Here’s a report from the latest Summer meeting held in the North West Region:
Thursday, September 6. Late summer meeting, at Caldy
There was another excellent turnout at Caldy, on the Wirral, where the day’s keynote speaker was Phil Harvey, county secretary of the Lancashire Union of Golf Clubs.
He talked about the county’s ‘Women into Golf’ initiative, which had been the subject of a full-day conference they had staged earlier in the year at Mytton Fold, near Blackburn.
Attendees had included The R&A, Myerscough College and Jasmine, otherwise known as The Jazzy Golfer.
Harvey filled in members with an overview of the day, with statistics showing that the majority of female golfers are over 60 and women and girls represented only 14% of the total number of golfers in England in 2016.
With figures for Germany and Sweden at 34% and 26% respectively, it was clear to all that something needed to be done to attract more women and girls into golf in England.
Case studies were provided, looking at the actions that had been taken by clubs to break down existing barriers and make clubs a more attractive proposition for women and girls, while the resources available through England Golf and Get into Golf were also highlighted.
Harvey reported that following the conference, 26 Lancashire-based clubs had now launched Women Into Golf initiatives, while another seven were currently in the planning stages of doing the same.
To help clubs, the Lancashire Union had provided 10 match-funded grants and, while the long-term success of the initiative couldn’t yet be gauged, the early signs were promising.
Although the North West region comprises members from several county unions, the information provided on the day, including a step-by-step guide to delivering a women’s recruitment initiative, has been made available to all.
Members have also been invited to attend any of the follow up Lancashire Union-organised workshops that are in the pipeline.
Other presentations made on the day included a case study provided by David Litster, of Vanderbyl Consult, Design and Build on the recent refurbishment project completed at Ringway and Grant Counsell, sales director at Incom Telecommunications, who gave an insight into the benefits and opportunities afforded by cloud-based telecommunications solutions. North West Regional Manager Neil Annandale said the meeting had provided a lot of food for thought that yet again justified members making the time and the effort to attend regional meetings.
