BUCKINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY LADIES GOLF ASSOCIATION

Transcription

1 BUCKINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY LADIES GOLF ASSOCIATION DELEGATES MEETING MINUTES WESTON TURVILLE GOLF CLUB Wednesday 21 May pm - 1 -

2 PRESENT Marian Purdy County President Karen Platt County Captain Phillipa Cook Vie Captain & England Golf Representative Pia Davis Hon. Treasurer Sally Harborne Joint Competitions Secretary Affiliated Club Delegate Additional Attendee Abbey Hill Aylesbury Park Beaconsfield Buckingham The Buckinghamshire Burnham Beeches Chartridge Park Chesham & Ley Hill Chiltern Forest Datchet Denham Ellesborough Farnham Park Flackwell Heath Gerrards Cross Harewood Downs Harleyford Hazlemere Hedsor Huntswood Iver Ivinghoe Lambourne Magnolia Park Mentmore Oakland Park Princes Risborough Richings Park South Buckinghamshire Stoke Park Stowe Tattenhoe Thorney Park Three Locks Wavendon Weston Turville Wexham Park Whiteleaf Windmill Hill Woburn Wycombe Heights Evelyn Gutteridge Patricia Ellis (inc Stowe) Joan Somerville Karen Young Sandra Eland Kathryn Connolly Angela Haslam Linda Hubbard Margaret McGee Maren Saville Gill McMurdo Gay Clough Carol Fenwick Valerie Dexter See Buckingham Ann Pullan Rosie Rayfield Wendy Saunders - 2 -

3 1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Cathy Armstrong Helen Mines Gilly Brewer Di Bovey Denise Goodacre Teddy Bevan Christine Bishop County Training Officer Hon. Secretary County Junior Organiser Joint Competitions Secretary 2 nd Team Captain Seniors Captain Handicap Advisor Carol Morgan, Wycombe Heights Carolyn McKewan, Mentmore Rosemary Millington, Aylesbury Park Ann Breedon, Wexham Park Maureen Brooker, Farnham Park Xandra Morley, Hazlemere Jo Williams, Huntswood Jenny Masterton-Smith, Whiteleaf 2. MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING Agreed and signed as a true record. 3. MATTERS ARISING Page 3 Item 4 County Lunch Karen thanked the clubs for all their support and Stoke Park for an excellent venue and delicious food. Donations of 2,600 were raised on the day, which together with the 2013 summer eclectic money meant we could send a cheque for 4,878 to Helen & Douglas House. Page 4 Item 4 Fashion Show Regretfully the fashion show had to be cancelled due to the illness of the organiser at Oakland Park but we would like to try this event another time. 4. CAPTAIN S REPORT Karen Platt ACTION Welcome Ladies to the BCLGA Delegates meeting, I hope you all find it useful, and feel free to ask questions once we have given our individual reports. County Championship May 9-11 Many thanks to Stoke Park for kindly agreeing to host our County Championships this year. We had a fantastic tournament, with golf played at the highest level despite the awful weather during the weekend. Both the course and the conditions tested the mettle of all the players, but a true champion emerged after many tight matches. Well done Sally and her team of willing helpers for such a great event. There were many compliments about how welcoming and well organised it all was, how adaptable everyone was regarding the use of the facilities. We had been warned that due to other events at the Club, we would need to keep a low profile, which I think we all did, but it was due to Sally s briefing and professionalism that all went so smoothly. Despite the dreadful weather, Stoke Park was in fantastic condition. I was very envious of all those going out to play, despite the squalls and cold temperatures. Thanks also to our excellent referees, I don t think there were any issues, but it s always good to have expertise like Christine and Janet to hand

