Women’s Web Notes
February 2023 Web Notes
6th February 2023
Condolences were extended to the family and friends of May Rice on her recent death.
Amanda Reynolds and Rosemary Kavanagh will manage the Junior Foursomes and Marie Vickers will manage the Minor Cup. President Doreen said that both herself and Jean Doyle are available to help with a team if needed.
An email were received from the NCBI re the Granard Cup. The Committee agreed to make up any shortfall in the minimum donation fee of €150.
Emails were received from Edenderry Golf Club re the Boyne Trophy (we will enter this year), Woodenbridge Golf Club re the Mary McKenna Diamond Trophy (we are not entering), confirmation from Golf Ireland that Wicklow GC will host the Leinster South Area finals for the Junior Cups and Pierce Purcell and information regarding a Shared Island Sports EV Charging Scheme.
The CoM is considering appointing a Course Ranger and asked for the Women’s Golf Committee views on the matter. All agreed that it would be a good idea but only if the Course Ranger is given the full support of the CoM and members.
Captain Pat Stapleton’s prize to Women will take place on Saturday, 22nd July due to the AIG Leinster South Area finals and Pierce Purcell final taking place.
The Chairperson of the CoM, Ciaran Doyle, wanted the views of the Women’s Golf Committee on One Club – no women’s day on Wednesday, no men’s day on Thursday, just a general competition each day. All present agreed that this is not a route that we wish to take. We could possibly lose out on some benefits that we have, e.g. alternate days for those playing matches. The major competition days for the men would have to change with women allowed play on those days, the Rabbits would have to be open to women, sponsors would also be affected.
The Women’s Competitions sub-committee met to discuss the playing rights of Junior girls. Mary Stapleton was in contact with a Golf Ireland representative to receive advice on how to proceed with adhering to Golf Ireland’s proposal for junior girls playing in women’s competitions. The Golf Ireland Junior policy that was discussed at last year’s AGM is only a template to help clubs develop their own policy. It does not state that juniors are entitled to play in all adult competitions but they should be encouraged though. A copy of the Women’s Competition Committee’s proposal was handed out and discussed at length. All except one lady present agreed with the Women’s Competition proposal and Captain Christine will bring the document to the attention of the CoM. The lady who was not in agreement was concerned that the Handicap Index of 15.0 for weekend golf was too low.
The competitions calendar is completed and all sponsors are on board for this year, with nearly all Wednesdays and some Tuesdays and weekends sponsored.
A discussion was held on whether Team Managers should be allowed play their weekend competition on the alternate day Friday, the same as the team players and subs. A suggestion was made that each team manager be allowed play on a Friday once during the season. Mary Stapleton was asked to bring the matter to the Women’s Competition sub-committee.
A lot of women are finding it difficult to find coins to pay for entry to the 9-hole Spring League and asked if it would be possible to have a pay point in the locker room where women can tap their card. The CoM was looking at setting up Competition Purses on the BRS last year but no decision was made on it.
Some of the toilets don’t flush properly. The maintenance man said that the toilets are old and need replacing. President Doreen will raise the matter with the General Manager.
The Get Into Golf team will meet with Louise soon but it is probable that a programme will not be run this year. Golf Ireland recommend the programme runs every two years.
With the Greenkeepers consent a 9-hole Scramble with a Shotgun start will be held on International Women’s day. The day will start with tea and scones at 10am, followed by golf at 11am and lunch when everyone is finished. For anyone new to golf Louise will bring them out on the 10th and 18th fairways to give them a taste of golf. The price for golf (either the Scramble or time with Louise) and lunch is €25. Louise will be paid for her time.
Captain Christine thanked the Competitions sub-committee for all the work done with the calendar of events for the year.
Extra meeting 27th February 2023
Captain Christine thanked Rosemary Kavanagh and Amanda Reynolds from the Women’s Competition Committee for attending. This meeting was called to mainly deal with the issues surrounding playing rights for junior girls and the email that came from the Junior Committee.
The Junior Committee’s email was discussed at length. All agreed that the matter is very serious and there has to be a meeting with the Junior Committee to discuss the rationale behind our decisions.
The Women’s Competition sub-committee was divided on the matter of an alternate day for team managers and are happy to go with the Women’s Golf Committee decision. A vote was taken with 5 in favour and two against.
A member sent a letter to the Women’s Competitions sub-committee regarding handicap restrictions in some competitions. At present, we have handicap restrictions on our Tuesday Open competitions (max course handicap 40), our Foursomes competitions (max course handicap 36) and our matchplay competitions (max course handicap 36). The Handicap Secretary was in contact with the head of Handicaps and the head of Competitions at Golf Ireland who stress that we are not doing anything wrong.
It was proposed that we change our restrictions in our Tuesday competitions and Foursomes competitions to revert back to 54 but leave them for our matchplay competitions. We already offer an alternative singles matchplay competition for the higher handicap women and Mary proposes that we offer a similar foursomes matchplay competition also. The Women’s Competition sub-committee will monitor the results and we can review it again as the season progresses. A vote was taken and all agreed with the changes.
At our last meeting Captain Christine asked for the Women’s Golf Committee’s opinions on the proposal that Wednesday and Thursday competitions be combined. The Committee discussed it at the time and rejected the proposal. Captain Christine was then asked to bring the matter to the Women’s Competition sub-committee. Therese said that she was very disappointed that the Women’s Golf Committee’s opinions were being ignored and that the matter was being raised again. The matter was discussed again. It was pointed out that a lot of women like to have one day where they play with women only in their competition golf. All our other competitive golf is shared with men – Tuesday and weekend competitions and Team events. We think that some men will feel the same way also.
If the competitions are shared over two days then women will have to compete with men for the highly sought after timeslots in the mornings and evenings. Wednesday is our main competition day and we don’t know how a change would affect our sponsors.
If we start combining Women’s and Men’s competitions during the week we will also have to look at The Apostles on Tuesdays and the Rabbits on Fridays and open these to women, as well as providing competition time to women on the men’s major competition weekends.
The Women’s Golf Committee feels that if the matter is brought to the members via a survey that unless both the women’s and men’s sections agree then the proposal will not proceed.
A vote was taken and all were against the proposal.
As mentioned at the January meeting Anna Noone will run a fundraiser golf clothes/golf equipment exchange. It will be advertised as Sip and Spend. It will be held on a Friday night and there will be an entry fee of €5 to include a glass of wine. Captain Christine and President Doreen said they spoke to Louise about it and Louise had the great idea of promoting it as a Green project. Louise will provide clothes rails if needed. A date is still to be confirmed.
January 2023 Web Notes
Captain Christine proposed that President Doreen and Nora Dunne be co-opted onto the Women’s Golf Committee. Mary Stapleton and Una Doyle seconded the proposals and all present were in favour.
Condolences were extended to the family and friends of Damien Bain, Mick Merrigan, Maura McCoy and Mary Lalor on their recent deaths.
Emails were received from Golf Ireland;
· Inter-Club Pre-season Questionnaire - forwarded to M. Stapleton and to the Secretary of the CoM. The Competitions subcommittee reviewed the questionnaire and forwarded the responses. The questionnaire covers all inter-club golf (women, men and juniors).
· Club Contacts form – this was forwarded to the Secretary of the CoM as it covers all contacts within the Club
· Leinster A.G.M. notice – Captains Christine and Pat Stapleton along with M. Small and M. Stapleton will represent the Club at this on 16th January.
