Warks AGM 2020 Mag

Report of the Board
to the AGM - 2020

SEPTEMBER 2018

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Warwickshire Golf - Building for the Future

This is the 2020 Report of the Board to the Annual General Meeting of Warwickshire Golf Union.
On the golf course, 2019 was a year that was so close to being perfect in Warwickshire. Out
of the 33 matches played across our teams, from Under-14’s through to Seniors, we lost only
nine matches, with five of those losses being by the smallest of margins.
For the statistically minded, this converts into a loss percentage of just 27% of our matches,
which would normally lead to a wealth of silverware. However, only our Under-16’s came out
on top of their league.
Off the golf course, our officers and volunteers continue to activate initiatives and work in an
effort to develop and improve both internal workings and how we can benefit our Clubs and
their members.
The following pages will give you a more detailed analysis of the past year, and what we are
looking to achieve in 2020 and beyond. Subjects that will be assessed include:
- County Men
- County Boys
- NEW County Junior Order of Merit
- County Senior Men
- Regional, National & International Events
- Coaching
- 2019 Trophy Winners
- Accounts, County Membership Scheme, Sponsorship & County Card
- Course Assessments & Handicapping Committee
- Communications & Club Support Officers
- England Golf & Midlands Golf
- Warwickshire Golf Awards
- Summary

2 2020 - Report of the Board to the AGM

County Men

Warwickshire’s Men began the year with a change at the helm as Karl Smith (Handsworth) took
control of the County first team.

The side kick-started the defence of their league title in fantastic style by winning their first
three matches, before falling to Derbyshire at an away venue well known by the opposition.
Another strong performance came in the Midland County Championship as they grabbed third.

Our second team, Captained by Chris Brown (Copsewood Grange), could not have done much
more in their attempt to lift the silverware as they started with four victories out of four matches.

With only Worcestershire to
play, it became a ‘winner takes
all’ match as our opponents had
also enjoyed a perfect start to
their campaign.

Incredibly this match resulted
in a draw meaning countback
was then needed to decide the
League title.

Unfortunately Worcestershire
claimed the glory by the smallest
possible margin - just half a point
- over five matches!

So, no trophy to show for their
efforts, but it was still a great
performance to go throughout a
full season without losing.

At the AGM, it is time for Chris Brown to step down after two enjoyable years in office, where the
building blocks for success are set for incoming Captain Chris Staite (Robin Hood).

As well as our team successes, we pride ourselves on the support we try and give our teams both
on match and tournament days and in their development as players.

Throughout 2019 we were again able to give support at every match or tournament where we had
a team or players representing our County.

We find this is well received by our players, it is the envy of our peers and we hope to continue in
the same way into the future.

Warwickshire Men - 2019 Results

Team Competition Opponent 1st Team 2nd Team
Midlands Men's League Shropshire & Herefordshire Won 8-7 Won 12½-2½
Midlands Men's League Won 8-7 Won 8½-6½
Midlands Men's League Staffordshire Won 10-5
Nottinghamshire Won 8-7

Midlands Men's League Derbyshire Lost 4½-10½ Won 9-6
Midlands Men's League Worcestershire Won 11-4 Drew 7½-7½
Midlands Men's League - Overall Runners-up Runners-up
- Lost 7-8
Friendly Northamptonshire Won 8-7 Drew 6-6
Friendly Leicestershire & Rutland 3rd Lost 5-10
Midland Men's County Championship All Midlands Counties
-

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County Boys

Warwickshire’s Junior teams enjoyed significantly better results than in recent seasons, with our
Boys Under-18’s team finishing runners-up in their League as well as heading the field at the
halfway stage of the Midland County Championship, before eventually finishing third.

Our Under-16’s team (pictured) became Midland League Champions and led the Midland County
Cup right down to the wire only to be pipped at the post by Derbyshire. The Under-14’s team
maintained an even keel by winning one and losing one match during the year.

All players tried their hardest no matter what, they work together as a team and they are proud to
wear the County shirt, which is something that we, as a County, are especially proud of.

This positive attitude is down to many factors but our Head of Boys Golf, Richard Clark, along
with our Team Managers should take credit in bringing the Boys together and remaining positive.

