Ladies & Gentlemen.
It occurred to us , following on from the visit by John Petrie to Penrith in October, when he explained
pretty much the role of the EGU and its relationship with the Clubs and the Players, that a similar , but
shorter, exercise would be worthwhile to-day, as we are pretty sure that a lot of Cumbria’s golfers from
time to time wonder where their £4 goes from their subscription. That £4 is split £ 3 to the County & £1
to the Juniors. On top of that is the amount payable to the EGU which will be £5 next year.
Many Clubs are today seeking to survive in pretty trying circumstances. Not only are we struggling to
get new members but we have problems retaining those we already have. No longer can we afford to just
open our doors and hope the punters will come in, we have to be pro-active in not just attracting in new
juniors and other members , but we also have to think of ways, day to day , of raising cash to keep our
bankers sweet.
The Cumbria Golf Partnership has been on the go for just over a year now and it has a pretty broad
canvas to work on. Quite a few of our Clubs have already experienced the County Development Officer,
Jo Tinsley’s expertise in these critical areas and she is there to assist the Clubs in a wide range of issues.
So much better to be prepared than to have to resolve problems at the last minute. Ladies & Gentlemen,
please welcome Jo as I ask her to fill us in on the work of the Cumbria Golf Partnership and the
potential assistance she is able to give.
Thank you Jo.
The CGP is of course an autonomous body and it behoves us , the Ladies , the Men, the Professionals
and the Juniors to act closely together in addressing the current situation.
What do the County Officers do? ( I hear you ask)
What is the role of your President?
This is the senior position in the County and in that role, the President outlines policy for the year,
which is polished and honed by the Executive. He chairs meetings of the Executive, ( 4X pa) when we
discuss quite often at length issues concerning golf in the County and also from time to time national
issues which affect all our golfers.
The President also interlinks with other Presidents as we attend meetings of the Northern Counties 3
times a year and also Presidents Meetings at Woodhall Spa, twice a year. We act as hosts at home
County matches and make short speeches on these occasions.
He occasionally addresses Dinners on behalf of the County and also attend other functions.
The President serves for 2 years and then retires to the back benches. My personal experience of Past
Presidents at Executive Meetings is on the whole very positive. If they do not have an executive position,
they give valuable advice and continue to support the County teams through thick and thin. Those in
Executive positions, such as being the voting member or acting on behalf of the Committee on other
bodies, report back in a responsible and meaningful way to the rest of us. Their experience is invaluable.
The President also acts as Chairman if a Disciplinary Meeting is called. Fortunately these are rare.
The President Elect, currently Cliff, How is he chosen? He is nominated according to the Rules by a
panel of Past Presidents with the current President chairing and the President Elect in attendance. This
meeting is held towards the end of year 2 in the current President’s year and the chosen one is
recommended for acceptance to the Executive. Once accepted, this nomination is then made to the
Annual Council Meeting. The President Elect shadows the new President for the two years and all being
well takes over on the completion of his term. He also deputises for the President, if unable to attend.
The Secretary, is the hub round which the county turns. He is responsible for setting the timetable for
each year, a task commenced up to two years in advance. The County match venues for 2011 are already
in place. He arranges the dates and venues for all the County Matches, County Competitions, for the
County and the Juniors - currently 35 matches per annum. The Secretary also arranges all
accommodation at away matches, which have to be of a satisfactory, clean and comfortable nature.
He liaises directly with the EGU and is responsible for spreading information to the Clubs when it comes
from Woodhall Spa. The Secretary has to ensure that venues comply with County Safety Regulations
and liaises with the hosting clubs re catering etc. He has to ensure that current legislation re Health &
Safety and Children, vulnerable adults etc etc is complied with.
The Secretary collects all the entries for County Competitions, arranges draws with the Competitions
Committee Chairman and banks the proceeds.
The Secretary takes the Minutes at all meetings and circulates them to the Executive with bullets to the
Clubs.
The Secretary compiles the County Card each year - this year being the Centenary Year will be given an
extra boost. (Sales are a vital part of the County income and if the present trend continues there is no
doubt that the Subs will have to go up, and it could be dramatically!)
Please go back to your Clubs and get selling this bargain to your members.
As Secretary over the last two years, I have been also doing match reports for the local & national press
with quite serious deadlines to meet .
The Secretary also liaises with the other Northern Counties and attends with 2 other delegates their
meetings, when a consensus of feeling in the North is attempted.
The Secretary heads up the Biennial Dinner and with the President organises speakers. He also liaises
closely with the Hotel - currently the Shap Wells Hotel.
The County Captain has the most physical of the Committee jobs. He has to arrange practice and
coaching sessions with his squads. He attends all the 36 hole events to get a feel for the players out there.
If a Cat 1 player does not appear at these events, he will not be considered for the County. The Squad
will consist of 16 to 20 players , currently most are plus handicap players. He must communicate with the
players and also receive back info from them on progress and successes, and even some failures. He also
liaises with Professionals in the County to arrange Coaching for players who need it. A good relationship
with the sporting press and radio is essential.
The County Captain even has to be a supportive shoulder to cry on at times, when player’s personal
problems surface as they will from time to time.
