1. English Women’s Golf Association – Sue Milner Yorkshire County Regional Representative

Our first North Region meeting was held at Leeds Golf Club as our usual venue Bewleys Hotel, had not been booked by the office.  All agreed this was a more favourable location; the extra expense of taxis from Leeds Station was compensated for by the cost of using Leeds Golf Club ladies room and catering facilities at a more favourable expense.
Carol Slater our new Chairman welcomed us to the meeting and gave a report from the Operational Board.
EWGA AGM - The members of the board thought that they had learnt their lessons from the 2009 AGM and had carried out much more homework before the meeting. There were no questions from the floor, but they still felt the same level of preparation should be carried out at all times.  Unfortunately due to the inclement weather conditions very few Ladies were present, nevertheless all resolutions were passed.
Affiliation Fees - It had been decided that in future the unpaid fees would be chased by the EWGA office.  The Operational board decided that the EWGA Office would send the Regional Chairman, on a monthly basis, a list of Clubs in her area which had not paid their subscriptions.  A list of outstanding fees as at the end of March had been distributed to Regional Representatives but the office was to continue to chase the payment.
A question was raised regarding if players should be allowed to play in County/ EWGA competitions if their Club had not paid Affiliation Fees.  It was thought if the member had paid her club subscription, they had paid their affiliation fee.  It was the club/clubs, who were guilty of not passing the money on to governing bodies. This was to be discussed.
Finance Report - A new accountant for EWGA has been appointed. At the present time EWGA are currently forecasting a small profit of £640 for the year against a budgeted loss of £8388
Regional Matters – The Ring Fenced Pot, which is the fund that each club contributes £15 to, is an increasing fund, as at 22/03/2010 it stood at £26504.  It was therefore suggested that consideration should be given to its use.  It was decided that in future Counties reaching the County Finals would receive an extra £1K making a total of £2000 to go towards their Teams expenses.
There was also a profit and loss handout, which showed the differences in Counties, with the running of their regional competitions.  The Regional Committee stressed that we must make sure that the correct amount of expenditure is claimed.  All CRR’s felt they wished to make their own event profitable, but circumstances sometimes meant they were not.  Courtesy accommodation was not always available and also the popularity of the venues made a great difference to numbers playing.  Yorkshire is a bigger geographical area than other Counties and we incur more mileage expenditure when organising Regional Competitions.
At present each region is allocated £1200 to arrange County Match Week (CMW).  It was said to be important that the Counties arranging this event, give careful consideration to the host clubs selected, so they had the facilities required, so as not to overspend.
EWGA Trust – There is very little money to distribute and the Counties are asked to communicate with their clubs to encourage them to support the Trust Stableford competition.  The remit of the Trust is to be redefined and in future, those helped would be in education without financial means.

The  EWGA Trust 2011 diaries will be ready for distribution during the summer.

LGU - The LGU hoped to become self financing by 2020 at the latest, but was on track to achieve this by 2014.  At this point the £2.50 levy would no longer be payable.  The LGU were asking for a deputy delegate to serve for 8 years.  This term of office was considered to be far too long and the LGU Councillor, Jenny Clink was asked to discuss this with the LGU and come back with a more sensible length of time.

Course rating – there is an ongoing cost involved which will need to be included in EWGA’s budgets.  Courses are rated on a 10yr cycle outside of this there may have to be a charge.

The Ricoh Open Venues are:  2011 – Carnoustie;  2012 – Royal Liverpool;  2013 – Old Course St Andrews.

Merger – I have been asked to represent the Northern Region on the Counties Sub Committee.  This Committee is focusing on the differences in the County Structure between the EGU and EWGA.  The EWGA have 6 Regions and 35 Counties - the EGU have 36 Counties and a balance needs to be struck.  It is also hoping to provide a template for Counties to use in merger. 

All CRR’s were asked to a meeting in Birmingham for the 5 point plan to be explained to them by Sue Whittaker, regarding the proposed merger between the EGU and EWGA.

• A single National governing Body for Amateur Golf in England will come into existence under a new name, currently being finalised. This means EWGA would join EGU under a modified structure.  EGU Ltd would be expanded to incorporate the activities and assets of both existing companies with a new management structure reflected in a revised Memorandum and Articles of Association.  A trading name, yet to be finalised, would be adopted with the single company being styled "X" is the trading name of EGU Ltd incorporated with the EWGA.

