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Ladies’ Golf Union announces merger with the R&A The Ladies’ Golf Union (LGU) and The R&A are to proceed with a merger of the two organisations. Following an extensive consultation exercise, agreement has been reached on the merger of the two St Andrews-based bodies with the process due to be completed in the coming months. The LGU organises a series of prestigious championships and international matches including the Ricoh Women’s British Open and the Curtis Cup and the merger will be an opportunity to further develop these world class events. An announcement was made in February 2015 that a potential merger between the LGU and The R&A was under consideration, and since then, discussions have taken place between the respective Boards and the LGU’s shareholders — England Golf, Scottish Golf, the Golf Union of Wales and the Irish Ladies Golf Union — and there has been unanimous support for the proposal.
Trish Wilson, the chairman of the LGU, said: “The LGU has a long and proud tradition of supporting women’s and girls’ golf. Funded by the lady golfers of Great Britain and Ireland, the LGU has positioned golf as a game for all women and
Barra turns to crowdfunding
Girls’ golf set for participation boost as new campaign ‘rocks’
A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to help save the Isle of Barra Golf Course, the most westerly in Great Britain. The course, in the Western Isles, is looking to raise £20,000 – a figure that must be matched should the course wish to continue operating – in order to build a clubhouse. Built in 1992, Isle of Barra’s nine-hole layout features stunning views across the Atlantic Ocean, with visitors travelling from far afield to play the unique course, which is maintained by volunteer members and where the method of payment is via a donation box. But membership numbers, for which an annual fee of £75 is paid, have dwindled to as low as 15 from a high of almost 70, while junior members are being kept away because of a lack of on-site facilities. Member Murdoch MacKinnon explained that the only form of shelter available is a steel container where all the machinery is kept. He said: “The golf course will definitely close unless we get a clubhouse. We’ve kept putting it off over the years but now we’re in a panic situation where we have to do something. “With the climate we have up here, the weather can change in an instant so we need somewhere that visitors can take shelter and have a cup of coffee, and we’re positive that if this did happen, we’d see our membership go up.”
Girls’ golf is about to get rocking with the launch of a campaign in nine English counties to encourage new players. The campaign, entitled ‘Girls Golf Rocks’ is all about attracting beginners to have fun, learn a new sport, get active and play alongside friends – with no pressure. Girl golfers from county squads will act as ambassadors to share their enjoyment and inspire other girls, aged five to 18. Currently, figures show that only one per cent of golf club members are girls, with an average of just two per club. When ‘Girls Golf Rocks’ was trialled in
12 | GMé February 2016
Ricoh Women’s British Open competitors with the R&A clubhouse in the background
girls. My gratitude is due to our shareholders for their foresight and support in this move. I would like to thank the chief executive of The R&A and his team, and the foresight of his predecessor, for their initiative and conviction.”
Essex last summer, 90 youngsters were inspired to try the game. Of those, 40 went on to take a four-week coaching course; 30 played in the par three competition and six became golf club members. Lauren Spray, the England Golf Women & Girls’ participation manager, said: “Girls Golf Rocks sets out to focus on the fun, social and friendship aspects of golf rather than just the playing and coaching side and we’ve had brilliant success. The ambassadors have been fantastic — they all love golf and they’re sharing their enthusiasm with our new players.”
Ambassadors for Girls Golf Rocks (photo Leaderboard Photography)