Our Managers are also ably assisted by enthusiastic Assistant Managers Chris Watson (U18’s)
and Richard McInnes (U16’s) strengthening our level of support for the Boys teams even more.

Warwickshire Boys - 2019 Results

Team Competition Opponent U18’s U16’s U14's
Midlands Boys League -
Midlands Boys League Nottinghamshire Won 14-3 - -
Midlands Boys League -
Midlands Boys League Worcestershire Won 9-6 Won 11½-3½
Midlands Boys League Won 4-1
Midlands Boys League Derbyshire Lost 6½-8½ Drew 7½-7½ Lost 1-4
Midlands Boys League - Overall
Midland Boys County C’ship Staffordshire Won 9½-5½ Won 9-6 -
Midland U16’s County Cup -
Shrops & Herefordshire Lost 7-8 Won 9-6 8th
-
Leicestershire & Rutland - Won 11-4

- Runners-up Winners

All Midlands Counties 3rd -

All Midlands Counties - Runners-up

NEW Junior Order of Merit

Adding another string to our bow in our attempt to discover new talented players is sports journalist
Steve Jackson who has been brought in to deliver a new Junior Order of Merit for 2020.

Using a selection of Club Junior Opens, the series includes gross and net competitions over 18
and nine holes, with the leading boys and girls progressing into the Grand Final at Moor Hall.

This Order of Merit will encourage boys and girls to support your Junior Opens and increase
participation, whilst hopefully identifying more talented youngsters to play for this County.

4 2020 - Report of the Board to the AGM

County Senior Men

Warwickshire’s Senior team had another good season in 2019 under the Captaincy of Mark Reynolds,
who steps down from the role at the AGM, with Rob Soen (Walmley) set to take over the reins.

Their total of three wins from four League games was matched by Worcestershire and Staffordshire
and, just like the County Men’s second team this year, Warwickshire missed out again on points
difference as Staffordshire took the title, before going on to win the League play-off.

The Warwickshire team also recorded a fifth place finish in the Midland County Championship
where they found themselves 13 shots back from eventual winners and favourites Lincolnshire.
This may sound a lot, but it is less than one and a half shots per player per round, which is very little
in this format of competition.

We appreciate Mark would have been disappointed with these results, but we know that our team
has a great camaraderie and will to win. Rob will be hoping for bigger and better things next year.

Well done again to all the players and officials that make the Warwickshire County teams what they
are, and good luck to them all for 2020!

Warwickshire Senior Men - 2019 Results

Team Competition Opponent Result
Won 11½-6½
West Midlands Senior League Shropshire & Herefordshire Won 10-8
Lost 6½-11½
West Midlands Senior League Staffordshire Won 9½-8½
Tied Runners-up
West Midlands Senior League Worcestershire Lost 8-10
Lost 8-10
West Midlands Senior League Derbyshire Won 9½-8½
5th
West Midlands Senior League Overall

Friendly Leicestershire & Rutland

Friendly Northamptonshire

Friendly Nottinghamshire

Midland Seniors County Championship All Midlands Counties

As well as the fantastic performances we see within the County, it is always
great to remember the achievements of our players in Regional,
National and International events. This year is no exception
where the following achievements were made;

Max Martin (Harborne) and Sam Broadhurst (Atherstone)
- England Men’s A Squad Member.

Seb Cave (The Belfry) and Sam Easterbrook (Wishaw)
- England Regional Squad Member.

Rhys Wallace (Handsworth), pictured - Qualified for Justin
Rose Telegraph Junior Golf Finals.

Liam Phipps (Olton) - Won Lagonda Trophy and Brabazon Trophy
Qualifier.

Joe Macilwraith (Olton) - Won Midland Open Amateur Championship
and also reached the final rounds of European Tour Q School in Spain.

Lewis Phillips (Coventry) - Crowned Army Strokeplay Champion and named
Army Player of the Year. He also won the Howitt Bowl and Finham Bowl.

Ryan Gavin (Coventry) - Numerous victories on British Junior Golf Tour,
including qualifying for 2020 IMG World Junior Championships in USA.

Tim Cooley (Ladbrook Park) - Represented Midland Senior team.

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Coaching

County coaching continues to evolve and be an important and intrinsic
part of Warwickshire Golf Union’s long-term aim.

As has been mentioned before, Stuart Bloxham (Coventry Hearsall)
has moved into the role of Head of Player Development.