· Golf Ireland 2023 Schedule – forwarded to Ladies Committee
· New reports available on the Clubhouse – forwarded to M. Stapleton
· Weekly Club Updates – forwarded to Women’s Golf Committee
· Inter-Club Entries now open – forwarded to Women’s Golf Committee
Course Closure WhatsApp group - N. Dunne, M. Stapleton and T. Porter.
Sponsors subcommittee - Clodagh Doyle
Competitions Subcommittee – M. Stapelton, R. Kavanagh, T. Porter, A. Reynolds and P. Long
A suggestion was made that a sub-committee be formed to look after decorating the Clubhouse for special events throughout the year – Christmas, Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, etc. All agreed this was a good idea and that women who are not already on committees should be asked. Captain Christine will look after this.
The following team managers have been appointed.
Junior Cup – Maria Kerr and Bernie O’Donoghue
Intermediate Cup – Clair Higgins and Therese Porter
Minor Cup – TBC
Challenge Cup – Ann Nichols and Joanne Logan
Senior Foursomes – Clodagh Doyle and Gillian Kilkenny
Junior Foursomes – TBC
Revive Active All Ireland Fourball – Una Doyle and Maureen O’Dea
Flogas Irish Mixed Foursomes – Mary Stapleton and Aidan Doyle
Cullen Cup – Ilona Madden
Boyne Trophy – Anne Hollingsworth and Tricia Shannon
Courtown Interclub Shield – Therese Porter
N. Dunne agreed to take on the role of Team Liaison. She will speak to the lower handicap women to see if they are interested in entering the Senior Cup. A suggestion was made that the lower handicap ladies be asked first to be on the Senior Foursomes team as they have very few opportunities to play on teams. All agreed and the team managers will be informed.
Meeting will be held on the first Monday of each month, except during the summer months where the first Monday is a Bank Holiday when the meeting will take place on the first Tuesday in May, June and August.
The competitions calendar has been done for the year. There will be more Foursomes, Fourballs and Open competitions during the main season which means that there will be less competitions for GOY. We will try it this year and review it at the end of the season.
Following feedback from last year we will not run qualifying competitions for our matchplay events this year. Notice will be sent out to ladies to put their names down for each matchplay competition and pay the relevant fee before an agreed date. If numbers are low this year it will probably revert to qualifying competitions next year.
The dates are still being finalised for the major competitions during the year. The Men’s President’s prize will take place a month earlier this year and we are not sure when his prize to the women will take place. The Men’s Captain’s prize to the Women may have to change as Golf Ireland has asked the Club to host some regional finals.
This year we will celebrate International Women’s Day on Wednesday, 8th March. The competition format is yet to be decided. It should be a fun event and as many as possible should be encouraged to play.
The Competitions Committee put together a Competitions Results report for 2022. It shows that the higher handicap members did not feature very much in the main prizes last year. Our G.I. Advisor recommends that we do not limit handicaps in our weekly or major prizes. We already have limits on our Tuesday Opens, Team events and Matchplay competitions.
The Gross prize will be removed from Medal competitions this year. In four out of six Medal competitions last year the best gross on the day was in the main prizes.
One lady asked if we can keep a track of the winning stableford points on the Results report so we can see if anyone wins by a large amount. If they do, is their handicap reduced accordingly? It was explained that the new system is all about consistency. Any reductions depend on the counting scores on their handicap record. As can be seen from social media too many golfers are concerned about prizes and winning when it should be about the players ability and improving themselves.
A document will be put together this year for the Presidents and Captains with guidelines on the prize structure for major competitions and the overall prize fund (the Officer will buy the first prize). The breakdown is as follows:
Women’s Presidents prize
1st, 2nd, Gross, 3rd , Past President, Best 36+
Women’s Captains prize
1st, 2nd, Gross, 3rd, Past Captain, Best 36+, 1st Day, 2nd Day
Men’s Presidents Prize to Women
1st, 2nd, Gross, 3rd, Best 36+
Men’s Captains Prize to Women
1st, 2nd, Gross, 3rd, Best 36+
The Junior Policy as discussed at the AGM in December was raised. The GI Junior policy says that all girls with a Handicap Index of 39.9 must be allowed play in women’s competitions. The Junior Committee has reduced the HI for girls but the Competitions Subcommittee would like to know what competitions the Junior Committee want the girls to play in. Three girls are approved to play in Wednesday competitions. A discussion was held on the matter. During the summer approved Juniors can play in 18-hole competitions on Mondays (Junior competition), Open competitions on Tuesdays, girls can play on Wednesdays, boys on Thursdays and Junior competition on Fridays. Junior Girls can play in the women’s major competitions and they also have their own competitions sponsored by the officers. Some members have expressed the opinion that due to Child Protection issues they would not be comfortable playing with juniors. It was agreed that we need to know what the Junior Committee are looking for from the Women’s and Men’s Golf Committees and what their draft policy is. It was suggested that a member of the Junior Committee could attend our next meeting to discuss this.
The extra selection boxes from the children’s Christmas party were given to the Special Olympics group in the town and they were delighted with them.
Some ladies would like the paper towel dispenser to be put back in the women’s locker room. It was pointed out that this will not happen. The new dryer was expensive to buy and install. Paper towels work out expensive and they are more labour intensive.
Captain Christine said that A. Noone suggested the Club runs a golf clothes/equipment exchange. It would be a fund raiser. It was agreed that this could be a good event and maybe some ladies on the decorating committee might like to help with this also.
The Spring League presentation evening is scheduled for Wednesday, 5th April and the Women’s Christmas Dinner and Presentation night is booked for Friday, 8th December. The major competition and social event dates will be emailed to all women and a notice will be posted in the locker room.
November 2022 Web Notes
Condolences were extended to the family and friends of Mary Glynn (Damian Glynn’s mum), Louis Collins (Mary Cahill’s dad) and Helen Gorman (Past Lady Captain and Lady President) on their recent deaths.
We have three new full lady members. Emails were received from Golf Ireland re the Annual Handicap Review, the annual Affiliation fees, a Sports Energy Support Scheme Survey and Texaco Support for Sport. These were all forwarded to the Hon. Sec. of the CoM and the Handicap Secretary.
The Club AGM will be held on Wednesday, 14th December. The accounts have been audited and nominations for all positions will be posted on the board 14 days before the AGM. All members present at the AGM will be able to vote for any committee or golf sub-committee positions.
The Women’s Golf sub-committee will be made up of the Captain, vice-Captain, Secretary, Treasurer, Handicap Secretary and Competitions Secretary. There is also an option to co-opt two more members onto the subcommittee e.g. the President if she wishes.
€2,135 was made from the Fashion Show and Lady Captain was congratulated on her work in organising it. The money will help with refurbishing the Pool room.
Lady Captain attended the Women in Golf Charter. She will be the Women’s Charter Champion and Myles Behan has agreed to be the Men’s Charter Champion.
Next year the Club will hold an event for International Women’s Day on 8th March.
Mary Stapleton said the Annual Handicap Review has been done and changes have been approved by Golf Ireland. A further review will be done when the Winter Leagues are finished.
From next year clubs will be able to limit handicaps for any competition, not just Open days, etc. This means that we could limit handicaps in our weekly competitions and have a separate competition for higher handicaps.