4 The 36 holes qualifying strokeplay produced 16 players of the highest calibre, each one of them deserved to reach the matchplay stages, and what incredible matches we had right from the start. Each match would have been worthy of a final and it is a true reflection of all the hard work and support previous county Executive members and volunteers have put in over the years to progressing our players to the level they compete at now. Our new Champion Lizi Sweetnam from Woburn is also new to Bucks which shows that we are attracting great talent to test our own players. She expressed her enthusiasm and thanks several times over the weekend for the welcome that she had received from everyone, particularly the other players. It was lovely for her to mention joining her new family which is so encouraging for all of us. Whilst it was sad that Clara Leathers from Ellesborough could not hold on to her game for her final round, no one can deny that hitting the ball steadily down the middle and a solid short game will win in the end. It is good to see that we also have a new Seniors Champion, Julie Cooper from Beaconsfield. I am also delighted that Charlotte Nutt (Beaconsfield) is our Intermediate Champion. Charlotte is reaching that crossroads in her life where golf is extremely important to her, but she has decisions to make about her future. Her great performance continued at the Midlands South Medal final which she won at Tadmarton Heath Oxon, May 13 th. County Squad This year the squad has almost picked itself! All those who should have qualified in the Champs did and I am very excited about the team that we will be taking to Northampton. They are Victoria Bryan (Lambourne), Megan Dennis (Woburn), Denise Goodacre (Lambourne), Shamiso Hatchard (Woburn), Thalia Kirby (Stoke Park), Alice Kozlowski (Ellesborough), Clara Leathers (Ellesborough), Chloe Li (Woburn), Charlotte Nutt (Beaconsfield), Beth Scott (Stoke Park), Charlotte West (Harewood Downs and Beaconsfield). 2 reserves were also named Cathy Armstrong (Ellesborough) and Julia Gallagher (Woburn). Of the Squad, there are 3 rookies Chloe, Beth and Thalia. The latter is just 13 years old and will be the youngest player that we have ever taken. However, her maturity on and off the golf course and her excellent performance in her match against Lizi, made her selection well deserved. Unfortunately, our Champion Lizi will be unable to make County Week as she had already booked a holiday to America where she used to go to College. She has promised to be around next year! County Week June 23 rd 27 th Northampton Golf Club, Harlestone NN7 4EF Now the preparations are in hand. We have 3 practice rounds booked, accommodation booked, new kit supplied by Your Golf Travel has been ordered, the Tesco shop delivery is being processed, and all the girls have been given clothing lists. They have also been instructed to practice their short game, with putting top of the list. We shall need help with caddies, so I am asking you all today if you could go back to your clubs, particularly if you have 1 st team players representing us this year, and cajole some willing volunteers to come and caddy. Match times will be on the website, and it is the afternoons that we need help. A sandwich lunch and drink are available for our caddies, and the girls and we are so grateful to see you. Perhaps if you can just come and support for a couple of hours in your red shirts or jumpers, it is always such a boost, and I can assure you that the level of golf these girls are playing is extraordinary and worth the journey. You should have all received a poster to put up in your locker rooms requesting caddies, Helen is our caddy master and doing the rota, so please contact her if you can help. Vice Captains Meeting Wednesday 30 th April Many thanks to all who attended. I thought the meeting went really well and we are very grateful to Gerrards Cross for allowing us to use their facilities again. I hope we all gave the Vice Captains some good and useful information to equip them as they take on their roles as Captains and there were lots of thanks and compliments about the afternoon. Winter Foursomes Final Wednesday 2 nd April Many thanks to Di for arranging the Winter Foursomes Final and to Janet Beal for refereeing the match at Beaconsfield Golf Club. I hear it all went really well, was played in great spirit, and there was a good win by Dot Kelleher and Nicky Ewart from Denham over Bernie Howe & Elaine Harrison from Buckingham. Thanks also to Marian for officiating and presenting the prizes. Unfortunately I could not be there as I was attending the EG conference at Staverton Park with Phillipa. DEL s - 4 -