Stuart, pictured with WUGC Men’s Order of Merit runners-up
prize at the 2019 Warwickshire Golf Awards, has begun to
set up coaches and structures to deliver a first-class coaching

programme across the Men’s teams, with Richard Clark
providing valuable assistance with the Boys.

We thank our Lead Coach Alistair Davies (Forest of Arden)
for the work he has put in over the last few years.

He has now stepped down from his role to be replaced
by well-known Warwickshire player and professional,
Tom Whitehouse.

Alistair headed up the coaching team of Stuart Bottrill
(Shirley), Mark Dulson (The Warwickshire), Andy Dunbar
(Stratford Oaks), Aaron Lansberry (Hatchford Brook) and
Chris Ryan (The Belfry).

The programme centred around the short game and on
course strategy for our Under-18’s and Under-16’s squads,
while the Under-14’s Boys benefitted from looking at all aspects of the approach to competitive golf.

We did not have a defined ‘futures’ group to coach in 2019 but, as mentioned earlier, plans have
been put in place to identify the next generation of players for ‘Team Warwickshire’, via the Junior
Order of Merit along with a Warwickshire Wonders event for the Under-12’s.

The Boys coaching sessions were part-funded by England Golf, the Warwickshire Golf Union and
contributions from all the attendees.

Men’s coaching continued to focus a lot on wedge play and short game control, with gap testing and
trackman data.

All of this activity was backed up by statistics, inputted by the player using the Shot2Hole software,
which should help the player and coaches build a clear picture about their strengths and weaknesses.

Many of our Championships in 2019 provided some winners with their first
County title, with a few familiar faces also adding to their impressive haul.

Notable first time Champions were Joe Macilwraith (Olton) in the Amateur
Championship at Ladbrook Park and the T.P. Cooke Salver, Chris Laird
(The Warwickshire) in the Open at Olton, Tim Cooley (Ladbrook Park) in
the Seniors Championship at Leamington and County and Luke Northwood
(Kenilworth) in the Champion of Champions event at the Forest of Arden.

Liam Phipps (Olton), Rocco Luca (Coventry) and Andrew Carman (Coventry)
added their names to the matchplay trophies once again.

Seb Cave, pictured (The Belfry) won both the Under-16’s and Under-18’s
Championships in fine style at Copt Heath. Oliver Clark (The Warwickshire)

also continued his rise up the golfing ladder by adding the Under-14’s
Championship to his Under-12’s title in 2017.

As well as the level of play, the condition of the courses was fantastic, so
a big thank you to the effort our host Clubs made to prepare their venues
for these important events in our calendar and for the welcome received.

6 2020 - Report of the Board to the AGM

Warwickshire - 2019 Competition Winners

Tournament - Trophy Champion

County Championship - Carl Bretherton Vase Joe Macilwraith (Olton)

Matchplay Championship - T.P. Cooke Cup Liam Phipps (Olton)

Open Championship - W.F. Wiseman Challenge Cup Chris Laird (The Warwickshire)

Leading Professional Michael Bayliss (Copt Heath)

Best Aggregate Amateur & Open - T.P. Cooke Salver Joe Macilwraith (Olton)

Seniors Championship - George Stubbings Salver Tim Cooley (Ladbrook Park)

Seniors Age 55-59 Championship - Directors Cup David Mason (Moor Hall)

Seniors Age 60-64 Championship - Jim Dean Cup Stephen Reynolds (Maxstoke Park)

Seniors Age 65-69 Championship - Carl Bretherton Salver Andrew Carman (Coventry)

Seniors Age 70+ Championship - Cyril Jewsbury Salver Roger Sutherland (Leamington & County)

Seniors Net Championship - Bill Dudley Evans Salver Adrian Cashmore (The Warwickshire)

Seniors Matchplay Championship - John Whitworth Cup Andrew Carman (Coventry)

Dick Squires Cup Tim Cooley (Ladbrook Park)

County Winter Foursomes 2018-19 - Warwickshire Cup Maxstoke Park

County Summer Foursomes - Bainbridge Shield Olton (Liam Phipps & Michael Pell)

County Team Championship Olton

Champion of Champions Luke Northwood (Kenilworth)

