1. sports
2. golf

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A GENERAL MEETING OF THE COMPANY WILL TAKE
PLACE AT THE NATIONAL GOLF CENTRE, THE BROADWAY, WOODHALL SPA AT 9.30AM
ON WEDNESDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2014
AGENDA
1.
Apologies for absence.
2.
Proxy attendees.
3.
Minutes of the General Meeting held on 2 July 2014.
4.
Matters arising from the minutes not on the Agenda or covered in the written
reports.
5.
Report of the Chief Executive.
6.
Governance and Affiliation Process Review – Portas Presentation.
7.
Report of the Finance Director.
8.
Amendments to Articles of Association.
9.
Report of the Championship Committee.
10.
Report of the Performance Committee.
11.
Report of the Development Committee.
12.
Report of the Marketing Committee.
13.
Report of the Club Services Committee.
14.
Report of the Handicapping and Course Rating Committee.
15.
Any other business.
16.
Date and time of next meetings: AGM and General Meeting starting at 11.00 am
on Thursday 16 April 2015, Hinckley Island Hotel, Leicester.
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD
C A Wagstaff
Company Secretary
Item 5
General Meeting November 2014
TITLE OF THE REPORT:
REPORT OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE
REPORT PRESENTED BY:
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
1. Introduction
This report provides an update on key developments within England Golf between July
and November 2014 and outlines some of the future developments proposed over the
next 12 months.
2. Staffing update
Details of the changes to the staff structure were reported to the last meeting. Most
recruitment has now been completed and the recent appointments are presented below:
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Rod Findlay as Director of Planning and Governance
Laura Rushby as Head of Training and Education
Claire Coulman as Partnership Executive
Lauren Spray as Women and Girls Participation Officer
There are two vacancies currently being advertised;
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Vacancy in the Marketing and PR Department for a Membership Executive
Vacancy in the Championships Department for a Championships Manager
A revised staff structure diagram is attached as Appendix 1.
3. Committee appointments
Due to rotational retirement the following vacancies within committees are soon to be
advertised to all within membership of Golf Clubs in England.
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Handicapping & Course Rating Committee x 1
Championship Committee x 2
Performance Committee x 1
4. Board vacancies
Due to rotational retirement there will also be a need to recruit new Board Members who
will be elected at the General Meeting in April 2015. There will be at least one male and
one female vacancy. Confirmation of the number of vacancies and the nomination and
election process will be circulated by the end of November 2014.
5. Annual plan update
Good progress is being made in all areas of the Annual Plan 2014. This was reported at
the last meeting of the Board and a further report will be presented to the next meeting
on 3 December. As reported to the Board at the end of August, of the 57 agreed targets,
21 were rated green, 29 were amber and 7 were red. Achievements of note include;
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Aggregate score of 10 in the stroke play qualifying rounds in the European Team
Championships - Ladies 1st, Men 1st, Boys 4th, and Girls 4th. (Total 10th with a
target of better than 20th.)
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33 (100%) operational plans for CGPs reviewed and approved. CGP network
completed this year with the creation of CGPs in Lancashire and Yorkshire
Clubhouse launched and receiving good feedback. 1,324 clubs registered and
using the site
Play More Golf fund completed with 298 applications and 144 clubs receiving
grants totalling £150k
Equality and Disciplinary policies and procedures completed and approved
17 county golf partnerships involved in delivering disability golf programmes
Improved management accounts now provided monthly to all department heads
and being used effectively
Although the target was missed 83% (target 90%) of expected affiliation fees had
been received in June 2013 compared to 69% in June 2013. 90% were received
by the end of July 2014
Income from Championships for 2014 is £205,000 (target £200k) compared to
£190,000 in 2013
Entry levels across the 7 major women's championships increased to 86% from
baseline of 70% in 2013
Raising Our Game – national strategy completed and launched
Annual Report for 2013 completed and circulated
Staff restructure completed
Salary banding structure introduced
Those targets which are rated red and unlikely to be achieved in 2014 include;
Supporting CGPs to increase the number of Get into Golf centres (400 centres) delivering
opportunities to increase regular participation and membership.
337 Get into Golf centres in place. Unlikely to achieve 400 centres in 2014. This will not
impact on EGP funding as Whole Sport Plan target was 309 and 400 was a stretch
target.
200 courses USGA rated and promoting the use of multi tees/short courses within this
process.
79 courses (36 clubs) have been rated as of August 2014. Not going to achieve target of
200 clubs in 2014 but will be in excess of 100. Further planning required to ensure
capacity is in place and supported.
Manage and coordinate the 2014 collection of England Golf affiliation fees to have
received 90% of all due fees by the latest payment date of 30th June.
By 30 June 2014, 83% of expected fees received, an improvement on June 2013 (69%).
90% target was achieved by end of July 2014. Improvements to be considered as part of
a wider affiliation review process.
Develop a database which is fit for purpose within England Golf.
Consultation with departments complete. Results and recommendations yet to be
reported. Database will not be developed within 2014 but to form part of a wider digital
strategy which is still being developed. Remains a priority programme which must be
delivered within 2015.