On the day of a County Match the Captain can be seen scurrying about , making sure his players are
ready for battle, supplied with water, bananas, recuperative confections etc. He ensures that radios are
manned and meaningful info is co-ordinated by those delegated to use them. If possible he asks
Executives to accompany players, or caddy for them , or ball-spot. All Executives attending matches are
expected to pull their weight and indeed are now deemed to be a proud part of Team Cumbria.
He has to be on hand if there are interpretations of the Rules required or if ruffled feathers need
smoothing between players or even officials!
He must also ensure that the players adhere to the Code of Conduct and that a good standard of
discipline is maintained. The players and Executives for that matter are expected to act as ambassadors
for Cumbria.
After the match there is the debriefing from players and a strong look at individual performances. In
particular, the Captain has to be happy that his Foursome combinations are working. Being on parity or
better is vital at the halfway stage if the County is to prevail in each match.
The Captain attends EGU briefings from time to time at Woodhall.
As with all Captains, this can be a very lonely job. A good relationship with the President and Secretary
certainly helps to oil the wheels as the year progresses.
Ladies & Gentlemen, a quarter of funds generated in the County Levy goes to the Juniors. Currently,
John Smith runs, with help from Henry Thompson & Andrew Kendall, 3 Junior teams - U18 , U16 and
Colts.
The County is divided into 4 with a District Junior Organiser in charge of each, empowered to find up &
coming juniors and give coaching in the winter. They will be in touch with your club and would
appreciate early advice of emerging talent. As legislation for Child Protection has become established,
strict attention must be given to this aspect of Junior Golf. However it must also be tempered by common
sense. These three men organise the teams , transport and accommodation, if required, to all their
matches. They log players’ progress and interact with the County Captain & Coaches throughout the
whole County cross-referencing performances and short-falls etc. There is also a broader role for John
Smith to play as Junior Manager and that is to keep in close touch with the County Golf Partnership.
Moving on smartly to Press Officer - this is a role unfilled for the last 3/4 years. As I mentioned
previously I have been match reporter and will continue to do so. However Mike Bland has now assumed
the mantle of Press Officer and he would like I think to develop this role to ensure that golf gets a fair
mention in the local press. I would suggest that if your Club has got a story , then tell Mike about it.
There is a need to get all Clubs on board to fell they are part of this County Golf Scene.
David Morton has been Treasurer for 3 years now and still has a long way to go to catch Ian Lindsay!
David looks after the money pure and simple. David sets the Budget in all areas through guidance from
the Finance Committee. He keeps an eye on expenditure to try and stay within the Budget. Sometime
timing differences make this difficult when running an Income & Expenditure Account.
Clive Hayes is the Chairman of Competitions and looks after the running of the Competitions on the day
, ensuring sufficient personnel are on hand to do all the jobs that need doing, like starting, making sure
the players are fed, etc.
The Scratch League was set up as a means to identify good players in the Clubs. Secretary looks after
about 5 Leagues spread throughout the length & breadth of the County. He maintains the League table
and also sets up the Finals of the various leagues culminating in the overall Final. This is a job where
communications from the Clubs is not always 100% and on the one hand Gilbey gets complaints that
information is slow getting to the Clubs and on the other he has to spend time and effort chasing up
results.
Things get cocked up when matches are not played etc. It is fairly miraculous when teams eventually get
to Finals Day on the right date! The Scratch League was established to showcase talent in the County.
A very important job undertaken by the County is Handicaps and Course Assessment, a job headed by
Chairman Terry Rhodes and Secretary Brian Ritson. They have over the past two years completed
twenty-one assessments of the courses, which require that every hole is covered, measured and assessed
and this is then submitted to the EGU to be reviewed and agreed.
All questions and problems associated with Handicaps go through this committee and what they don’t
know is not worth knowing! We are commencing a dialogue with the EGU on the subject of the
Assessments , which being based on length means Cumbrian clubs are we believe being short-changed in
this department.
In the last couple of years the Seniors have come on board in the County and their competitive spirit is
being honed by matches with all the other Northern Counties. Whereas teams were selected originally
more as a social match, even though there is only an unofficial League, matches are becoming a lot more
competitive. Alan Shaw is the man to contact is you have any thing senior to talk about.
We have other guys beavering away on behalf of the County as well. Tom Little has secured
Sponsorship for the County of over £12K in the last couple of years and is keen to expand if at all
possible on the back of recent successes on the course.
Mike Bland is keen to expand the role of Development Officer for the Union, which he has had to put on
hold over the last year as he chaired the CGP through its birthpangs. Mike will be looking at ways to
develop golf within this county of ours over and above the work being done by the CGP.
We have Health & Safety Officer in place as required, in Robert Forster, who can be approached for
advice.
We have Centenary Committee working away to commemorate our 100 years since founding in
1910.There will be two competitions this year plus the Centenary Dinner in November.More details to
follow. We have an author compiling a history of the Union and it is anticipated that this will be out in
time for the Dinner. Please note the date 26th November in your Diary .
In addition to all this we also run a website and upkeep the county’s entry in Golf Central. The Juniors
and Seniors both run their own websites and I commend you to them . They are all linked through www.
Cumbria-golf-union.og.uk. We are intending to revamp our IT footprint early in 2010. Please use these
facilities on a regular basis.
I have given the County’s activities very much in a broad-brushed way. I hope that this exercise has
given you an insight into the workings of the Executive..