Muirfield was the tipping point for men-only rule

It’s vital that golf is made to be as accessible as possible.

The Royal & Ancient’s decision to have a vote on its men-only policy should be welcomed by all golf lovers.

Hopefully the vote in September to abolish it can be passed and our sport can take a big step forward.

The time is right for this change. And there are lots of ladies in golf who would make a strong contribution to the R&A.

It’s only right that they get a chance to have a say in the running of the game at all levels.

The tipping point for the R&A came last summer at The Open at Muirfield.

We had one of the best Opens of recent years played on a great links with Phil Mickelson producing one of the great last rounds to win the Claret Jug.

But it was largely overshadowed by the decision to stage it at an exclusive men-only club. This issue dominated all the press conferences, and the R&A felt very uncomfortable.

Politicians across all parties refused to attend, including Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond.

It was a real snub and made golf look out of touch. The topic had been debated for a long time but it had gone past the bar-room chat stage and action was needed.

There are other factors, too.

Augusta National introduced female members a couple of years ago, leaving the R&A increasingly isolated, especially when a figure as powerful as former US Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, was one of the first.

Sponsors would have been in an awkward position if the R&A had maintained their policy and will have had a ‘quiet’ word.

And becoming part of the Olympics in 2016 means golf must be inclusive.

What’s also important is that the R&A are seen to be taking a positive step themselves, rather than being forced into this by legislation as single-sex golf clubs become outlawed.

Now we need influential members within the R&A, like Jack Nicklaus and Peter Alliss, to put forward a strong case so this vote is passed.

If that happens, clubs like Muirfield, Royal St George’s and Royal Troon will be forced to act.

They would never change if there wasn’t change at the top, so now there could be unspoken pressure to reform.

The R&A does a lot of good work for golf around the world but it gets very little credit for it because of its elitist image.

We need to attract young boys and girls into the sport as they’re the future.

So it’s vital that we remove any barriers and show that golf is a game for everyone.