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British Golf Club Lifts 88 year ban on Germans
A British golf club has lifted an 88-year-old rule banning Germans and Austrians from playing on its course, newspapers reported Saturday.
Filton Golf Club near Bristol in southwest England imposed the law after nine of its members were killed in the First World War, with teed-off survivors vowing that the enemy should never be allowed on the course.
The club's official rules, dating back to 1919, a year after the war ended, stated: "No person of German or Austrian extraction, whether naturalised or not should be allowed in the clubhouse or on the course."
The law had been forgotten about until researcher Alan Barclay found it in the club's archives. Members unanimously backed a motion to abolish the rule last week, The Sun reported.
"Germans and Austrians have played here but not 'legally' -- until now. Now they are officially welcome," said Barclay, 66.
"I was absolutely astounded. I thought 'my goodness'. I was just as amazed really to find that nobody ever came up and said 'we have got to rescind that'. It just sat there for 88 years.
"There could have been some naturalised people who were affected, but there is no way of knowing whether that happened.
"It's not the kind of law you want a modern club to have.
"We're now good friends with the Germans - apart from when they beat us at football, obviously."
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