Stockport Golf Club Spring Newsletter 2015

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1 Stockport Golf Club Spring Newsletter 2015 arranged a variety of entertainments, which Welcome to the Spring 2015 Newsletter MESSAGE FROM THE LADY CAPTAIN everyone has enjoyed including, an excellent New Years Eve Party with the Celtic Clan Band. Along with the best catering in the area from our Stewards Paul and Tina Hill there is still a lot more to come. Our Ladies Christmas Competition, which when I joined used to mean wear a bit of tinsel and something red, has now turned into the most amazing display of ingenuity by the ladies regarding costumes. Our winners this year (see photo) played on the course in these outfits with boxes on their heads! The Christmas Lunch I arranged in line with tradition was kept secret until the day. This year my Committee and I turned the whole room into a Harem reflecting my passion for Egyptian What a year this is turning out to be, it s already half way through and I have so many happy memories because I am enjoying it so much. My charity for the year is St Ann s Hospice, which does so much good locally. I was congratulated by so many lady and gentlemen members at my inception, cards, gifts and phone calls all adding to the pleasure and it s a delight to meet newer members. The Club Captain for the year Mr Tom Clarke and dancing. Every wall covered in glittering materials and dancing costumes, musical instruments on the tables and stick on jewels which the ladies had much fun decorating themselves with. Beautiful hangings from the ceiling full of rose petals with candles on the tables all added to the atmosphere and I was congratulated so much with the comment that it wasn t a lunch, it was a party. My Committee and I wore my Egyptian dance outfits -they looked so beautiful. I have similar likes and views, so working together has been easy and fun. We have 1 P a g e

2 Our weekly presentations are always well attended, I like to make them interesting and search for facts about the history of the ladies section as well as jokes to send them home with a smile even if they didn t play golf very well that day. And so it has carried on from there.. My aim this year is to ensure everyone enjoys it as much as I do and to help the Club maintain its reputation for its excellent course, traditions and hospitality. My Committee are working very hard this year on marketing our section and enhancing our new website. I wish everyone good golf with good weather and see you out on the fairways, Best wishes Lady Captain, Sylvia Hamilton MESSAGE FROM THE RETIRING LADY CAPTAIN When it was announced that John Wilson and I were the in- coming Captains everyone knew it would be a very golf focused year, and I am pleased to report it was. Having been Handicap Secretary for the previous four years and a member of Cheshire County Ladies Committee, my commitment to golf was considerable, and some may say excessive! During the winter when it was unfit to play our Tuesday competitions we had indoor putting practices and drills. The summer season started with Gary providing us with the indoor par 3 simulator, enabling us to practice our swing and have a fun competition indoor before going on to the course for the first medal round. Counting putts in medal rounds were to some a revelation and to others devastation. We did play only one 36 hole competition, much to the relief of many of the lady members. My charity was the On Course Foundation and we were very fortunate to have three ex service personnel who came to play with us and to give us an insight into their involvement in the charity and how golf had helped recovery. One of the highlights of my year was to have Diana Dougherty as speaker at my charity coffee morning. Di and her family have played at Stockport for many years, and it was lovely to have her back amongst us. Di gave a most entertaining and enlightening talk on her role in television and working alongside the professional golfers on tour. The ladies committee were fantastic support and worked with great enthusiasm and efficiency in all the events we ran, such as the Pilates; fashion show of golf clothing; the taster days for potential new lady members; match practice sessions and an exchange day with Delamere Forest together with many more. I was also ably guided through my first bridge drives, which I found to be 2 P a g e

