Over The Partition (aka View From The Ladies): 05/06/07

Me and my Big Mouth!
I am writing this because I opened my big mouth (totally out of character of course) and suggested that Huddersfield Golf should have something representing all the keen lady golfers. So here goes…

All Change in November
For some reason the Lady Captain in our club takes post in November at the Ladies AGM. This has some advantages, the best of which being that it gives one the opportunity to grow into the job before it gets too busy. 
The biggest disadvantage is that it is totally out of kilter with the Men’s Captaincy, which runs from March. (Not all clubs are like this, but in our area a significant number are.) Thus both Captains have to work with two different people. Luckily, in my case this disadvantage has turned out to be minimal since I have had the opportunity to work with two very different, but great Club Captains. I’m always a sucker for a BOGOF.

Speech!
The Annual Dinner is the first mixed event at which the Lady Captain speaks, and it is very difficult to know where to pitch it. Visitors from other clubs are present, and one never knows how they will react. In the end I decided I could only be myself, so I delivered a speech on the differences between Men and Ladies, with a good deal of double entendre. It seemed to go down quite well, though one or two of the visitors had that tell-tale face reminiscent of a cats bum! Oh well – that’s the job with the Arbitration and Reconciliation Council gone then.

ELGA Forum
A few weeks ago I attended a forum hosted by ELGA to discuss its future. It seems that unless the Golf Governing Bodies get their acts together, become more professional and work more co-operatively, the funding streams from the Sports Council will be significantly less. I’m not sure how professional the Men’s Governing Bodies are, but it does not surprise me that this criticism has been levelled at the Ladies. It is always difficult to criticise people who volunteer, but I have long felt that there is a need for new young blood in the governance of the game. Perhaps the necessary re-structure will be a good start.

Out with the Fussy and in with the Funky
At our club we have an increasing age profile to our membership. In the Men’s section this is not a major problem yet (other than declining revenue from subscriptions), as the proportions are still relatively small, and we have a very healthy Junior Section which adds some balance. In the Ladies’ section though this is a worry as we are relatively smaller in number, and I know that we are typical of Ladies’ sections across the country. ELGA is running a campaign to try and get more young girls into golf. Somehow, the image of golf is not terribly appealing to adolescent girls, and I can see why to some extent. I do hope we develop Ladies Golf so that it no longer has that old fashioned, fussy image which does not appeal to young girls and younger ladies. 

Pussy Galore at Ladies Opens
The Golf season has really kicked in now, with Ladies Opens on somewhere every week. It would be possible to play a different course almost every day from June to September if you a) had the energy b) could afford it c) wanted to prompt divorce proceedings from your loved one. I’m looking forward to all my special invites from my fellow Lady Captains - otherwise known as the Bond Girls, 007 being our year of office. “Girls” is a bit optimistic, although as Karl, or Groucho, or even Alfred Marx once said – “You’re only as old as the woman you feel”. I’m not sure Daniel Craig will be whisking any of us away, but you can always live in hope. For those readers who don’t know what I look like, it won’t do you any harm to picture Ursula Andress emerging from the waves. (Nothing like me, but it won’t do you any harm.)

I’ll be back later in the year…. Good Golfing, Sue.