5 1 st and 2 nd team v Middlesex Saturday 5 th April. Thanks to Denise and Cathy for arranging this match against Middlesex and producing a great team despite the last minute change of plans Middx thought 16 players were required by each side! Fortunately, Beaconsfield were able to accommodate double the field (and on a Saturday morning) so no harm done, and our players were on great form so this was a good win to get under their belts so early in the season. Seniors Spring Meeting Wednesday 9 th April This was a new event this year and thank you to Mentmore for use of their facilities. The day seemed to go really well, with lots of happy ladies, so well done Teddy for all her organisation. This new event was obviously appreciated by all those who played. Thanks to Christine for getting the trophies re engraved, these were donated by Phillipa Cook and myself, and they looked really good. Juniors Spring Meeting - Monday 14 th April Well done to Gilly and Janet for running a great spring meeting. Whilst I thought the number of entries this year was a little disappointing, those who played certainly seemed to enjoy themselves. These competitions are so important for the girls to learn how to take the knocks with the easy rides! Our Juniors database is growing and growing, with more youngsters having a go, but this is all due to the never-ending work that Gilly and her Junior Committee put in to pre handicap get togethers, bronze, silver and gold badges, par 3 competitions etc. In fact, a very busy calendar for any girl who has expressed an interest in swinging a club. If you yourselves have children or grandchildren, just having a go, why not bring them along to one of these get togethers, so they can see other children of the same ability having fun, in a safe and supervised environment. Again, all this information and contact details are on our website. I know there is thought to include boys in our competitions where we can; I rather hope they too will take advantage of the opportunities we give our youngsters. I can remember when I used to help out with the youngsters and my daughter played, I took my son along several times, and it was the only chance he had at that time to get on a proper short course, and loved it. They might not have been brilliant, but they had a great time. Now I can t wait until my young granddaughter is ready. She might only be 2 but she s got a great swing! English Seniors April 22 nd 25 th Congratulations to Christine Watson for qualifying for the Flight 1 matchplay, and Denise Goodacre and Carole Weir qualifying for Flight 2. Denise was unlucky to be drawn against Carole who was obviously on great form, as she went on to win the event. Other news You may have heard that Gemma Dryburgh (Beaconsfield) and Annabel Dimmock (Beaconsfield then Wentworth) have been chosen for the Great Britain & Ireland Curtis Cup line-up for the 38th transatlantic international contest against the United States at St Louis Country Club, Missouri from June 6 to ,which is fantastic news. I have sent congratulations to both players via and wish them every success. It is such a shame that Gemma will not be able to join us at County Week as she had planned, but she will be playing in the British Strokeplay instead. Annabel is now a Surrey player, so no longer eligible to play for us. I have visited Whiteleaf, Princes Risborough, and Denham to attend lunch/tea and prizegivings. I have really enjoyed these visits and hope that I am spreading good words about County being for everyone. 5. COUNTY PRESIDENT Marian Purdy I have been to the following clubs for various events etc.:- the Winter Foursomes final, where I presented the prizes to Dot Kelleher and Nicky Ewart from Denham who beat the pair from Buckingham. the 1st/2nd team match at Beaconsfield against Middlesex; a very encouraging match. the Seniors Spring meeting at Mentmore. a Child Protection course at Beaconsfield. Whiteleaf for Christine's rules evening and was made very welcome by all the lady members

6 the Junior Spring meeting at Weston Turville where it was lovely to see the enthusiasm of all the handicap ranges. Henley for the junior BB&O Championship where Alice won the championship with a great gross score of 73. Again all of our girls were full of enthusiasm for the event and their behaviour and golf are a credit to our county. the Vice Captain s meeting - a very good get together. I believe that all the Vice Captains found this meeting very helpful. Several points were raised and will be followed up. The next round of the Bucks Shield was drawn. the County Championships at Stoke Park. What great golf was played under very bad playing conditions. I have been involved with County Championships since 1974 and feel that this year was the best standard of golf ever. Well done too to the entire executive for all their hard work. Sally has details of exact numbers for the Summer meeting at Ellesborough. We can have 30 teams. Sally and I have arranged a date to buy prizes and I have spoken with ladies at Ellesborough re cakes for the half-way house. I have supplied shirts for the seniors, which seem to have gone down well. I hope to soon have them on the website. I have arranged with James the assistant pro at Ellesborough to try and go into a couple of new schools re junior girls and will report further about this. 6. EXECUTIVE REPORTS ENGLAND GOLF REPRESENTATIVE Phillipa Cook As I have mentioned before the England Golf Representative s role is one of communication the link between England Golf and the County, then through to the clubs. The timing of the England Golf Meetings do not quite coincide very well with our own meetings and so some of this report refers back to a few months ago. I would like to start by reporting on the Midlands South Regional Medal Final played at Tadmarton Heath, Oxfordshire on Tuesday 13th May. All the regional finalists had returned the best four scores at their club in the England Golf Medals during Charlotte Nutt, a three handicapper from Beaconsfield scored the narrowest of wins from Ji- Young Kim, who plays at Flackwell Heath. Both had rounds of net 74, but Charlotte took the honours by virtue of her score on the last six holes. The top 10 from the event qualify for the Grand Medal Final at Peterborough Milton Golf Club on 28th June. There are two other Bucks players who qualified: Jenny Gibson (Woburn) and Susan Harrison (Harewood Downs). Best of luck to all the qualifiers from Bucks. Charlotte went straight to the regional final from the County Championship, where she reached the semi-finals. When she plays in the Grand Medal Final she ll go there straight from County Match Week and so she will definitely be match fit! Karen has already mentioned the success of the Bucks ladies in the Senior Women's Amateur Championships, played at Sandy Lodge Golf Club from 22nd to 25th April, with Carole Weir winning the Flight 2 Matchplay. A full report and results of all the England Golf events can be found in the Championships section on the England Golf website:- or through the link on our website. Turning now to a summary of the February meetings I attended at Woodhall Spa: (i). The Midland South Regional Meeting, at 5.15pm There were only four of the six Mid s South Representatives present. An update was given on the events being held in There was then discussion re the events to be held next year in the normal pattern of events these would be: - County Week, Warwickshire [Venue/date since confirmed:- Harborne G.C, 22/6-26/6] - 4 Ball Better Ball, Berkshire - Australian Spoons, Worcs & Herefordshire - Ladies Champs., Bucks - Junior Girls Champs, Oxon - Regional Medal Final, Northants