• The Headquarters for the new body would initially be at the National golf Centre at Woodhall Spa, with the current offices of the English Women’s Golf Association in Birmingham, remaining in operation for members and staff of the new organisation, until at least the break clause in the current lease contract in October 2012.  After this the new Board would review the accommodation needs of the organisation.

• The Board of the single organisation will develop the strategy for the new body.

• The EGU/EWGA Steering Group would appoint staff needed to deliver that strategy where possible from existing members of staff from both organisations.

• The new body will have one main Board with Executive and Non-Executive Directors. While the final composition and role of this board will be decided by the group looking at the structure, voting and governance issues, it will initially have a Non-executive gender balance of 6/4 men to women. The main committees will have at least two men and two women members.                                                                     

At the moment all the Sub Committees are working hard to resolve the tasks that have been given to them.  They have to have these resolved by end of April, when it is hoped their work will help to shape the final proposal for a potential merger.  This is expected to be published at the end of July.  It is hoped that Road shows will start by the end of the year to explain the proposals and give an opportunity for both organisations to ask questions.  If this all goes to plan a simultaneous EGM is hoped to take place for members to vote.

2.        HANDICAPS – Ruth Goodwin, County Handicap Adviser
Central Database of Handicaps
I expect that most Clubs will have signed up to the CDH by now, using the information I sent out to Handicap Secretaries in February.   If not, please could you encourage your Club to do so.   If your Club needs the information sending again, just drop me an e mail.    Some clubs have experienced a ‘glitch’ in the system – please contact the EGU if this occurs. 
Distance Measuring Devices
As you will know, the EWGA has allowed the use of Distance Measuring Devices in Competitions when not to do so would create problems for the organising Committee; namely when men and ladies are competing together, and it could not be proved the a lady had or had not used information from a man’s DMD.   If the Committee decides that their use is unavoidable, their use will only be allowed if a Local Rule is in place (see the sample at the end of the R & A Rule Book); and the only competitions allowed for their use will be at Club level.   DMDs will not be allowed for any YLCGA competition, even at Club level.    They will not be allowed at any competition run by the EWGA or YLCGA beyond Club level.   Their use is not allowed for interclub matches, and the penalty for using them will be the loss of the match concerned.   The question has arisen as to whether a trolley with an integral DMD could be used.  The R & A has ruled that such a trolley is primarily a trolley, and as such may be used.   However, the attached DMD may not be used (except under local rule), and must be kept switched off at all times.   It is recommended that the screen be taped over to protect the player and Committee from allegations of misuse.
Active/Inactive Handicaps
I think that everyone is now up to speed with the situation re active handicaps.   However, just to reiterate, those with inactive handicaps should be encouraged to return 3 qualifying scores in order to regain their ‘active’ handicap.   This may be in either a 18 or 9 hole competition, or by returning supplementary scores.   Competitors may, of course, not win a prize in competitions until their handicap has become active again.   I believe that the EWGA will be asking Clubs if they feel that 3 qualifying scores is sufficient to maintain an ‘active’ handicap, or if it is felt that more scores should need to be returned.   This is something you should be discussing with your Committees.
Supplementary Scores
The problem which had been encountered when entering supplementary scores into the computer has now been resolved.   Up to 10 supplementary scores may be returned by players who have returned less than 6 qualifying scores in the previous year, in order that the player may hold a handicap which reflects their current playing ability.   Only one supplementary score may be returned per week, and the book for signing in should be readily available.    Please encourage your players to do these, and to enter 9 hole competitions if time or physical fitness does not allow completion of 18 holes.   The EWGA have announced that clubs may now apply for a second 9 hole standard scratch. 
‘Housekeeping’
Please ensure a copy of the Handicap Appeals procedure is displayed on your ladies’ notice board. 
A copy of the DVD published by the R & A is available for me to show to clubs, or may be purchased from the R & A website.   Copies of ‘Decisions on the Rules of Golf’ are now substantially cheaper on ‘Amazon’, should you need one for your locker rooms (or bedtime reading!).
QUESTIONS
Q.      Can an individual look online for their handicap using the CDH?  
A.       Yes, this is one of the important points of the system.  By going onto the Golf Central website, individuals can check their handicap by putting in their own ID number (this will be displayed on their handicap certificate).   The handicaps are updated immediately after a competition.  If the CDH number is not being displayed on the handicap certificate, it can be obtained by entering the player’s maintenance record on the computer and pressing ‘shift and S’.
Q.      Does a player need to put in 3 cards for handicap if their handicap has ‘lapsed’?  
A.       Handicaps do not ‘lapse’ in England (CONGU Clause 25 does not apply except in Scotland) unless a player ceases to become a member of an affiliated golf club.  If they join another club within 6 months of leaving, their handicap is automatically reinstated.   If they join in club after that time, they will have to put in 3 cards for handicap in the usual way (see CONGU Clause 16).