County Junior Champion Club Representatives Ladbrook Park

Boys Championship - Carl Bretherton Cup Seb Cave (The Belfry)

Boys Match Play Championship - R.G. Ferry Cup Rocco Luca (Coventry)

Boys Under-16’s Championship Seb Cave (The Belfry)

Boys Under-14’s Championship Oliver Clark (The Warwickshire)

Boys Under-12’s Championship Callum Lee, pictured (Maxstoke Park)

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Financial Accounts
The accounts for the year show a surplus to the general fund of £1,455 including the CMS events as
below. WUGC affiliation fees were held static again at £8.75 per member including a County Card.
A full explanation of the accounts will be given at the AGM by Treasurer, Robin Brennan (The Henley).
County Membership Scheme
This scheme continues to be very popular with our Members,
under the guidance of Phil Croft and Denise Croft (Rugby).
The husband and wife, pictured, were presented with a trophy
at the recent Warwickshire Golf Awards in recognition for all
their hard work and dedication to the scheme over the years.
The Vice Presidents Bowl, played at Rugby, was won by home
members George Reid and Rodney Webb, while Murray Sim
and Jamie Ataria (Pype Hayes) claimed the Jack Urry Cup,
which was played at Shirley in the Autumn.
The Warwickshire Net Championship was hotly contested
this year at Harborne. With four players returning the leading
score of 37 points, Paul Stallard from Stratford Oaks became
Champion after a card countback.
The popular Knockout Matchplay event also ran throughout the Winter months for those that qualified.
After running these events for our Club golfers, the scheme returned a net deficit of £610. This is
partly due to the decision to increase the level funding given to the Clubs that host these events.
For 2020, the pairs events will be held at Pype Hayes and Stratford Oaks, with the Net Championship
heading to Ladbrook Park in July.
Sponsorship
Our shirt sponsor ‘Infrasys’ continued its support in 2019 for which we thank Company Director Stuart
Bloxham, who is also our Head of Player Development.
The County Card
This continues to be a popular benefit for our members with over 1,400 clubs across England
participating in the scheme. Full details about all the rules can be found on the WUGC website.

8 2020 - Report of the Board to the AGM

Course Assessments & Handicapping Committee

The joint-committee between the Warwickshire Union and Association, led by Ernie Stene
(Kenilworth), have continued their fantastic work to complete their mission of rating each course and
every set of tees in the County.

This enables Warwickshire to be ready for the new World Handicap System (WHS) which is
scheduled for arrival in November 2020.

It is an onerous task at best and we are very thankful and lucky that we have Ernie and his team in
place to be able to complete this to the benefit of every golfer in Warwickshire.

As well as Course ratings, this Committee also deals with any Handicapping issues at Club level, with
Claire Barker (Copt Heath) and Matt Nixon being County Handicap advisors.

In readiness for the WHS in November, this Committee ran four workshops around the County for all
Handicap and Competition Chairmen and Chairwomen to deliver all the content and knowledge that
they needed at Club level to make the change as easy as possible.

Communications

The County website continues to evolve with nearly all Championship entries now being received
on-line, while accessing the regular County news updates is an easy process.

Twitter continues to be an effective method of communication for us, with our following increasing to
920. These tweets give us an easy way to share news immediately with our followers.

Some tweets reached over 5,000 people, so we will continue to use it for updates, match news and
live reporting, plus video broadcasting.

We have also set up a twitter handle specifically for Junior Golf which is @WarksJnrGolf to run
alongside our main twitter feed of @WarksGolfUnion.

In 2020, we also have plans to extend our communications to our Clubs by providing regular
newsletters and also adding your Club news onto our website.

Warwickshire Club Support Officers

Warwickshire’s Club Support Officer (CSO) is Ciara Kelly, who also looks after Worcestershire and
is currently covering maternity leave.

She has been busy visiting and assisting Clubs in the County, delivering numerous initiatives and
offering bespoke support.

Examples of the support offered varies greatly from recruitment and retention plans, market
segmentation tools, safeguarding and child protection, funding opportunities and governance.

Warwickshire Union and Warwickshire Ladies Association representatives aim to work with Ciara
in assisting our Clubs wherever possible, along with holding regular meetings with England Golf
Partnership Manager for the region, Gavin Anderson.

