The Open the last time it was held at Royal St George 's in 2011 . 'The alteration of the club 's rules has immediate effect and the club looks forward to welcoming ladies as junior and full members . ' Royal St George 's had been one of three clubs on the Open rota with a male-only membership policy . The club last hosted the Open in 2011 when it was won by Europe 's Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke . Muirfield and Royal Troon are the other two courses to have male-only membership policies . Muirfield , which is owned and run by The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers , is reviewing its membership criteria with a report due to be completed this month , while Troon announced in January its intention to undertake a 'comprehensive review ' of its membership policy . Rickie Fowler hits a shot in the 2011 Open Championship amid a familiar St George 's backdrop . St George 's boasts a 60-foot bunker , the deepest in Britain , as a unique feature of the course . Troon has always considered itself a special case in this respect as it shares facilities with the Ladies Golf Club , Troon . And the club also confirmed in January it will share the responsibility of hosting The Open in 2016 with the Ladies ' Club , with the formation of a joint Championship Committee . Royal Troon Captain , Bob Martin said : 'Royal Troon Golf Club has hosted The Open on eight occasions since 1923 and in 2016 we will share this responsibility with The Ladies ' Golf Club , Troon as joint hosts of the 145th Open Championship . 'The clubs enjoy a close working relationship and we look forward to hosting a successful Open here in 2016 . ' The Royal & Ancient Golf Club at St Andrews ended its 260-year-old male-only membership rule in September . In a statement , Troon said it will 'undertake a comprehensive review to consider the most appropriate membership policy for the future ' , adding : 'The recommendations from this review will be presented to the membership for their consideration . ' Scrutiny of the clubs intensified after the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews voted to end its 260-year-old male-only membership policy in September . A spokesperson for the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers later confirmed that the consultation over allowing women members at Muirfield is currently ongoing , with the findings due to be reviewed this spring .
Royal St George 's is latest Open venue to allow women members . The club has been a bastion of the British aristocracy for more than 200 years and was founded by King Edward VII in 1911. The R & A ended its 260-year male-only membership in September . Scrutiny has also fallen on male-only policy at Muirfield and Troon .