Q.      Do players whose handicaps have become ‘inactive’ through illness need to put in 3 cards for their handicap to become ‘active’ again?  
A.       No.   By going into the player maintenance record and clicking on amend it is possible to make the handicap of those who have been out of golf, even for a full year, ‘active’ again.

Q.      Is it fair that players who play qualifying competitions in small numbers (say, at the weekend) do not go up ‘point 1’ as their CSS is often ‘reduction only’? 
A.       It is the duty of the Handicap Committee to assess the handicaps of those who can only play in such competitions to assess, and alter if necessary, the individual’s handicap on a regular basis and particularly at Annual Review.

Q.      Why don’t the YLCGA hold handicap seminars?  
A.       The YLCGA holds handicap seminars as part of the ‘Secretaries Meeting’ held biannually in February, or more often if necessary. The next meeting will be in February 2011.

Q.      Why do the scores from 9 hole qualifying competitions come up as only the score for 9 holes on ‘How Did I Do?’?   
A.       There should be no reason for this to happen if the competition has been set up correctly on the computer.   For a 9 hole qualifying course to be set up correctly, the 9 hole course must be entered as a separate course on the computer with the stroke indexes rationalised to reflect the difficulty of the 9 holes being played.   The scores must then be ‘rationalised’ when closing down the competition.   If this has been done correctly, the problem must be with the software of ‘How Did I Do?’.

3. YLCGA Website  - Carole Waights Executive Member with Responsibility for the Website

It is almost 12 months since I took over the administration of the website.  Most of which I have spent keeping track of things and trying to ensure that information is available in a timely fashion, however during the winter I started to review the website and look for ways of improving it – one of the things you will have noticed is that in most cases 2008 and 2009 have been “archived”  - the information is still available, but now only 2010 is immediately visible on the main pages.
As I have just said I started to look at ways to improve the site.
As a user of websites - I find the 2 most important things – are, that the website is:
Up to date
Relevant
Regarding being up to date – we try very hard to bring you the most up to date information on various items
e.g.   The current situation regarding Central Handicapping
New Rules on the use buggies
Entry forms for Yorkshire 2010 events
Up to the minute start sheets for Junior and Adult events
Results on Yorkshire Events
And results of some of Yorkshire’s leading players in National and international events
As well as the information you require to do your job as EWGA Reps – agendas, minutes etc.
When we look at the relevance of the information on the website, that becomes a little more tricky – what one person is interested in someone else has no interest at all.
The site was originally set up it to give the ladies and girls of Yorkshire information covering the broad spectrum of golf within the County.  The main section headings on the Home page reflect this breadth – Officials of the Executive (for information); Delegate Information; Competitions;  County Teams;  Juniors;  Links – this now includes the latest link to the YVLGA.
What is important is that the website keeps evolving and brings you as both delegates and Yorkshire golfers what you want – the site has been up and running now for 3 years and with this in mind I have prepared a short questionnaire which you will find on the website – under “Membership” – “Delegate Information” – 1st Item headed “Website Questionnaire” – if you would kindly fill it in and return it to us, you can help us to give you the information you would like – please ask other ladies within your club to answer the questionnaire as well.

4.  Administration – YLCGA Hon Secretary Dawn Clegg
I would just like to start with some reminders.

Would you please draw the following to the attention of your Committee:-

NOMINATIONS for the Executive Committee in the areas North West, East and South must be received by the Secretary not later than the 28 September 2010.  These must be proposed and seconded by two Associated Clubs.
RESOLUTIONS to be brought to the AGM must be received by the Secretary not later than 28 September 2010.  These must be proposed and seconded by two Associated Clubs.