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England Golf & Midland Golf Union
In March 2019, England Golf held their annual awards where Warwickshire were strongly
represented once again, and in particular in the ‘Coach of the Year’ category as The Belfry’s Phil
Akers and Hatchford Brook’s (and County Boys coach) Aaron Lansberry were both nominated for
the top award.
For anyone from Warwickshire to be shortlisted at this prestigious event is fantastic, but to win is
even better, so our congratulations to Aaron, who was crowned with the title ‘Coach of the Year’.
We are pleased to have secured both Aaron, pictured below centre receiving his award from BBC
presenter Dan Walker and PGA Chief Executive Robert Maxfield, and Phil to deliver our new
Futures coaching sessions for under-12’s.
Throughout the year, the effort and enthusiasm shown by staff and volunteers of England Golf
remains unwavering.
In some respects, it has been a difficult year for the organisation with changes to the management
structure and numerous discussions on the quest to select the best way forward in the delicate
matter of engaging with the independent golfer.
At the start of 2019, the new rules of golf were seamlessly launched with both England Golf and
Warwickshire running workshops and referee examinations to ensure our Clubs, members and
volunteers were able to continue effectively under the new guidelines.
A full report and an update on England Golf and the Midland Golf Union will be given by our Voting
Member, John Duncombe at the Annual General Meeting.
The Midland Golf Union continue to represent the views of the ten Midland counties to a wide
audience. Our own Stuart Bloxham’s appointment as Midland Union Captain shows how well
respected he is throughout the region.
Warwickshire had a fantastic turn-out of players for the Midland annual team match against the
South West at Ross-on-Wye with Sam Broadhurst (Atherstone), Joe Macilwraith (Olton), Liam
Phipps (Olton) and Lewis Phillips (Coventry) representing the region.
Unfortunately the weather conditions meant the singles games were cancelled as the Midland team
beat the South West 3-2, thanks to their success in the morning foursomes.

10 2020 - Report of the Board to the AGM

Warwickshire Golf Awards 2019

The Awards Night took place in Stratford-upon-Avon at the Crowne Plaza in November 2019 with a
record number attending from across the County.

All our finalists and award winners were
received very warmly onto the stage along with
recognition for our own County Officials.

Warwickshire Ladies County Golf Association
marked the achievements and dedication of
Elizabeth Earnshaw (Ladbrook Park) and, as
already mentioned, Phil Croft and Denise Croft
were honoured for their work on the County
Membership Scheme.

The Award winners were as follows;
Secretary / Manager - Aneil Chauhan
(Stonebridge).
Greenkeeper - Jason Cooper (Leamington &
County).
Golf Professional - Cameron Clark (Moor Hall)
Junior Organiser - Eileen Sadler (Coventry),
pictured.
Unsung Hero - Jane Colley (Ladbrook Park).

Our plans for the future of the Warwickshire Golf Awards will be revealed in the next few months.

Support

The backbone of County Golf are the Clubs and of course the Volunteers. Quite simply, it would
not be possible to carry out the duties of the Warwickshire Golf Union without the help and support
received from all these stakeholder groups.

To see the level of commitment given by our Committee members, Captains and Team Managers
is humbling and the successes achieved across all the activities is a result of this hard work and
commitment.

A huge amount of thanks must also go to our Clubs for continuing to provide the arenas where all
the tournaments and matches take place.

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Summary 2019
The Warwickshire Union of Golf Clubs Limited has had another impressive year and has been ably
led by our Chairman, Robert Harrison (Copt Heath), in a most professional manner with his sharp
focus on the present and future by adopting a mantra that seeks continual improvement across all
of the County’s operations.
Our President, Graham Barton (Robin Hood) has had
a busy, but highly enjoyable, term in office. Graham
and his wife Lynn have been a regular sight at the
vast majority of our County fixtures, matches
and Championships. The Captains and
Players have greatly appreciated the
enthusiasm and encouragement they
have brought to these events.
The County is very fortunate to have a Board of
Directors that are so active and driven to provide
the best results for its Clubs and their members.
The Board of Directors are;
Treasurer - Robin Brennan.
Team Management and Player
Development Committee Chairman -
Neville Gardner.
England Golf Voting Member - John
Duncombe.
Operations Director - Matt Nixon,
pictured.

12 2020 - Report of the Board to the AGM