Joanne Logan said that Emma Dunne and Tom Dunne are the nominations for Junior Captains for 2023. All present approved the nominations. Emma along with Aislinn Redmond played in Woodbrook for the Girl’s Medal finals and had a great day.
Lady President Doreen said the price for the Ladies Christmas dinner is €25 and Emma has agreed to include a glass of wine in the price. The Ladies committee are paying for the band on the night.
The Clubhouse is being cleaned and should be finished soon. The Christmas decorations need to be put up soon but they will have to wait until the cleaning company has finished. The children’s party will be on Saturday, 10th December. Clodagh has agreed to decorate the pool room for this.
October 2022 Web Notes
Condolences were extended to the family and friends of Stephanie Byrne on her recent death.
An email was received from the Women in Golf Co-Ordinator for G.I., re a Leinster Charter Champion Networking event which will be held at Lucan Golf Club on 24th October. Lady Captain Ilona will attend and will bring the matter to the CoM as a male representative is also invited to attend
An email was received from NCBI re golf and a gala dinner on 14th October at a cost of €1,500 for a team of 4.
The CoM received an email from a member regarding improvements to the course. The matter was discussed by the Course subcommittee but the ladies representative was not made aware of the email. One suggestion is to move the ladies tee box on the 15th hole. It was pointed out that the ladies new 17th tee box is not in good condition and is flooding in heavy rain.
Rosemary Kavanagh has fixed the ongoing issue with the Ladies computer.
A 9 hole scramble is being arranged for the Get Into Golf ladies on a Saturday afternoon in November, just to have a little get together for them and see if they have any questions etc.
The General Manager will be taking over some of the Hospitality and Marketing roles.
Clodagh Doyle said that Christmas cards, signed by the Officers, will be sent to all sponsors, with a 4-ball voucher included. Clodagh will continue to work with the Sponsors next year but will not be on the committee.
Therese Porter said that the Governance sub-committee gave a presentation, which was open to all members recently, with about 45 members attending. Feedback was received on the night and also by email. The Governance sub-committee is taking all this into account and amending the Constitution and Polices on a regular basis.
The date for the EGM is confirmed as Friday, 28th October and notices will go out by email to all members who are eligible to attend and vote. Therese asked the committee to encourage other eligible members to read the Constitution and Policies on the website and to attend the EGM. It will only be the draft Constitution that will be voted on at the meeting.
Therese asked the ladies present if they were in agreement that the Dress code for matches and presentation nights be included in the Terms of Competitions for the new ladies and men’s committees. All those present agreed with this.
The Fashion Show is on Friday, 4th November and posters will go out soon. Tickets will be priced at €15 to include a drink and a raffle ticket. Fishers and the Pro shop will provide clothes and The Shoe Box and JJ Jewellers will provide accessories.
September 2022 Web Notes
Condolences were extended to the family and friends of Rita Byrne on her recent death.
An email was received from Golf Ireland re Registration for the Girls Junior Medal. Joanne Logan has registered 7 girls.
An email was received from the PGA Southern Branch acknowledging the Club’s donation to the Benevolent Fund. The Tankards will be sent to the Club, care of Louise D’arcy, with the invite to the semi-final in Carlow on Monday, 10th October. The ladies qualifier was Bernie O’Donoghue.
An email was received from Golf Ireland in relation to the Playing Conditions Calculation Updates and was passed to Mary Stapleton.
An email was received from the Leinster region of G.I. who are seeking expressions of interest for volunteers for their Course Rating teams. They need some more ladies to meet the gender balance quota. This email was forwarded to all ladies.
The alternate day for Week 1 of the Golfsure competition was postponed due to a course closure due to heavy rain and will be re-scheduled for Saturday 17th / Sunday 18th September.
On Sunday morning the course was inspected and it was deemed playable except for bunkers. The staff in the Pro shop were harassed by some members when the staff were unable to tell them if the Sunday competition was counting for handicap purposes or not. The staff are expected to know everything.
The Winter Leagues will start at the end of the month. The first week of the 9-hole league will run from Thursday to Tuesday and the following weeks will run from Wednesday to Tuesday. An email will be sent to all with the dates. The rules will be posted online and on the notice board before the Leagues commence.
The GIG scheme has been very successful for the Club with over 40 new members over the last 5 or 6 years. We may not run a GIG programme next year as we need the present ladies to progress first.
The Bar and Catering winter hours will be agreed soon.
A Contract Cleaning company will start a deep clean of the whole clubhouse soon.
Joanne Logan proposed two juniors girls who have progressed very well during the year be approved to play in Ladies competitions. She would like them to have the opportunity to play golf over the winter as this will help their golf overall. All present approved the proposal.
Pro Louise will run group lessons for four weeks, starting Wednesday, 28th September. The times will be from 6pm to 7pm and 7pm to 8pm. The cost will be €60 and ladies will be in groups of 8 to 10. The lessons will focus on the long-game (tee shots, fairway woods and long irons). The lessons must booked with Louise and Louise would like an email to go to all ladies. Therese will send this over the next few days.
The Men’s Fred Perry team was congratulated on qualifying for the All-Ireland Semi-finals and wished them well.
Lady President thanked everyone for the support and kindness she received on her day.
The Ladies Christmas Dinner is on Friday, 2nd December. Lady Captain will speak to the Chef over the coming weeks about the menu. All agreed that the Ladies committee would provide music this year and we would encourage ladies to wear Christmas outfits. Christmas decorations will hopefully go up in the Clubhouse towards the end of November.
Mary Stapleton is working on getting a board for the Tottenham Trophy winners’ names.
August 2022 Web Notes
Condolences were extended to the family and friends of Tom D’Arcy (Louise’s father) and Molly Smullen (Pat Smullen’s mother) on their recent deaths.
Boys and even some men are going into the Ladies locker room to get balls which is inappropriate. The matter will be raised with the Junior committee.
An email was received from one lady who expressed her disappointment that there was a qualifying competition for the Ballycurry Cup as she was unable to play on the designated date. She also stated that matchplay and stableford competitions are two very different forms of golf. All agreed that the qualifier which had been agreed on at both the May and June meetings and would go ahead this year with 16 players qualifying for matchplay. In pre-Covid years the committee had to canvass ladies to play with 8 entries in 2019, 11 in 2018, 14 in 2017 and 11 in 2016 The committee was aware that the date would not suit everybody. As agreed at the previous meetings this will be reviewed before next year.
An email was received from Golf Ireland about inter-club eligibility for 2023. In order to be eligible to compete for their club, members must have a fully developed handicap record - 20 or more scores recorded on their record prior to the end of 2022.
Information was received on the Past Lady Captains outing this year. A notice will be put on the board and send out an email to all. Unfortunately this clashes with our Visiting Captain’s Day on Friday, 16th September.
Any unused Wednesday competition times are released at 12noon each Wednesday. There seems to be a sense of entitlement that a men’s match has precedence on the course on Wednesdays over the ladies competition with men’s fourball matches holding up ladies and not letting them through.
The end of season Little and Large competition takes place on Saturday, 27th August and they are expecting a large entry with 18-hole, 9-hole and 4-hole players.
A question was asked what happens if a ball lands in any of the new flower beds, is there a free drop out of them as they could be damaged if someone played from there? There generally isn’t a free drop out of them unless a local rule is made or the flower beds are marked as G.U.R.