3 extremely enjoyable and an ideal opportunity to get to know some of the lady members who no longer played golf. It was a great pleasure to see Abbi Cowlard win our first Scratch KO competition and Abbi at the age of 19 has also become a very valuable member of Cheshire County s A squad as well as an outstanding member of our teams. The presentation evening, at the close of the season, brought together all the sections of the club and was a fitting opportunity for us all to see the up and coming juniors of our club and the winners of our Knock out competitions. I wish both Lady Captain and Lady Vice Captain a most successful year and if I may offer a word of advice The year went far too quickly, ENJOY! Val Garrett, Past Lady Captain LADY VICE CAPTAIN given us so much pleasure over the years both golf and socially and becoming good friends of so many members along the way. When I joined Stockport Golf Club it was a very traditional golf club no equality then. I was one of a few youngsters within the Club and had to behave accordingly. I used to come and play on Sunday afternoons 18 holes then in for tea and teacakes, somethings never change. After I married and had my family I became more involved in golf and my handicap reduced the more I played in competitions and club matches. Socially I loved being involved in the Christmas concerts and attending the various social events. In 1988 I was invited to join the Ladies Committee as Assistant Secretary, Mrs Stella Jackson was Secretary at the time and it was going to be a hard act to follow. I became Lady Secretary in 1989, my Lady Captains were Dr Meave O'Sullivan, Mrs Fiona Farnworth and Mrs Deryn Merry. I thoroughly enjoyed my time on Committee but after my years of office I decided to return to work. Although I played occasionally and supported my husband Roger when he was President in 2002, I did not get back into golf until three years ago when I retired and now I am trying very hard to get a decent handicap back! It is with great pleasure that I have become Lady Vice Captain of Stockport Golf Club. The Club has been like a second family to my husband and I since we both joined in the late 1960 s, gosh so long ago time has flown. The opportunity has now arisen to put something back to the club that has I am looking forward very much to becoming Lady Captain in October. 3 P a g e

4 LADIES COMMITTEE This year we had three retirements from the Committee. Linda Leah who had served 4 years as Treasurer and looked after our finances well in all that time; Mary Williamson played an active role in supporting the juniors and Barbara Kay a fount of knowledge on competitions from the regular to the more exotic string, scramble, waltz and multiplication variations! Trying to follow in their footsteps are Linda Gregory as Treasurer (so watch your wallet when she approaches) Jill Sanders supporting the juniors and, together with new committee member Amy Scrase, working hard on the revamped website and new ways of promoting the recruitment of lady members and Mary Carrier as Competition Secretary. Irene Hegarty continues as Lady Secretary, Mary Learmont continues to look after "house" and Tracy Royle is shadowing Ann Williams in her last year as Handicap Secretary. Jenny Rickson has fixed, managed, cajoled and persuaded team players all over the county for the past 4 years. Her stalwart efforts have been really appreciated; it is no mean feat getting 3 teams out on a Monday morning. Heather Baguley has kindly taken over the mantle so please try not to put a strain on her health by those last minute calls! LADY CAPTAIN S CHARITY FOR 2015 For 2015 the Lady Captain s charity is St Ann s Hospice St Ann s Hospice cares and helps around 3,000 patients (over the age of 16) and their families and carers every year who are affected by cancer and non-cancer life limiting illnesses. They deliver care that is special and unique to each individual person. Around 40% of inpatients at St Ann s Hospice return home after treatment. St Ann s Hospice provides care on 3 sites and in people s own homes, working in partnership with acute hospitals, primary care trusts, community services and voluntary organisations. Many of the services are provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week by specialist staff. They employ around 400 members of staff and are helped by around 800 volunteers. The care is free of charge but St Ann s Hospice has to raise 16,000 every day so that specialised staff can provide the highest quality care. St Ann s Hospice was 40 years old in 2011, one of the oldest hospices in the Country. They have a record of delivering first class care for 4 decades. There will be a number of events throughout the year and I hope to see you at some (or all) of these events. Highlights so far! There are two events early in my term, which epitomises the ladies section - The Christmas Waltz and the Christmas luncheon. The ladies excel themselves in their imagination and creativity in the design of their Christmas outfits and this year was no exception. The vision of reindeer, snowmen, elves, Christmas puddings, Father Christmas and lighted Christmas trees brings a smile to our faces. 4 P a g e