7 EG have withdrawn support for all competitions except County Week and the Medal Final. The other competitions have to be self-supporting. After discussion it was agreed to continue with the Australian Spoons as it is well supported and is for higher handicaps, and to combine the Ladies and Girls Championships - the venue will be in Oxon. The future of the 4 Ball Better Ball is in doubt as it was cancelled last year due to lack of numbers. A new competition may be held this could be a competition for Club Champions. The venue for this may be Bucks as we will not now be hosting the Ladies Championships. Further discussion will be held at the July Meeting. (ii). Voting Members Forum, 11th February at 3.00pm The first part of the forum focused on financial matters taxation and VAT issues in golf. This is a rather complex subject. After more than 4 years a ruling has been made in favour of the Bridport & West Dorset Club non member sporting income in members clubs are exempt from VAT. An expected 500 clubs will be making a claim from HMRC. EG will be working with KPMG and will issue guidance to clubs after HMRC issue their briefing. The second part of the forum was discussion on the Third Draft of the Strategic Plan. David Joy, the CEO gave a presentation the main points were: - Golf is unlike football, rugby, cricket etc where they receive large amount of funding from television rights. The TV rights for golf go to the European partners. - CGPs to work more with clubs. - Raising money from the unattached golfer to be explored they contribute to clubs but not to EG. 1.3 million play every month, 2-4 million play occasionally biggest % age is in the year old category. It is hoped to work with commercial partners in a strategic way and use their mechanisms to encourage golfers into club membership. - Sport England funding to be cut by probably 20% due to low numbers in 26+ age category. - Collective effort be given to increase women/girls participation in golf. - Work to be done before June/July to see how to commit more funds in the next few years to the Plan. - If reduction in affiliation fees continue at current 4%, there will be real problems and projects will end. Discussion groups were held and feedback would be used to develop the Final Plan. Further comments would be invited from Unions & Associations by 7th May. The Final Plan will be presented to the Board for approval on 28th May and then to the General Meeting for approval on 2nd July. (iii). The Annual General Meeting of the Company, 12th February at 10.00am This was a formal meeting, main points: - The Chairman s Report, which had been circulated in advance - To receive the audited financial statements of the company for the year to 31/10/ The Joint Presidents address Mrs Pam Benka - Presentations:- Silver Tee Award Sophie Keech (Dorset); EWGA Trust Stableford Cockermouth Golf Club; The Gerald Micklem Award Mr Roy Smethurst (Cheshire) - Election of President, Mr Ray Saunders (Kent) - Election of President Elect, Mr Nigel Evans (Cheshire) - Election of Chairman, Mr Graham Yates (Somerset) - Election of Directors:- Women Margaret Berriman & Judi Walker; Men:- Colin Legg, Ian Watkins & Leslie Wilson - Election of auditors a tender process to take place, appointment deferred to July Meeting of Voting Members