Hand dryers for the ladies locker room and toilets were approved and will hopefully be purchased soon. .
The Governance sub-committee asked for the Ladies Committee’s input on the Dress Code policy. Dress codes are becoming much more relaxed over the last number of years with professional players now wearing hoodies, turtlenecks instead of the traditional collar, ladies wearing very short skirts/skorts and very fitted trousers that look like leggings. A discussion was held with many holding the view that leggings are not suitable whether they are worn by girls or ladies. There needs to be different dress codes for the course and clubhouse as sports jerseys are allowed when in the clubhouse when members/guests are watching rugby/soccer/GAA matches. It suggested that it would be a good idea to get input from the Junior Captains on the matter.
July 2022 Web Notes
Condolences were extended to the family and friends of Johnny Flood, Ann Coffey and Aidan Ring on their recent deaths.
The new General Manager, Jim Melody, attended the last CoM meeting and is taking an interest in the Club already and is active on our social media pages.
The on-course toilet is being paid through fundraising and the plans will go on the notice board.
A 5-year plan was sent out to all members recently.
New hand-dryers will be purchased for the ladies locker room and upstairs toilets.
It was proposed that the Fashion Show be held on Friday, 4th November. The Shoe Box and the Pro shop will also get involved.
The computer is still giving problems for both ladies and men.
All present complimented the Chef on the food for the Lady Captain’s night. All also agreed that the new Bar staff are a great addition to the team, they are always very friendly, helpful and always cleaning up as they go.
A new drop zone will be put into place on the 17th hole on a temporary basis. This will be at the bottom of the second lake.
One lady asked if a sign could be put on the men’s 6th tee box (not the Nose tee box) asking men to check the 8th fairway before teeing off. It is very dangerous when hitting a second shot on the right-hand side of the 8th fairway.
All complimented the planting around the 17th tee boxes.
The Grounds staff will be asked that the large gravel area at the back of the 10th tee box be marked as GUR.
The Club has renewed its MyGolfSociety membership which many societies use to book outings.
The Junior boys came fourth overall in Stackstown for the Tilestyle Trophy with Thomas Dunne coming 2nd in the individual gross. The girls teams only played 9 holes. The Junior committee have been congratulated on how they are running the junior section by many parents.
The Committee agreed to send a Thank You card to Des Nichols acknowledging his generosity in collecting golf balls for the beginner ladies.
The Australian Spoons area final was a great success and everyone who helped clean and decorate the Clubhouse was congratulated. It was a great showcase for the Club.
One lady said that she finds it embarrassing that although we have a caterer we still cannot offer hot food after matches. The catering hours for the summer months were extended but most matches are not finished in time. The new General Manager will be looking into the matter over the next few months.
The Telecom mast needs upgrading and the company involved is doing a survey of the surrounding areas to see if there is a better location for it. The mast is worth a lot of money for the Club so hopefully they will continue using the Club for the new mast.
June 2022 Web Notes
Condolences were extended to the family and friends of Sean Dooley, Roderick Kenna and Chrissy Roche on their recent deaths.
An email was received regarding travel expenses for matches and alternate competition playing days. The lady has been involved in a number of teams and has a lot of golf related travel. She is proud to play for the Club but with fuel prices soaring it has now become very expensive. Most of the clubs that she has competed against have their team meals paid for them while anyone representing Wicklow G.C. has to pay for everything themselves. She would like to see the Club pay a contribution to players expenses. She also said that she is missing out on her personal golf and would like to see more alternative competition days available. The committee discussed both matters and while all were sympathetic it was pointed out that we now compete against South Dublin clubs that have bigger memberships and annual fees that are much more expensive than Wicklow. As all teams (Ladies, Men’s, Mixed, Juniors) must be treated the same Lady Captain will bring the matter to the CoM. With regard to alternate competition days all agreed that there are sufficient alternate days available. The Committee understands that players have a difficult choice to make when asked to represent the Club as a player or manager on a team(s) as for many their own personal golf will suffer.
A Bunnies 9-hole Round Robin Matchplay will start soon.
The Australian Spoons South Leinster final will take place in W.G.C. next Monday.
The Club Mixed Foursomes qualifying competition takes place on Saturday, 18th June. It was reported that some people do not agree with a qualifying competition as they believe that it should only be matchplay and not a strokes competition as well. The Competitions committee will review the entries from other years but the qualifying competition will remain for this year.
A nominal fee of €1 be charged for ladies entering the Ballycurry singles matchplay as this way they will have to physically enter the matchplay competition and will be committed to it.
It was mentioned that some ladies are unable to play in the Medal competitions on Wednesdays and would like to play this on Saturdays or Sundays as an alternate day. It was pointed out that when ladies join the Club they know that our main competitions are on a Wednesday. The Men’s club control the weekend competition timesheet and it would be highly unlikely that they would agree to this.
The Little and Large competition and Barbeque was a great success. Joanne and Mark Doyle attended a Junior Development coaching session run by Golf Ireland. Junior competitions have started. Girls and boys teams have been entered in the Tilestyle Trophy to be held in Stackstown G.C. on Monday, 18th July. A practice round for the U19 match has been arranged for Tulfarris G.C. on Thursday, 21st July and the Junior committee are treating this as a social occasion and have invited all the 18-hole girls.
One member of the kitchen staff unexpectedly handed in her notice. She will leave in two weeks. An advertisement will be going in the local newspaper this week.
The Business Hub on the website is being updated. It can be used by members’ businesses as well as sponsor’s businesses.
The dates for next year’s Ladies major competitions should be booked as soon as possible. Lady vice-Captain said she booked her date for next year earlier today and it will be held on 21st and 24th June 2023.
A lady asked if a Dyson hand drier could be purchased for the Ladies locker room. There is one in the Men’s locker room already.
A request was made that the bushes around the path at the 12th green be cut back as they are very sharp and impede buggies.
Lady Captain said she was thinking about having a fun event later in the year, possibly a Fashion show. Fishers from Newtown will host the event in the clubhouse. Some members will be asked to be models and Louise might show some clothes also. All agreed it was a great idea and recommend that it is done on a Friday night. The Juniors could also be involved.
Lady Captain said she saw a person get out of a car parked in the disabled spot and have difficulty walking over to the clubhouse. She suggested that the reserved spaces for the officers could be moved to the centre of the car park and the area around the front of the clubhouse be allocated to disabled spaces. She has spoken to the Men’s Captain about this and he is in agreement.
May 2022 Web Notes
Condolences were extended to Deirdre Carroll and family on the recent death of her brother Colm Hayes.
The 2’s competition is being looked at by the CoM.
9-hole competitions have started on Wednesdays. The price has increased from €3 to €5 and now entry is done in the Pro. Shop. This will bring the 9-hole ladies into the Pro. shop and may bring more business for the shop.
A 9-hole Round Robin matchplay event will be set up for the higher handicaps. Ladies are not allowed play their matches on Wednesdays as it would be better if they continue to play in the weekly competitions, either 18 or 9-hole.
All team captains are asked to contact Robin Heather with team information and results so that he can put the details on Facebook. Aidan Doyle is updating a chart for the main noticeboard on the landing with team dates and results.
Rosemary Kavanagh is working on the Business Hub for the website. If any member has a business they can get their information put on this.