The Annual Plan for 2015 is in development and will be presented to the Board for
approval on 3 December.
6. Sport England and the review of the England Golf Partnership
Sport England has made an investment of £13m into the England Golf Partnership (EGP)
for the period 2013-2017. In April 2014 they commissioned a review of the EGP because
of their concerns about the continued decline in regular participation and their
uncertainty around the strategy in place to arrest this decline.
The review was conducted by Portas Consulting and followed a robust methodology,
including interviews with key individuals within 60 stakeholder organisations and
interrogation of circa 100 different data sources.
The report was presented to the EGP on 28 August and recommendations for action are
still being considered by Sport England and the EGP Board and are likely to be finalised
by the end of 2014.
The report recognises that some progress has been made in recent months and is
positive about the positioning of England Golf and of Raising Our Game, the Strategic
Plan for England Golf 2014-2017.
The recommendations from the report are not yet final but the following headlines are
emerging;
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It is likely that EGP will remain as the lead body but some structural changes may
occur within EGP
EGP strategy will become even more focussed on a well-designed and expanding
club improvement programme
EGP to embrace the pilot programme proposed by England Golf to work in a small
number of counties and provide additional support with the aim of demonstrating
that additional capacity can lead to increases in membership and participation
Greater emphasis to be placed on really understanding the customer; the potential
golfer, independent golfer, club golfer and lapsed golfer. Will be important to gain
another level of insight into their needs and attitudes
England Golf to manage the process of governance review and review of the
affiliation process
EGP to significantly boost PR to help change the image and profile of golf
7. Review of governance and affiliation processes within England Golf
The requirement to review both the governance arrangements and the affiliation
processes within England Golf, emerged as two recommendations within Raising Our
Game;
“Commission a comprehensive review of England Golf governance arrangements and
those at regional and county level in order to identify and make changes that will
strengthen all areas of governance.”
“Conduct an in-depth review to identify improvements in existing affiliation
arrangements and how the data collected from affiliated members may be more
effectively and efficiently utilised.”
These two reviews will be conducted at the same time and within the same process as
there are clear overlaps between them.
Governance review
The scope of the governance will be explored as an agenda item within the General
Meeting. Its purpose is to give consideration to the optimal way or ways in which the
various elements that comprise the organisation can most effectively and efficiently be
organised to create a sustainable organisation that can react to the challenges that golf
will need to meet in the future.
This modernisation needs to complement the Board Governance Policies so that the
Articles and Rules are in alignment with the spirit of the SRA Voluntary Code of Good
Governance and the obligations of a company limited by guarantee.
Affiliations review
Some work has already been undertaken to explore improvements to the affiliation
process and this highlighted the need for a more fundamental review. The scope of this
will also be considered within the General Meeting but will give consideration to the
optimum membership and affiliation processes, how funds and data are managed and
how communications and connections with golfers and clubs can be improved through
this process.
Sport England has approved a grant to cover approximately 50% of these costs and
Portas Consulting have been commissioned by England Golf to support this process.
The extensive consultation process will be outlined within the General Meeting and it is
anticipated that final recommendations will be presented to the General Meeting for
approval on 3 December 2015.
8. Increasing Membership and Participation pilot programme
Good progress has been made within this important programme since funding was
approved in July 2014. Staffordshire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire have been
invited to become the pilot areas and planning is now taking pace in these areas. The
programme will be focussed on increasing membership in a targeted group of clubs and
increasing the number of people playing golf at least once a week in each county. A
detailed monitoring programme is being developed. Progress will be reported regularly
and lessons and good practice will be shared as part of the programme.
9. Other key developments
There are several other key developments planned over the next 4 months. These were
outlined at the recent regional meetings with voting members and are summarised
below for information:
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A tender has been issued to support England Golf in the development of a Digital
Strategy. This will confirm plans for web sites, databases and digital
communications over the next 4-5 years. This will include exploring the potential
to generate new sources of income through these tools. It is anticipated that the
report will be produced by end of February 2015 and the implementation will then
be tendered with essential build work completed by end of 2015.
A tender has also been issued to support England Golf to generate further
sponsorship and advertising income.
A review of the strengths and weaknesses of the CONGU handicap system is
underway with a view to make the changes necessary to ensure the handicap
system supports the ambitions within our strategy.
10. Key dates
Key meeting dates for 2015 have been circulated. This will be updated shortly to include
the dates of consultation meetings around the governance and affiliation review.
The regional meetings with voting members were held in October and were considered
helpful by most attendees. It is proposed to repeat these again once in 2015 and dates
will be confirmed as soon as possible.
11.Recommendations
The General Meeting is invited to note this report.
Item 7
General Meeting November 2014
REPORT:
REPORT OF THE FINANCE DIRECTOR
PURPOSE:
FOR INFORMATION
Management Accounts and Supplementary Financial Information
Attached:England Golf
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:
WSGM 2005 Ltd
:
:
Summary Income & Expenditure account to 31 July 2014,
including forecast outturn.
Balance Sheet.
Supplementary information in respect to Sport England
Grants, Performance and international team costs,
Championship costs, administration costs and staff numbers.