8 (iv). General Meeting of the Company, 12th February at 11.30am The main items were: a). To receive the Report of the CEO, David Joy b). To approve the Terms of Reference for the 6 Operational Committees of EG circulated in advance c). To discuss the Draft Disciplinary Regulations for EG. d). England Golf Strategic Plan- covered in the notes above re the Forum held the previous day. e). Special Projects Funding. The meeting considered the two proposals:- i) Appoint a Women and Girls Participation Officer to promote women and girls participation and drive this national programme forward. The meeting approved a commitment of 30k over 3 years to support this programme. 117k had been secured from the R&A to help boost women s participation. A new member of staff will be appointed to drive this national programme forward and the programme will be subject to review at the end of year 2. ii) Continued investment in the talent pathway at county level. The meeting approved a commitment of 225k per annum per annum for 3 years to support the talent pathway at county level. A manager is to appointed to support counties in the development of the programme. This programme, and funding commitment, will be subject to annual review. f). To receive reports from the various Committees. Noteworthy points:- i) Championship Committee. The process for the selection of 2017 venues is shortly to commence. Should counties be aware of any club in their location who would like to host an EG event, they are encouraged to make contact with the Championship Director at the office. ii). Development Committee. The revised GolfMark package is to be launched in April/May. County Development Officers (CDOs) will be receiving further training to support clubs. More emphasis is to be made on good business practice and how welcome clubs are for those of all ages new to the game. The next set of meetings at Woodhall Spa will be on 1st & 2nd July. England Golf County Development Conference, Staverton Park, 2nd & 3rd April: The EG County Conference and Awards Dinner was held at Staverton Park on 2nd and 3rd April. Karen & I attended this Conference, both going for the day sessions but not the evening Awards function. The Conference was entitled From strategy to local delivery. Whilst the launch of the EG Strategy Plan had been postponed until July the Conference was used as a platform to discuss how the actions highlighted in the Draft Plan might be best put into practice. David Joy gave a presentation Inspiring people of all ages to play the game the emphasis will be on increasing the number of people who not only play the game but who play on a once a week basis. There were then two sessions with a possible four workshops to attend. Karen went to the workshops Recruiting & Retaining Women & Girls and Developing Junior Golf/Young People. I attended the sessions Growing a Vibrant Club and Joined Up County Delivery. All four workshops stimulated much discussion and feedback for EG to consider. The following day there was a presentation from two inspirational outside speakers:- a). Fran Connolly of England Netball, which is currently the fastest growing and most successful sport, and hence receives much funding from Sport England. b). Chris Brindley who is behind the highly successful Metro Bank he gave a talk Managing change, leadership and knowing your customer. There were two presentations on Delivering regular participation and conversion into clubs :- i). Richard Flint National context and support. ii). Sharon Heeley, Regional Development Officer and Julia Burton from Warwickshire who spoke about Successful local delivery. The notes from this Conference have not yet been received from EG. May is National Golf Month, an initiative driven by the British Golf Industry Association (BGIA) and Bauer Media that gives golf clubs the opportunity to promote offers through the National Golf Month website that will target both lapsed and new golfers

9 England Golf are supporting National Golf Month May 2014 through the Get into golf campaign at and have encouraged all clubs to consider taking part in this exciting project. Offers that clubs may will be promoting through the National Golf Month website include: - Get back into golf initiatives such as coaching programmes, playing and membership deals - Get into golf/play more golf initiatives to encourage new or lapsed golfers to continue playing through structured coaching, playing and membership offers - Coaching experiences to promote specific coaching programmes delivered by PGA professionals - Golf club open days allowing new and existing golfers to experience your club at its best National Golf Month should have been an excellent example of how clubs, counties and England Golf together can begin to address the decline in club membership. The initiative has the backing of golf supremos such as Sir Nick Faldo, Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington and young teenage sensation Charley Hull. The unfortunate thing is that while this was a great initiative in theory, National Golf Month has not been the success that it could have been. There have been various problems such as issues with clubs being able to log-in to the website. BB&O MEETINGS: Presentation Awards Evening, Studley Wood, 19th February: John Lowe and Rajiv Patel gave a presentation of the achievements/activities during the year. This annual event was rather more low-key than previous years as the winners of the Junior Awards could not be presented - the re-arranged Champion of Champions 2013 event at Mill Ride was postponed again Monday 17th February due to the storms. The Juniors will be presented with their awards at the new date for the Champion of Champions on 9th April. BB&O CGP Meetings: I have attended several meetings re the Partnership. Two of these have been not been the scheduled BB&O Steering Group but set up to discuss the current situation with the Partnership whereby John Lowe will retire in April as the Chairman and there is no-one to take over from him. John spent a huge amount of time doing the Chairman s role and it was felt that there would be no one willing to take on the post in its current format. Added to that there is a directive from EG that the emphasis is to concentrate on the 26+ age group as those are the figures which have failed to meet targets, which has resulted in the cut in funding. The figures for Academies are fine, the targets of juniors in the academies are easily being met. There will be no more one-offs such as nets in shopping centres but focus on programmes, series e.g once a week, sessions. The whole set up of the CGP is being reviewed. The Associations and the Union put money into the Partnership and everyone felt the need to ensure that best use was being made of the funding. Therefore a review is being done to see what changes might be made in order to make the best use of the resources available. Various people on the Steering Group are undertaking tasks before our next meeting this Friday at Studley Wood. I am undertaking a review of the CAP (County Academy Programme), looking at exactly how it is run in BB&O and how the CAP is organised in Hertfordshire, which is said to have one of the best Academies in the country. Ashley Rump, our EG Regional Development Officer, is acting as Chairman of the Steering Group until September by which time we should be clear as to exactly what the new role of Chairman would entail. This has the backing of EG and Richard Flint the EG Development Director is attending the meeting on Friday. The regular meeting of the Steering Group was held on 30th April, preceded by the short, formal AGM. The BB&O Union Representatives are now President Duncan Forbes, Secretary Peter York and David Westlake. The PGA now send a representative (John Kennedy) to these meetings, which is long overdue but very helpful. As there are two CDO s in post this year (Rajiv Patel and Lydia Johnston) all the activities that are planned should be easier to manage:- the Academies, Get into Golf Centres, Feeling Inspired. The new GolfMark previously mentioned, is about to be launched and this work comes under the remit of the CDO s