AGM Voting Pass
I would like to clarify that whomever your Ladies Committee nominates to vote on their Ladies Section behalf in the absence of yourselves as Club Delegate or the Ladies Secretary should be given the green voting pass (this is sent out with all the notices for the AGM). This mailing also contains the YLCGA subscription form for the following year and the yellow club contacts form.
As I reported at the YLCGA AGM
The County Card was introduced at the beginning of 2009 and we were pleased to be invited to join this venture with the Yorkshire Union of Golf Clubs. The YLCGA benefits financially from any lady having a county card and we recently received £650 from the Yorkshire Union Golf Clubs so could we ask you to promote this scheme within your Club Ladies’ Section. Just to reiterate this year the County Card has been rolled out to the other counties within the Northern region Cheshire Lancashire Cumbria Durham and Northumberland.  This scheme is well worth a consideration when planning holidays and golfing days out giving you the benefit of reduced green fees. Further details including a list of which clubs have registered and how to apply for a card are available from your Club Secretary or Manager.
The Bulletin is issued three times a year in February, June and October and we are delighted that more and more clubs are contributing items for inclusion.  Please send any news either to Rosie Fry at rosie@randrfry.plus.com or myself. 
Could I also remind those clubs who have not returned the Interclub Team Questionnaire regarding the number of players in the league teams.  This form and any comments that Clubs would like to make should be returned by 31st July. The Interclub Secretaries have received several calls from Clubs saying they are unable to field a full team I would like to draw your attention to clause 4 on page 16 - 2nd Paragraph “The Executive will refuse entry to a club that has not been able to raise a full team for any match during the previous year, unless there are exceptional circumstances arising on the day of the match in question”.
I have been asked if Club Delegates would check with their Lady Captain that all Interclub Team Captains should have a copy of the Regulations for the Interclub Team Championships which are pages 16, 17 and 18 in the YLCGA 2010 Year book/handbook

INTERCLUB TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP B TEAM HANDICAP LIMIT 
I have also been asked to clarify that the change to the upper limit handicap from 36 to 30 BUT allow players with higher handicaps to play off 30 does not come in to effect till the 2011 playing season.

Questions and Answers
Q.        Is the Report of the 2009 AGM on the website
A.        No as the Minutes of the AGM have not been approved

Q.      How long does it take for the report of the Delegates Meeting to go on the YLCGA website
A.       We try to get a report on the website within 2 weeks.

Q.      Do we have to have 4 meetings a year?
A.        The County Association shall organise up to four Club Delegates Meetings per calendar year, one of which may be an Annual Meeting.
Q.      Are other clubs experiencing difficulty in recruiting into the EWGA Club Delegates position? As information is available on the websites is it necessary to have the delegates meeting
A.        It was suggested that it does not have to be a lady on the Ladies Committee. It could be shared between 3 ladies etc taking it in turns to attend a meeting. Another Club stated that this role has been taken on by the Immediate Past Lady Captain each year. Several Delegates felt interaction with other Club’s point of view was invaluable. It was a two way process of sharing information
Q.      How many Clubs have equal membership?
A.       Show of hands indicated 15 out of 74 Delegates present – Varying degrees of equality one club had ladies fees capped at 95%.  Another Delegate said there had been no negotiation and stated it was important to be involved in Clubs negotiations on equality. 

Point of note no further information or guidelines have been received to date very complex subject further amendments to bill are expected Please see EWGA Website Hot topics Equality Bill- Your questions answered.

Alison Nicholas Pro -Am
The Captain explained that it was 20 years ago since the Alison Nicholas Fund was set up and with this in mind it had been decided to hold The Alison Nicholas Fund Pro -AM, to give the fund a boost. This one off  prestigious event is to be held at Huddersfield Golf Club on Monday October 25th ,further details and  entry form can be found on the home page of the YLCGA Website under Important Notice. The Alison Nicholas Fund was started in 1991 with a generous gift from Alison and is now entirely dependant upon donations from Golf Clubs' Ladies Section, societies and private individuals. The money is used to assist Yorkshire Girls and County Team members with coaching, equipment and entry fees to National and International Championships . Alison herself is in her second term as Captain of the Solheim Cup and we very much hope she will be with us on the day.

The Lady Captain, Liz Haw, thanked everyone for their participation and wished everyone a safe journey home and closed the meeting at 12.20 pm.