Lady Captain congratulated Lady President Doreen for the great marketing the Club received from the Pink Day and Virgin Media breakfast show. There has been great interaction on our social media sites as a result. Lady President said that we were due to get two slots on the show but the members were great getting involved and as a result seven slots were recorded. She thanked all the members for the great support.
Bar and catering are busy, especially at the weekends. President Martin organised a group to clean up around the Clubhouse before the Pink Day. Lady President is concerned about the amount of rubbish being left around. She even found some in the hedge. The bin between the ladies and men’s locker rooms is over-flowing, as well as the bins in the locker room near the Pro. shop. Lady President would like the bins to be removed and everyone bring home their own rubbish.
A wooden floor will be installed in the restaurant area.
The Junior Play in Pink Day was held on Friday 22nd April and €200 was raised. Following the success of the Little and Large competitions last year the Junior committee are organising one for Saturday, 14th May.
Nora Dunne was asked if the ladies markers can be put on the upper tee box on the 11th hole sometimes. Nora will contact Casey about this.
The Committee agreed that a 9-hole competition will be held on the Saturdays of the ladies majors. As there is no competition for the 5-Day members for Major prizes a suggestion was made that Lady Captain and Lady President invite the 5-day ladies for a coffee in the clubhouse on the day and this may show the ladies what they are missing out on.
Congratulations were extended to all for another very successful Play in Pink Day. There was a great atmosphere around the Clubhouse and course over the weekend. Some ladies decorated the tower on Monday night before the Virgin Media crew arrived early on Tuesday morning. Tom and Emma had tea and coffee ready for everyone. Some ladies baked scones for the event and the ladies present cleaned up afterwards. Lady Captain said her guests from Blainroe were very impressed with the event on Monday.
April 2022 Web Notes
Condolences were extended to the family and friends of past Lady President Mary Johnston.
The course report message will be updated with a Course open message following a course closure.
The committee agreed to enter the Valerie Doyle competition and Courtown Interclub Shield.
Information on fees for the R&A 9-hole Mixed Challenge, Silver and Bronze Medals and Australian Spoons was received. Payment for each is €20 which is a big change for the Australian Spoons as we normally had to forward all competition fees.
A Team Manager’s webinar was held on Wednesday, 6th April and attended by Una Doyle and Joanne Logan from the Ladies Club.
Therese Porter said that the Governance sub-committee is looking at the Club Constitution and Policies. All changes will be voted on at an E.G.M., hopefully later in the year, and the sub-committee will send out communications to the members during the year to keep them updated.
There is a problem with the computer. The battery is very low on the hard drive and it may be cheaper to replace the whole unit.
Dates still have to be set for the R&A 9-hole Challenge qualifier and the Club Mixed Matchplay. The top 16 pairs in the Club Mixed will qualify for matchplay.
The Spring Leagues were very successful and the Handicap committee will review handicaps shortly.
The Junior Induction Day for new members was held on Sunday 20th March, it was well attended and received great feedback. Una Doyle and Joanne Logan attended the Junior Convenor webinar on Monday 21st March. It was very informative and they got lots of information on events for Juniors to be held this year which they hope to partake in, in particular the Golf Sixes and the Girls Hub. The Webinar also talked about development and grants available to help grow the Junior section, Junior Frameworks and the new Junior policy due to be implemented soon. The Junior Play in Pink Day will be held on Friday 22nd April and open to all Junior categories.
Lady Captain Ilona will raise the matter of the 2’s competitions at the next CoM meeting. There seems to be different terms of competition for each day and no-one knows if the 2’s is run by Louise on behalf of the Club or whether it is her own competition.
Louise will run a Bunker Clinic on 12th May at 6pm and a Putting Clinic on 19th May also at 6pm. The cost is €10 per person per clinic and they are open to women only with a maximum of 8 per group.
Lady President Doreen said that an extra chef is being looked for to help out. There is no catering on Wednesday afternoons but if ladies want to pre-order their food will be left in the cold store.
Head Greenkeeper Casey is going to measure the distance on the new ladies 17th tee box and will forward this to G.I. for approval. Once approval is granted then the permanent stone will be put in position. The Committee request that the ladies markers on the 4th tee box are to remain on the main tee box unless it’s absolutely necessary to use the smaller tee box.
Competition information will go on social media on Mondays and individual sponsor information will go on social media the day before the competition.
With COVID still present there will be no Tea in the Tower this year. A 9-hole competition will be played on Friday, 29th April with the 18-hole Greensomes Foursomes taking place on Bank Holiday Monday, 2nd May. The restaurant will be open on the day.
Get Into Golf is starting on Monday, 25th April.
Last year two flags were ordered for the Lady Captain’s Day with one given to the winner and the other to the Lady Captain. A suggestion was made that this is done for all Officer’s competitions going forward. All agreed that this is a good idea and Lady Captain Ilona will speak to the Men’s Officers on the matter.
Lady President thanked all those involved in organising the Spring Leagues and the presentation night. She said the display of prizes was magnificent.
March 2022 Web Notes
Condolences were extended to the family and friends of members Aggie O’Brien and Leonard Kelly.
An email was received asking if the Club would be in a position to raise some money to donate to the Red Cross in support of Ukraine. The matter was also raised at the recent CoM meeting and a raffle is being organised.
Golf Ireland’s A.G.M. is on Saturday, 26th March and will be attended by Lady Captain.
It is suggested that the Course Report message be updated after a closure to say it is open but not to put a date on it.
Facebook sent out invitations to non-members to join the Members Facebook page without any knowledge of the admins looking after the page. Once a person accepted the invitation they were given access to the page by Facebook without being approved by the admins of the page. The CoM felt that the page is not being used very much now and will fade out.
On advice from Golf Ireland, the CoM has decided to examine the processes and systems of how the Club is run to ensure that the proper controls and practices are in place. The CoM has set up a Governance subcommittee to deal with this. The Terms of Reference for the subcommittee have been approved by the CoM and are now being brought to the Ladies Committee and Men’s Committee along with the Trustees for approval. All present approved the Terms of Reference and acknowledged that there is a lot of work to be done.
The number of counting weeks for the Weekend League will be reduced due to the number of cancelled weeks while the money from the 9-hole league is down, due to lost days because of the bad weather.
Louise D’Arcy will run some putting and bunker clinics soon. Louise sponsors the PGA Tankard and would like the ladies committee to promote this. Louise benefitted from the PGA during her training and would like to support them now. The winner of the ladies and men’s competitions will go with Louise to the regional final.
There are 30 new juniors and 23 of them will attend an induction day at the club on Sunday, 20th March. Ian Cuddihy will give a talk to small groups in the pool room while there will be different sections out on the practice area – putting, short chips and long chips. The Junior Captains will also help out on the day showing the new juniors around the clubhouse. There are now 130 junior members with 15 on the waiting list.
From next year onwards International Ladies Day will be a permanent item on the calendar.
An email was sent to members re this year’s Get into Golf. It will be a much shorter course than previous years. Once the ladies complete an eight week course they will have to choose to become a member at that stage.
The pathway from the 16th green to the 17th tee box will be re-aligned soon. There are new tee box signs around the course.
A notice will be put in the locker room to see if any ladies will help sponsor Sunday competitions.
