"The 1st time I played Muirfield I had to sit outside after the game as I wasn't allowed in. Related Content Golf: Two Kiwis to feature at women's US Open Golf: Phil Mickelson pays back $1.5m after insider trading scheme Golf: Kiwis in action the world over in busy weekend of golf"This is nonsense. The course is home to the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, a society which was founded in 1744 and which claims to have both set down the original rules of golf and to be the oldest recorded golf club in the world. Peter Alliss, the BBC's 'voice of golf', has risked outrage by claiming Muirfield was right to bar female members, insisting women would never want to pay the fees anyway. But Alliss, 85, defended the ban today, insisting women can play at the club for free as guests but would baulk at paying a joining fee.

Source: New Zealand Herald May 19, 2016 06:01 UTC