10 USGA COURSE RATING: The first Course Rating of the year will be done tomorrow. I will be going to Whiteleaf to assist the BB&O Union Rating team they have been asked to do the Men s rating of the course. Whilst it is suggested that the Men s and Ladies rating is done at the same time, the BB&O team do not feel confident to do this as yet. Hence they have asked for my assistance to rate just the Men s tees. Whiteleaf is due for the Ladies ten year review as a 9 hole course it was one of the first courses that we did, in It would seem to make best sense of my time to do the Ladies review (and new rating from the Yellows) on the same day. I will therefore be going out onto the course again in the afternoon when I have finished doing the Men s rating. This will be the first review of any course that we have done. With rating from multiple tees for both Men and Women it could be an interesting and very full day. WEBSITE: The Championship results etc. were put on the website at the earliest opportunity. All the County Week info will be put on the site shortly the results will be uploaded each day as soon as possible. Helen did a great job of tweeting the results of the Championships while she was still out on the course and we will endeavour to tweet the results as they happen. COUNTY TREASURER Pia Davis Balances and Transfers as at 1 May 2014 May 2014 Account Balances HSBC Current 28, Close Bros Deposit 17, Close Bros Junior 5, Significant Income Capitation 13, Summer Meeting Entries 3, County Championships 1, Significant Payments Stoke Park (catering for County Champs) tbc ~ 1, Helen and Douglas House (captain s Charity) 4, Capitation Fees BB&O Union (who collect the fees for us) have forwarded two payments of 10, in February and 3, in April (total 13,530) to date. At the end of April a further 2, was owed from Harleyford GC, Huntswood GC, Magnolia Park G & CC, Mentmore G & CC and Weston Turville GC. These are being chased for payment. Competition Income The income for the county competitions this summer as follows: Bucks Shield (LY 650), Champion of Champions (LY 230), Silver League 360 (LY 390), Bronze League 390 (LY 420), Challenge Cup 200 (LY 230), Rose Bowl 160 (LY 210), Summer Greensomes 1180 (LY 740), Champion of Champions 200 (LY 230) Total 3365 (LY 3100)

11 I would like to note that quite a few people have made changes to their bank accounts by the time I m getting the cheques to cash. This is incurring bank charges ( 4.00 per item) this year of County Championships The final details are still being worked through, but we should have made a surplus on running the County Championships this year. We will be able to present the final accounts at the next meeting. We had 26 entries into the main competition and 37 entries into the senior competition. JOINT COMPETITIONS SECRETARY Sally Harborne (County Championships, Meetings and Leagues) Silver and Bronze Scratch Leagues League is progressing well with no reported problems. County Championships. Stoke Park were brilliant and everything went according to plan from my point of view. Winners of the Spring Meeting were. Gross - Charlotte West 158 Net - Charlotte Nutt 153 Intermediate - Charlotte Nutt Seniors Gr - Julie Cooper 82 Seniors Net - Gilly Brewer 74 The Championship was won by Elizabeth Sweetnam. Runner Up was Clara Leathers. Semi-finalists Beth Scott & Charlotte Nutt. Summer Meeting Ellesborough I have to date 24 entries for the summer meeting. 2 ND TEAM CAPTAIN Denise Goodacre (In absence) The 2 nd team will be playing in the tri-league match competition at Frilford Heath Golf Club this coming Saturday 24 th May. We will play both Berkshire & Oxfordshire in foursome and single matches. A squad of 7 will play 36 holes of scratch golf. Each match result earns points, the county who gains the most points on the day will go forward to play in a final competition against the winners from the Worcestershire & Herefordshire, Warwickshire and Northants group. Our team consists of players from various clubs in the County:- Kerry Sumner (Buckingham GC) Holly Impey (Mentmore ) Sue Verrall (Thorney Park) Janette Psyllides (Richings Park) Rachel Goodwin (Harleyford) Lucy Matthews (Ellesborough) Laura O Donell (Burnham Beeches) We have a friendly match scheduled for 15 th July away against Warwickshire. If you are aware of any players who would be interested in joining the 2nd team then please do encourage them to make contact with me. JUNIOR CO-ORDINATOR Gilly Brewer (In absence) The junior section season is now well under way having started at Woburn GC in February with the annual fixture against Woburn boys. Despite putting out a strong team Bucks girls lost two and won one match. We put out another strong team against Berkshire and Oxfordshire in the annual team stableford event at Sunningdale Ladies in March. Our girls had a brilliant day winning the team trophy and coming second and third in the individual event. Well done to Daisy Kennedy of Stoke Park, second on 39 points and to our captain for the day Lucy Matthews of Ellesborough, third with 38 points. DEL S

