MIDLOTHIAN COUNTY LADIES' GOLF ASSOCIATION

NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2003

A number of changes in the administration/organisation of the Association have been agreed by your Committee over the last two years and we thought it would be helpful to let you have details of these changes.

Inter-County Matches 2003

The East Division Inter-County Matches will be held at the Kirkcaldy (Balwearie)Golf Club from June 18-20th 2003. We hope that a number of our members will be able to make time to come and support our County Team. If you can't manage to come on all three days, then do come and support your team for at least one day.

Affiliated Membership

In October 2002, the Committee discussed the situation in relation to Affiliated Membership. It was agreed that affiliated membership should be discontinued. Instead individuals on, or applying for, the Waiting List and committing themselves to future membership of the Association will pay an administration fee of £5. Having given this commitment and having been confirmed on the Waiting List, the Secretary of the Association will confirm that they are eligible to and may play in the 5-aside League Matches only. On joining the Association individuals will no longer have to pay an entry fee. Your Committee believes that this system will work and will make things simpler for the Office Bearers and for Club Representatives.

Waiting List

For a number of years we have had quite a lengthy waiting list. In 2002 we admitted 40 ladies from the waiting list and the intention is to admit another 40-50 ladies in 2003. This will considerably reduce our waiting list and we hope will allow and encourage more members to play in our competitions.

Championship

A questionnaire on the future of the County Championship was available at the Spring Meeting and Midsummer Foursomes Competitions 2002. Fifty-seven completed questionnaires were returned: 35 from individuals in handicap categories 1 & 2; and 22 from individuals in handicap categories 3 & 4. Fifty-one individuals supported the proposal for a separate County Championship; four did not support the proposal; and two did not comment.

The Committee discussed the proposal at two meetings and agreed that we should separate our Championship qualifying competition from the Spring Meeting starting in 2003. We will obviously monitor and review this new arrangement.

• The Spring Meeting will be held on April 15th 2003 at Broomieknowe Golf Club, during the Easter holidays.
• The Championship will be held on Tuesday April 29th 2003 at Duddingston Golf Club and will be open to players with handicaps in Categories 1 and 2 (handicaps 12 and under). Qualifying will be held over 36 holes on one day. Sixteen qualifiers will then play off on Friday May 2nd and Sunday May 4th to identify the Champion for 2003.

[MCLGA currently has 80 individuals with handicaps in single figures and a further 58 with handicaps between 10-12. We should be able to accommodate about 75 players from categories 1 & 2 in a 36 hole qualifying competition. In the unlikely event that numbers applying to play were greater than this, individuals with the highest handicaps would be balloted out.]

'B' Section/Championship

There was general support for a 'B' Section Championship.

• It was agreed that qualifying should be on one round at the Spring meeting (this will be held at Broomieknowe on Tuesday April 15th 2003) 16 scratch qualifiers from handicap categories 3 & 4 (handicaps 13-28) will then play off (scratch match-play) during the County Championship on Friday May 2nd and Sunday May 4th. Qualifiers will need to be available to play on both May 2nd and May 4th at Duddingston Golf Club.

Five-Aside League Matches

Over the past two years we have consulted individual members and your Committee has discussed at some length whether we should change the format of our five-aside league matches. Having defined one of the main aims of these matches - viz to give match practice to existing and potential County Team Members, we agreed that it was to the benefit of these individuals to have more matches against different players, rather than have smaller leagues and probably play fewer different individuals. We have agreed that from 2003 Division 1 will have 9 teams (and thus 4 home and 4 away matches) and Division 2 will have 8 teams (with 3 home and 4 away - or vice a versa - matches). This means that after the 2002 matches two teams have been promoted, but only one team relegated. Next year we will revert to two teams being promoted, and two teams relegated.

Draws for Meetings

As the Spring Meeting is now a separate competition from the Championship qualifying event, we have decided that draws for all three meetings now do not need to be in handicap order. Members can indicate up to two preferred times when they enter these competitions and we will do our best to accommodate their wishes. As far as possible, individuals will continue to be drawn with a player(s) in the same handicap category. For the 2003 Spring Meeting, tee-off times are available from 8 am to 4 pm. We have managed to get later starting times for our Summer and Autumn Meetings in 2003. We have the tee reserved from 8 am to 1 pm and from 3 pm to 5.30 pm. We hope this will offer greater flexibility, better fit the life style of our members and that we can continue with this arrangement in future. We have also decided that for 2003 there will only be closing dates for all our competitions. This does mean that you can submit a block of entries, and enclose one cheque for all entries. If you do this, then please do put the competition dates firmly in your diary!

Junior Girls

The Junior Girls Section continues to grow in strength. At the end of 2002 we had over 70 members. Dorothy Fraser continues to set up and organise all events and has to be commended for all the work which she puts in on our behalf. We are delighted that Anne Hanson has joined the MCLGA Committee as Assistant Junior Secretary. Anne will work closely with Dorothy and help organise Junior events. The Girls will have their own fixture card in 2003.

Coaching is available to all junior girl members throughout the year, the cost being shared between the junior members and the Association. Coaching takes place at the Braid Hills Driving Range given by Ian Young, Mark Berrie and Mark Patchett. Vouchers for additional coaching may be awarded by the Association to girls who show commitment and promise. Nine-hole competitions also take place (normally once a month) at the Melville Golf Course. The girls are accompanied by adults who teach them the etiquette and the rules of the game and an opportunity is provided for the girls to meet each other and, hopefully, arrange further games.

The Cuthbertson Cup Competition will be held at Falkirk Tryst Golf Club 12th April 2003 (played by the junior members of the counties of Midlothian, East Lothian, Fife, and Stirling & Clackmannan). We hope that some MCLGA members will be able to come along and support the girls at this event. Help would also be appreciated at some of the Sunday 9-hole sessions at the Melville. Anyone who would be free to come along should contact Dorothy Fraser (0131 449 4918).