The Spring League Presentations will be on Wednesday, 6th April and the Paint your own Pottery night will be the following Wednesday, 13th April.
A discussion was held on Slow Play. The R&A has a video with some great tips. Players have to be reminded that they must call a group through if they are holding them up.
February 2022 Web Notes
We received an entry form for the Boyne Trophy matchplay competition. We have already pre-paid for this competition and all agreed to take part this year.
The committee agreed that we would not enter the Mary McKenna Diamond Trophy.
The CoM received a letter from some members asking that some of the gorse on the par 3, 11th hole, be removed to allow for a bigger landing area. They also received some letters opposing the request. The Ladies committee discussed the matter and all agree that the gorse should be left as it is. It should not be trimmed.
Golf Ireland has updated the Team reports to show the lowest handicap indexes for each member between 1st July 2021 and 1st January 2022. This is needed to determine eligibility for G.I. teams.
The Carvery is a success and members are asked to book a table in advance. The kitchen area will be steam cleaned every two months. Some new equipment has been ordered and a kitchen porter has been hired to help clean up at the end of the day.
It was mentioned that some members have difficulty finding a table to sit and have coffee on a Sunday after golf due to the numbers availing of the carvery. Members will have to get into the habit of reserving a table before they go out to play on a Sunday.
Visitors should be signed in to the Visitors book at all times to be covered by our insurance.
The Junior Committee has set up a Spring League for the Juniors. At present there is a waiting list for Junior members.
A planning application is being processed for the proposed on-course toilet. A septic tank will need to be installed.
Sponsors have been contacted and about 80% are willing to sponsor this year.
There will be more of a distinction between the official W.G.C. Facebook page and the Member’s page. All results will be on the official page.
The Marketing sub-committee are targeting new members, emphasizing that there is no joining fee. They are also targeting golf societies, green fees and people out walking.
Lady President will put together a Volunteer list of men and women for cleaning.
A suggestion was made that a board be put in the Ladies locker room for the winners of the Tottenham Trophy as it is not possible to put names on the trophy itself. The Trophy is very old and we don’t have a list of all the winners. It was suggested that the board could start at the year 2000. A board will be priced over the coming months.
A suggestion was made that a gardening committee be put together to look after the planting on the 10th tee box and around the 17th green. All agreed that this is a good idea and that some members who are not already on committees should be asked to go on it.
A presentation and rules night will take place on Wednesday, 9th February.
Ian Mooney will run an on-course rules session once the weather is a bit better.
The Pink Day will be Invitational/Semi Open but will be open to members first.
January 2022 Web Notes
Condolences were extended to the family and friends of Liam Kavanagh, Nick Healy, Caroline Morey and Mary Keane on their recent deaths.
Una Doyle was proposed as Treasurer for 2022 and it was passed unanimously.
The committee agreed to enter the Granard Cup this year. All proceeds from the competition (minimum donation of €150) go to the NCBI with the winning pair qualifying for the regional final. Mary Stapleton will put it in the diary for a Monday in May or June.
The following have been appointed to sub-committees of the Ladies Club:
Handicaps: Mary Stapleton, Therese Porter, Rosemary Kavanagh, Tricia Shannon, Amanda Reynolds
Competitions: Mary Stapleton, Therese Porter, Rosemary Kavanagh, Phyl Long, Amanda Reynolds
Card Checkers: Mary Stapleton, Therese Porter, Rosemary Kavanagh, Amanda Reynolds, Maeve O’Boyle, Mary Cahill, Eilish Roche, Una Doyle, Joanne Logan, Tricia Shannon (sub), Phyl Long (sub)
The following ladies have been appointed to sub-committees (subject to ratification by the Management Committee):
Hospitality (Clubhouse, Social/Fundraising, Bar & Catering) – Lady President Doreen McGettigan
Club Professional Liaison – Christine Ryan
Course & Surrounds – Nora Dunne
Juniors - Joanne Logan, Una Doyle
Marketing (Membership, Website, P.R.O.) – Ilona Madden, Rosemary Kavanagh, Caitriona Fogarty
Sponsors – Clodagh Doyle, Christine Ryan
Team Managers
The Ladies Club will enter the same Inter-Club competitions as last year and, possibly, the Senior Cup also. Una Doyle will speak to the lower handicap ladies to see if they are interested in entering the competition. Team Managers were approved as follows:
Junior Cup: Bernie O’Donoghue
Intermediate Cup: Clair Higgins
Minor Cup: Liz Cuddihy, Margaret Bolger
Challenge Cup: Doreen McGettigan, Phyl Long
Senior Foursomes: Breda Carroll, Eilish Roche
Junior Foursomes: Valerie Brennan, Caitriona Fogarty
Revive Active: Una Doyle, Joanne Logan
Boyne Trophy: TBC
Irish Mixed: Clodagh Doyle
Cullen Cup: Ilona Madden
Courtown Interclub Shield: Therese Porter
Liaison Officer: Una Doyle
Meeting Dates
Committee meetings are scheduled to take place at 7.30pm on the second Monday of every month. Additional meetings may be required during the year. The above dates may need to change depending on availability.
The Spring Leagues have started. One point raised at the A.G.M. related to the Weekend League when one lady asked if it was possible to introduce a Team Event like the men do or maybe a Secret Buddy. The Ladies Committee agreed to put this on hold for the moment and will ask players in the Spring League for feedback on the matter before the Winter Leagues begin.
Lady President Doreen and Christine were welcomed on board the committee. The officers & committee were wished the very best of luck for a successful and enjoyable year by all.
Christine thanked everyone for the warm welcome and said she is looking forward to the year.
Lady President congratulated Clodagh on the past two years as Lady Captain and thanked the Committee for their work. She said she is looking forward to the year.
November 2021 Web Notes
Condolences were extended to the family and friends of Jamesie Doyle, Eithne McGovern, Patricia Horan and Johnny McDonald on their recent deaths.
Golf Ireland have invited Wicklow Golf Club to host the South Area final of the Australian Spoons on Monday, 20th June 2022. All agreed and the matter will be forwarded to the CoM for approval, subject to the Juniors being allocated time after the Australian Spoons.
Captain Aidan Doyle has asked an architect to develop drawings for an on-course toilet. Fundraising will be carried out to help finance the project.
The Handicap committee will carry out the Annual Handicap Review before the end of the month. The Tuesday competitions will change to 13/14 hole competitions from next week.
V-Par competitions do not work with the new handicapping system. The Men’s committee have agreed not to hold any V-Par competitions and the Ladies committee agreed likewise. The Ladies Committee will run some extra foursomes competitions in the summer months next year. One of these foursomes competitions will be used as a qualifier for our Foursomes matchplay.
The Junior Committee was disappointed that the Junior Play in Pink day was cancelled due to bad weather. A Winter League has been set up for the Juniors.
The Sunday Carvery started yesterday and was a big success.
The Ladies A.G.M. will be held on Wednesday, 24th November at 7.30pm. Notice has been sent to all relevant ladies by email. Notices are in the locker room and on the website also. There are no Matters for Discussion and as no other names were entered on the sheet for Nomination to Committee or Office there will not be a vote on the night. Due to the recent high COVID numbers the A.G.M. will be held by Zoom call.
The Annual Handicap Review took place and the report will be sent to G.I. within the week.
