Raising the bar

Regarding the news of First Minister Alex Salmond turning down an invitation to the Open because Muirfield is a male-only club (your report, 28 June), I used to be a member of a very nice golf club in St Andrews that generally made women welcome.

The first time I took my wife there for lunch, I introduced her to the club secretary. Handshakes over, my good lady walked on towards a downstairs bar, when she noticed a sign above the door that said “Women are not permitted in this bar.”

She suggested to the secretary that that wasn’t very nice and, dodging the issue, he kindly directed us to a bar up the stairs that welcomed everybody.

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A few weeks later, we were back at the club and the sign on the downstairs bar door was gone. My wife said to the secretary: “I’m glad to see that you have taken the sign down that says women are not allowed in that bar.”

“Yes Mrs Bruce,” he replied positively, adding “but you are still not allowed in there.” Even my wife smiled at that piece of chicanery.

Douglas S Bruce

Oronsay Court

Isle of Skye

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