12 The first competition was the Par 3 competition at Wycombe Heights in February. Charlotte West of Harewood Downs retained the Hilda Wright scratch trophy. Our spring meeting was in the Easter holidays at Weston Turville and the weather was wonderful for the girls. Again Lucy Matthews did well winning the Spring Salver on count back from Fran Leach of Woburn and Mentmore. Our girls were well represented in the BB&O championships two days later at Henley GC where we had 10 girls playing out of a total of 23 entries. A superb performance by Alice Kozlowski from Ellesborough with a gross 73 secured the BB&O scratch cup for her. Second in the scratch championship was Charlotte West, and Jo Richards from Beaconsfield came third in the handicap championship. It was very pleasing that 6 of the junior girls qualified for the matchplay finals at the County Championships and were involved in some very tough matches with superb golf being played all round. Our Pre Handicappers have had two competitions already. Because this section has grown over the past couple of years we are finding that we have many more entries for these competitions than before. At the last meeting there were 22 little girls and this means that we do need help. The girls go out in 2s or 3s and need a minder or 2 to go out with each group depending on ability and age. We were very appreciative of the help given by Karen Forti of Oakland Park and Sue Coleman and Joan Allen of Wycombe Heights on 6 th April but would like to compile a list of ladies willing to give a few hours on one or two occasions in the year. A poster has been sent for display at your clubs asking any lady willing to volunteer to contact either myself or Lucy Morris our Pre handicap organiser. If you would explain to your ladies that they can volunteer for as many or as few competitions as they would like. The girls vary greatly in ability and are aged from 6 to 17 years but they are the future of county golf and our aim is to get them to progress through their pre handicap badges to gold, when they can then go on to play 9 holes at the end of the field in our main county junior competitions. They get used to playing on a full 18 hole course rather than a par 3 and we encourage them to join a golf club and get a proper handicap. Most of the girls in pre handicap are also in the BB&O Academy Coaching programme. There are sessions at Wycombe Heights and Abbey Hill and we have 33 girls in the programme this year. Feedback from the pros tells us that we have 3 really good groups of girls taking the training and this, allied with our pre handicap competitions helps to move the girls on to club and county golf. There is a lot on offer in the county junior programme and we think that our programme should work alongside the work of your pros and clubs to give the girls as much opportunity as possible to improve and enjoy their golf. We would appreciate your letting us know if you have any girls at your clubs, whether they are beginners receiving coaching or junior members. We can then put them on our database and keep them informed about our matches and competitions. SENIORS CAPTAIN Teddy Bevan (In absence) The first Seniors Spring meeting held at Mentmore on the 9 th April was a great success. We had twenty two teams playing on the Rothschild course although the day was cold and windy, it was bright and the rain held off. The winning team from Woburn Phillipa Cook, Sheila Harrison and Claire Fulton were closely followed by the Ellesborough team consisting of Marian Purdy, Linda Edmunds and Wendy Smith well done to two of our executive committee members. The winning individual trophy was won by Marilyn Brownlow from Magnolia Park. The first league match played at The Army Club, Farnborough against Hampshire on the 7 th April. We played on a damp, miserable day, however, the match was halved. Hampshire put out a very strong team but we managed to hold our own. The next league match is to be held at Burnham Beeches on the 30 th June, the team sheet will be sent out to the selected players in the next week or so. The first friendly match at Magnolia Park against Middlesex on the 4 th June has been arranged, and the team has been notified

