A general meeting of Sydney's exclusive Tattersalls Club on Monday night voted to remove a long-standing provision in its bylaws requiring that members "shall be of the male sex".

Club chairman Colin Dunn said in a statement that he looked forward to admitting the club's first female members within weeks.

"There was a very strong mood in the room," said club spokesman, Matthew Braithwaite-Young.

Tattersalls would not disclose the margin by which the motion passed but described it in a statement as "overwhelming".

One member said about a dozen people opposed the motion.

Two months ago, club members voted down the same motion by 64 votes to 61.

At the time, some members said the opposition stemmed from concerns about the costs involved in admitting women, including fitting out change rooms.

"The chairman did a very good job of explaining how we could do this properly," Mr Braithwaite-Young said in explaining the change of heart. "The first vote was people uncertain of practicalities rather than a lack of support for the principle."

Mr Braithwaite-Young conceded that some members had argued retaining all-male membership was essential to Tattersalls' reason for being.

Women had been allowed to enter the Hyde Park club since 1970, but before this week were denied the right to join as fully-fledged members.

Founded in 1858, Tattersalls began as a horse-racing club, but functions today as a social club, with plush facilities for members including a bar, restaurant, pool and gym. Its 750 members reportedly include Malcolm Turnbull, media honcho John Alexander and former Wallaby Phil Kearns.

Correction: An earlier version of this report included an image of the wrong club.