The committee agreed that we will proceed with our plans for the Winter League presentation on Friday, 10th December as we are within government COVID guidelines. However, should the guidelines change before then we will make alternative arrangements and will notify ladies then.
October 2021 Web Notes
Condolences were extended to the family and friends of Roisin O’Neill, Noel McGrath, John Glynn and Val Carroll on their recent deaths.
Louise will post the rules of the Wednesday 2’s competition in the shop for all to see.
The committee agreed to restrict the handicap index to 36 for Tuesday Opens for all players, members or visitors. Higher handicap players can still play in the competition but off the lower handicap limit.
The distance marker is incorrect on the Ladies 13th tee box. An official measurement will have to be done. This has been requested but delayed due to COVID.
The Junior Committee has nominated Kayleigh Doyle and Emmet Ronan as the new Junior Captains for 2022. All present congratulated Kayleigh and Emmet and complimented this year’s Captains, Caitlin Logan and Liam Delaney, on a job well done.
A presentation night will be held on Wednesday 27th October.
Lady President Ann and Lady Captain Clodagh would like the theme of this year’s Ladies Christmas Dinner night to be one of Glamour. They hope to have a prosecco reception at the start of the night as a thank you for all the support they received over the last two years.
Next year’s major dates will be approved at the next CoM meeting. Lady President’s prizes to Ladies, Men and Juniors will all be on the same week and likewise for the Lady Captain’s prizes. Lady Captain’s week will not be the same as the Men’s Captains week.
The sign-in method for the Winter League is in the Ladies locker room but sometimes this is not open. Ladies can enter after the 4th hole or when they finish. Ladies can text Mary Stapleton to let her know they are entering and the locker room is closed.
The locker room is very messy with a lot of baskets and decorations lying around. The baskets will be used soon for the Christmas league prizes and then the whole area can be cleaned properly.
Although we are not taking part in the One Club pilot programme it will happen at some stage and a conversation around this matter needs to be started in the Club. It was felt that the CoM should do this.
Lady Vice Captain Ilona announced Christine Ryan as the incoming Lady Vice Captain. Christine was congratulated by the committee.
September 2021 Web Notes
Emails were received requesting that the Ladies Committee consider bringing in Category prizes for our weekly competition. One lady asked that if it is not possible to bring in categories for our competitions that we would reduce the handicap range for competitions to 36. She also asked that a Best Gross prize be awarded in Monthly Medal competitions and if the Best Gross is within the first three prizes that the second best gross be awarded the prize.
The Competitions Committee reviewed all the Ladies Wednesday and Weekend competitions from the end of April up to the beginning of September. The Committee discussed all matters raised in the emails and is satisfied that the results in most cases have been spread across the handicap ranges (0 – 20, 21 – 36 and 37 – 54) and there is no need to introduce categories.
In regards to the Committee reducing handicaps back to 36, this would be completely unacceptable within the WHS. The new handicap system was brought in to make the higher handicap players more competitive. Now with the new system all players, regardless of handicap, have a chance to feature. The inclusion of a gross prize is under consideration for next year.
The play-off for the Lesley Hopkins Silver Salver will be held on either Saturday, 25th or Sunday, 26th September depending on timesheet availability.
The Foursomes competition was a great success and another one will be held on Wednesday, 29th September. The format will be 14-holes Scotch Foursomes.
Amanda’s Hair Salon is delighted to sponsor the Pink Day again. The Junior Committee will be asked about holding a 9-hole Junior competition during the school mid-term.
The Competitions Committee is considering the return of the Saturday mixed. They will look for volunteers to run it each week, with a rota in place so that each volunteer will only be called upon every five or six weeks.
The GIG and SIG programmes are being reviewed and we might abandon these programmes and adopt a shorter version next year. While Golf Ireland recommend the two year programme of GIG and SIG it is very difficult for a small club like ours to run the programme.
The Little and Large competition was a great success with 104 participants and the Wicklow People newspaper took some photographs. The U20 Wicklow Cup team played their final match recently. The Junior Committee gave a lot of juniors a chance to play on the team which will stand to them in future years.
The Chef is considering a Carvery for Sundays.
The role of Handicap Secretary was discussed and how it has changed over the last few years. Handicaps need to be reviewed on a daily basis for some people and the number of Ladies competitions has also increased. A suggestion was made to split the role into two areas – Handicaps and Competitions. The person looking after Competitions need not necessarily be on the Ladies Committee but could send in a monthly report.
It was suggested that the ex-officio head up a sub-committee to look after Sponsors. The sub-committee would arrange collection of the prizes from the sponsor, look after the prizes until they are presented and arrange presentation nights.
A discussion was held on new members and how we can include them within the Ladies Club. Lady President meets them when possible but it has been difficult with COVID. A presentation night will take place soon and Lady Captain and Lady Vice-Captain will contact the new members to invite them to the presentation and to meet some other ladies.
A request was made that Louise post the rules of the 2’s competition in a prominent area of the Pro. Shop.
The Ladies Christmas dinner will be held on Friday, 10th December
Lady President Ann announced Doreen McGettigan as the incoming Lady President. Doreen was congratulated by the committee
August 2021 Web Notes
The One Club Pilot Programme was discussed at last month’s CoM meeting. The CoM have taken into account the Ladies Committee views and are not going ahead with it.
The internal Out of Bounds stakes are treated as Immovable Obstructions when playing the 5th and 18th holes and relief applies. It is not possible to have a local rule prohibiting chipping on any green but the Club asks that players refrain from doing it.
New score cards are being ordered soon and the rules on the card will be reviewed if the CoM so wish.
At the end of July the Junior committee proposed Kayleigh Doyle, Caitlin Logan and Aisling Patton for approval to play in Ladies competitions on Wednesdays. This was passed unanimously.
Handicaps continue to fluctuate wildly for some players who don’t have the full 20 cards in. These are monitored continually, sometimes on a daily basis and adjustments made where necessary.
The Mixed Matchplay competition was a great success. It was agreed that the Ladies committee run a similar competition for both the Ballycurry Cup and Ladies Foursomes Matchplay competitions. There will be no additional fee and anyone that doesn’t want to take part in the matchplay competition can let the committee know. The Competition sub-committee will organise the dates.
The Head Greenkeeper will be asked if anything can be done to make the bunker on the front left-hand side of the 10th green less punishing to players. It is very small and players often have to stand outside the bunker when playing a shot.
James is looking after the Pro shop while Louise is away. All present agreed that James is an asset to Louise and the Club. He is always pleasant with a smile for everyone and always works very hard. He is very reliable and never forgets to pass on messages.
The Chef now has an assistant and the Catering hours are being extended. Catering will be available for Juniors on Mondays. Three new staff have been taken on to help in the Bar.
The competitions committee might look at doing category prizes in future. They will continue to monitor competition results to see what the handicap spread is.
The Intermediate Cup team was congratulated on their recent win and were wished the very best of luck in the district final.
July 2021 Web Notes
An email will be sent to the Ladies section asking ladies to be more considerate of others and to contact them if they have to take their name off the timesheet or move to a different time. The email will also remind ladies that if anyone is left on the timesheet on their own that they can join with another group or a group can split to accommodate the single player.