13 Please can you contact all your members who are over the age of 60 who would be interested in playing a threeball alliance in the Seniors Autumn Cup held at Oakland Park on the 17 th September we only have 9 entries so far. We would like at least twenty threeball entries it would be a shame for the Seniors Spring Meeting to overshadow the great success of the Seniors Autumn Cup. COUNTY TRAINING OFFICER Cathy Armstrong (In absence) The last of 5 training sessions has taken place and 14 players were in attendance. We were lucky enough to have a session with Anne-Marie who is a psychotherapist and authority on CBT-Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. She worked on MAC-Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment, which is a different concept on viewing negative thoughts and staying in the moment Basically it looked at focusing on the positive as opposed to the negative. Allowing the thoughts of negativity to occur and then putting them to one side before focusing on the task. The concept was then put to use in a putting exercise. It was very interesting but I did feel that it was a bit too deep for some of the younger players. Noel has been a good coach throughout the winter and should be considered for next set of training. He is very keen to continue with the players. I was very pleased with the players performances in the County Championships and the standard of golf was the best I have ever witnessed at a Championships. Of those who came to training, a number made it through to the knock out stages and even those who didn t gained enormous experience by being a part of the tournament. The squad chosen for CMW looks extremely promising. They are an exciting group to be working with and how wonderful that they are such young players. It can only mean good news for Bucks County Golf and its future. HANDICAP ADVISOR Christine Bishop (In absence) I have run Rules Seminars at Chartridge Park, Whiteleaf, Aylesbury Park and Hazlemere and from the feedback I received from the ladies on the night and from the organiser afterwards, these have been very successful. I have bookings to run seminars at Flackwell Heath and Wexham Park and still trying to find a mutually convenient date for Datchet. Gerrards Cross have booked me for I have changed the format of my sessions so that the duration is around 1½ hours and this has gone down well. The Handicap Appeal from the lady from Chesham and Ley Hill has been resolved. I had a meeting with their Handicap Committee, Lady Captain and Club Manager where we discussed the issue of the effects of chronic illness on a player s ability to play to handicap. The R&A have clarified that items that can be used as a ball marker (almost anything) and confirmed that any club in a player s bag can be used to measure 2 club lengths on the teeing ground. I am indebted to the R&A for their speedy response. I have advised all concerned. I continue to be available to answer queries on handicap and rules matters. DEL S JOINT COMPETITIONS SECRETARY Di Bovey (Bucks Shield & Knockouts) Summer Knockouts All the knockouts are into the second rounds now the matches to be completed by the end of June. Bucks Shield The draw for the second round was done at the Vice-Captains Meeting and is on the website. I have contacted the home Captains to inform them. Bucks Shield Round 3 Draw The following matches were drawn:- Chartridge Park or Gerrards Cross v Ellesborough or Hazlemere Stoke Park or Whiteleaf v Mentmore or Beaconsfield Harewood Downs or Magnolia Park v Datchet or Denham Woburn or Aylesbury Park v Chiltern Forest or Princes Risborough

14 7. COUNTY MATCH WEEK Your support for the team during County Week would be great. It is a tough week and for the team to see red out on the course is a great boost. There are 6 under 18 s in the squad so your encouragement will be vital. Again, a plea to ask you to drum up support to caddie in the afternoons. Please ask volunteers to contact Helen details on the website. DEL S 8. EXECUTIVE VACANCIES The CJO job description is on the website and applications should be sent to Helen by 31 August. Gill Goddard is shadowing Pia and will complete the application for Hon. Treasurer. 9. DELEGATES FORUM Patricia Ellis (Buckingham/Stowe) asked about the capitation fee for some ladies who are members of 2 clubs and pay twice. Pia reported that next year this will be resolved. At the moment fees are being collected on last July 2013 figures and this includes all who are members of 2 or more clubs. The decision was taken last November 2013 for only one fee to be collected so this will happen when fees are collected on this year s figures. Maren Saville (Harewood Downs) asked about forms going to the Ladies Captain for the Interclub Foursomes. Could the delegates be copied in as well as sometime LC are away in Sept and the form does not get filled in and send back. Maren Saville (Harewood Downs) asked about Handicap limit for comps If upper limit is 24 but you go up to 26 you have to play off 24. If after entry your handicap goes down from and the limit is 21 you have to play of 20. Maren Saville (Harewood Downs) asked about Hole in One funds. Clubs set their own policy and sometimes include in their Golf Insurance. Normally the fund can only be won in an official competition. 10. ANY OTHER BUSINESS Karen thanked Weston Turville for allowing use of their room for the meeting. Posters from LET advertising the ISP Handa Ladies European Masters tournament at The Buckinghamshire were circulated. A poster about Golf Zilla for hire from Datchet GC for promotional events was shown. A reminder that we have a My Golf Tour to Spain Friday 17th October Mon 20th October all welcome please book soon. HM DEL S 11. DATE OF NEXT MEETING Wednesday 24 September 2014, 2pm at Gerrards Cross Golf Club Signed... Date