5 Our intrepid reindeer Lynne Leutton, Gill Hudson and our England Golf Rep Julie Carter! The Christmas Luncheon Harem themed room was just the beginning! Lis Wilson, Gail Brady and our piano player extraordinaire Helen Kennedy As is tradition the newest Committee members, Amy, Tracy and Linda entertained the ladies with song and verse, which together with lots of instruments, jewellery to make and face adornments made for a wonderful lunch. Good food, good company and joyous carols round the Christmas tree. The winners this year were the creative team of Linda Bolt, Ruth McCulloch and Glynis Hodgson who were able to play in their costumes though sacking was found scattered on the course! 5 P a g e

6 BRIDGE season it has been quite a challenge but great fun. Monday afternoons has brought together a wide cross section of the ladies. CHARITY COFFEE MORNING In winter, Stockport ladies arrange a variety of bridge activities for both social and playing members. On Wednesday afternoons there are Duplicate Bridge sessions and on Fridays there is a friendly bridge team, which plays matches against other local golf clubs. For those who prefer Rubber Bridge we have two invitational bridge drives, a Club Bridge Drive and one run by Lady Captain. In summer there are impromptu bridge fours after golf before our golf competition presentations. Less experienced bridge players are welcome to these sessions, which may encourage them to play more bridge. PILATES The 2 nd year of our successful winter Pilates classes is almost at an end. Julie has endeavoured to strengthen our core, improve our balance and prepare our bodies for the golfing The Annual charity Coffee Morning to raise funds for St Ann s Hospice raised a superb As well as an abundance of homemade goodies courtesy of the Committee and members there was a raffle, candle store and accessories sale. Traditionally the Captain invites a speaker and this year we were delighted to welcome one of our members, Mrs Serena Botterman MBE. Serena has worked with the NSPCC for many years and also fostered 24 children. It was her fostering story, which she spoke about both in terms of the reward and emotions that ensued. There was no doubt we were all touched by her words and the support that all her family had given to her mission. In particular the part played by her own two children and husband Peter. They shared their home, parents, toys, schools and extended family. It was a truly memorable morning. 6 P a g e

7 DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Tuesday 14 th April Spring Cup Tuesday 19 th May Jean turner Friendship Trophy Tuesday 9 th June Mrs White s Cup 36 holes Tuesday 16 th June Captain s Day to the Ladies Tuesday 30 th June Invitation Day Wednesday 8 th July Exchange day to Wilmslow Tuesday 14 th July President s Day to the Ladies Tues 11 th Aug Barbara Swales Veterans Trophy Tues 18 th Aug Exchange Day to Dunham Forest Tuesday 8 th September Lady Captain s Day Tuesday 22 nd September Torkington Bowl LADY CAPTAIN S CHARITY LUNCH Friday 24 th April THE CAPTAIN AND LADY CAPTAIN S CHARITY GOLF DAY Friday 25 th September Sunday 12 th July SGC Inaugural Junior Open and family fun day grandchildren who would like to join in. At Easter, half term and during the summer holidays there are regular Boot Camps. YOR COUNTY NEEDS YOU! Please watch the noticeboard for details about trolley pulling for County Match week. From 22 nd 26 th June at Sandiway G.C. they will be looking for volunteers. This is a chance to see the top amateur players from the six northern counties playing match play. Hopefully Abbi will be part of the Cheshire team as she has been in previous years. LESSONS Gary Norcutt will shortly be posting details of his group lessons. They will be on the noticeboard and also an will be sent out. This will be an ideal opportunity to fine-tune your golf after the winter. If you have any ideas about what you would like the Committee to set up for you then please do let us know. Remember that 40% of golf is hit with the putter!! JUNIOR LESSONS Every Saturday afternoon Danny Waldrop gives lessons to the juniors, which are bookable in the Pro s Shop. Please speak to Danny if you have 7 P a g e