One lady played with a number of junior girls recently and was impressed with their abilities. She was wondering why the juniors are not allowed play in the adult competitions. While the Ladies Committee will allow junior girls to play in Wednesday competitions the juniors must first be proposed by the Junior committee and approved by the Ladies committee. The Chair of the Junior committee said that they review the Juniors (girls and boys) on a regular basis and they are not putting forward any names for approval at the moment.
An email was sent to all members re General Play guidelines. There was one reply asking why do they need to hand in a card when Golf Ireland doesn’t say you have to do this. Questions were also asked as to why you need to register your intention to play a counting casual round and why the men are allowed use the computer terminal and ladies are not allowed. The card is needed because many ladies make mistakes when entering their scores in the App and the card is used to verify scores entered on the App. The Lady card checkers wish to continue limiting the use of the computer terminal due to COVID.
Lady Captain will run a 9-hole competition over two days for 5-day ladies, SIG ladies and ladies who are no longer able to play 18 holes. The entry fee will be €8. It is hoped that by doing this it will give the ladies a taste of a two day event and encourage some to become full members. It may be helpful to remind 5-Day members and the SIG ladies that payment of membership can be spread over the full year.
As there are many outstanding prizes to be presented a presentation be held on Saturday, 24th July after play in the Captain’s Prize to the Ladies. An email will be sent out to all, listing the winners and asking winners to attend or nominate someone to collect their prize for them.
The rose bed outside the office is in need of attention. A course tidy-up is usually done before the Men’s major competitions. Lady Captain said she will bring this to the attention of Captain Aidan.
Junior lessons have finished and competitions are in full swing now.
The Marketing committee are looking for more people to help out with the social media platforms. Ilona Madden, Rosemary Kavanagh and Lady Captain Clodagh were all congratulated on the fabulous jobs they are doing.
Catering is going well at the moment and notices have been put around the course asking players to ring in their orders.
One Club Model Pilot: Golf Ireland is looking for 25 clubs to take part in a One Club Model Pilot programme. Wicklow GC has applied for this but may not take part if accepted. In this model Clubs will have Ladies and Men’s Sub-Committees, there will only be one Club AGM, one Handicap Secretary, one Competitions Secretary, etc. A discussion was held and many felt that our Ladies Club is a very active, friendly section and we don’t want to lose our identity within the general Club. The general feeling with the Ladies committee is that we should leave it to other clubs to take part in the programme, let them make the mistakes and we can learn from them. There are still many problems with Golf Ireland and the transition from ILGU and GUI. Communication from Golf Ireland on queries are taking up to 9 weeks presently.
June 2021 Web Notes
Condolences were extended to the family and friends of Mary Kennedy and Gaye McGettigan on their recent deaths.
Draws took place to determine the entrants for this year’s Australian Spoons and 9-hole Mixed competition. Five pairs entered the Australian Spoons draw and only two pairs entered the 9-hole draw.
Golf Ireland directed that the Ladies Committee decide on the entrants for the Silver and Bronze Medal competitions. The choice is to send 2019 winners or run Medal competitions in June & July and pick from these competitions. All agreed to send 2019 winners.
The Valerie Doyle competition takes place on the first day of the Lady Captain’s competition. As a result Wicklow GC will not enter the competition this year.
We will not enter the Granard Cup this year. The minimum entry fee for the club is €150 and it is unlikely that we would have enough entrants to cover the cost.
Timesheets are now open from 7am daily. Lady Captain asked for some of the new picnic benches to be moved away from the 5th tee boxes.
We will continue to use category draws for our major competitions as it worked well in the President’s Prize to Ladies. The entries will be divided into categories with a low, medium and high handicap player on each line.
The lady card checkers would prefer that the computer terminal continues to be used only by them due to COVID even though the men are allowing all men and juniors to use their terminal. The card checkers will continue to enter the scores for those ladies who don’t have/are unable to use the app. The average number of ladies playing in the weekend competition has risen to around 30 ladies.
Weekly competitions continue with a 9-hole competition on Mondays for SIG ladies, an 18-hole Open competition on Tuesdays, our usual 18-hole competition on Wednesdays as well as a 9-hole competition for SIG ladies and those who are unable to play 18-holes on the day. We also have our 18-hole weekend competition run over Saturday and Sunday.
The Junior section is now very busy. Lessons are continuing for 73 juniors with fortnightly lessons for each junior. Parents are helping out with each group.
The recent Little and Large competition was a great success with 44 juniors taking part. €84 was taken in on green fees for parents playing with their child. It was a great showcase for the course.
The Junior Captains drive-in took place on the same day as the Little and Large competition and was attended by the Ladies and Men’s Presidents and Captains.
There are 116 junior members presently with 3 more waiting for approval. 30 junior members are new this year.
Ilona Madden is working on setting up a schedule of sponsors for the social media pages. Ciaran Doyle has done up a spreadsheet with both men’s and ladies sponsors and this will be put up on the website.
Lady Captain said that kitchen will remain open on Wednesdays until 4pm. Ladies playing late in the afternoon can phone in an order and there are signs on the course to remind people to do this. There is not enough business in the later afternoon to keep the chef on any longer.
May 2021 Web Notes
Condolences were extended to the family and friends of Owen Malone and Maeve Flannery on their recent deaths.
At the last meeting the Committee were asked to think about the stipulation that three completed 18-hole competition cards are required to be eligible to win a Major competition. It was agreed that this will be reduced to two cards for the President’s Prize to the Ladies and for the Lady President’s Prize. It will remain at three cards for the Captain’s Prize to the Ladies and the Lady Captain’s Prize.
President Declan Long will hold his prize to the Ladies on Monday, 7th June, the first day that Major competitions are allowed. The draws for all major competitions will take place at least 10 days before the competition to allow unused lines to be released. The competition sub-committee will look at the entries for each draw and will divide them into three categories. The Best 36+ prize will now be the Best 31.4+ H.I.
We will try to schedule at least one Wednesday Open competition a month with the reserved slots for members only. The Tuesday competitions are all Opens.
Members can now play Casual Rounds for handicap purposes by pre-registering their intention to play. We are allowed charge an administration fee for this.
GOY will start this week and a text will go out to all to let them know.
This year only the Medal competitions from June and July will qualify for the Bronze and Silver medals. We will also run Medal competitions in August and September with the best three each month to qualify for the Lesley Hopkins Silver Salver playoff.
There are a two new Club sponsors this year – O’Dwyer’s Pharmacy and the EBS. Both will sponsor competitions from Tuesday to Sunday for men and ladies.
As the timesheets are going to be fairly full during the summer months Gerry Doyle recommends for the Mixed Matchplay competition that a qualifying competition is run some Saturday with the top 8 pairs qualifying for matchplay. All agreed with this.
The 6th green is now open and is being well received.
Juniors will have competitions on Mondays and Fridays once the schools close for the summer. Louise D’Arcy is putting together a lesson plan for them which is included in their membership fee.
The Marketing committee would like us to include a link to the Club website when we send texts/emails/WhatsApp messages. More traffic on the website will move Wicklow GC higher up on Google searches. Rosemary Kavanagh was congratulated on all the great work she does behind the scenes.
We are not sure yet when the Pink Day will be held this year. It is unlikely that we will be allowed a Saturday as the Club needs all income from competitions and societies. We hope to get a Monday early in September.
Clodagh, Ilona, Sinead Nolan, Caitriona Fogarty and Joan Morton are looking at the possibility of producing a cookbook as a fund raiser for the Club.