Financial Forecast to 2020.
Summary Profit & Loss account to 31 July 2014 and forecast
12 months to 31 October 2014.
Balance Sheet.
England Golf
The 9 month figures are encouraging in so far as they give a reasonable indication as to
how the year end outturn will look. The main income streams of affiliation income and
Whole Sport Plan income allocations are very much in line with budget. The collection of
affiliation income is well progressed with just the usual outstanding income to be
remitted for Counties that collect more in real time and clubs that are usually the last to
pay. Club like for like numbers still reflect that affiliation numbers will fall by around 5%
this year. It is expected that a vast majority of fees will have been paid ahead of the
meeting and it is proposed that a more detailed county and gender breakdown be tabled
on 19 November 2014.
Income from England Golf Captains subscriptions will catch up and be similar to 2013
levels.
Investment income being received is below budget predictions and will be so at year
end. The budgeted forecast was too optimistic, especially as we did not transfer funds to
Brown Shipley until January/February. Interest rates on short term deposits are also
lower than last year and the 2013 comparable income included £45k from a 3 year
maturing deposit. However, the shortfall on investment income will be largely
compensated by the book profit on disposal of investments.
In regard to expenditure variances, the forecast cost of irrecoverable VAT for the year
was considerably over estimated. 2013 gave rise to exceptional VAT costs including
those in the site computer upgrade, the issue of equipment for course rating, MBP
fulfilment as well as a number of Club Services projects including the dashboard website.
These increased project costs came on top of the 2012 costs which included a full year of
running 2 offices. The 2014 estimate was influenced by these past years and it would
seem that the 2014 cost will be some £80k down on 2013 and budget.
Within the administration department cost is an estimate of £45k for the preparation,
printing, distribution and launch of the strategic plan.
Salaries include the termination costs for four staff as well as a small adjustment arising
out of the banding exercise. A budget allocation was made within administration for
£40k for the banding exercise which has not been needed. However, the staff changes
and recruitment of replacement staff has given rise to remuneration amendments and
these are reflected in the estimated year end outturn. The final staff costs for EG funded
positions after all changes will be just within budget, however, the base cost for these
EG funded positions will have risen by around £60k on the 2014 initial costs. Within the
Supplementary Financial Information is a breakdown of staff numbers at the start of the
year and estimate for the 2014 year end. The number of EG funded staff at the year
end will be 48 which is the same as for 2013, however, we will have 12 funded positions
including eight County Development Officers, compared with only two EGP funded posts
at the end of 2013.
The forecast core activity outturn for the 14 month period indicates that we will be close
to the original budget surplus of around £120k. This will have been achieved after
charging a number of strategic related matters but cost savings in overheads and the
Championship budget together with the irrecoverable VAT saving more than cover these.
The year end accounts will also need to reflect the Special Projects proposals previously
approved by Voting Members, although it is not expected that any costs or accruals will
be made in regard to the Increasing Membership Participation Pilot Programme (IMP).
The Talent Pathway and Golf Foundation Grants amounting to £265k will be accrued.
The audited accounts will also need to reflect any accounting changes in respect to
FRS102.
The revised future forecast reflects the approval of the £1 increase in affiliation fees for
2016 and the aspiration that affiliation numbers will stabilise at 2016 levels from 2017.
The 2015 forecast includes strategic related costs identified at Board meetings and the
approved Special Project spending. The affiliation numbers predicted have been reduced
to reflect the 2015 budget assumption of a further 4% fall.
The future forecast is very simplistic and assumes that other sources of income and
current levels of core activity will continue as is. As has been previously stated, the
forecast provides for £3m of uncommitted expenditure over the next six years, however,
it should be remembered that this will need to cover all eventualities and fund any
strategic projects that may have previously been funded from the Special Project Fund.
Woodhall Spa Golf Management 2005 Limited
The Profit & Loss account, balance sheet and forecast 12 months figures reflect a very
good trading position for the year. Visitor and member income are up on both 2013 and
budget and the cost savings instigated in the autumn of 2013 are now being fully
reflected in the cost base. The forecast outturn in this operation is for the 12 months to
October as this is the period of operation that will be both assessed for Corporation Tax
and also the performance of the staff for the year. It should ordinarily be considered
that 20% of profit will be payable in Corporation Tax. To this end some capital
expenditure and irrigation work is being brought forward into October to try and
minimalise any Corporation Tax payable for the year.
The intercompany balance with England Golf created as part of the funding for the
Hotchkin irrigation project will have been fully repaid by the year end on the strength of
the forecast outturn and if the 12 month surplus is in excess of £145k the 5-year
strategic target of generating £500k of surplus will have been achieved.
Other Matters
Budget Timetable
The 2015 budget preparations are under way and meetings with department managers
have been held. The intention is that a final proposal budget will be ready to submit to
the Audit Committee by the end of October ahead of the Audit Committee meeting
planned for 18 November. The budgets will thereafter be linked in with the Annual Plan
for approval by the Board at its meeting scheduled for 3 December 2014. The budget
for 2015 will have a different look in so far as the old Club Services and Development
departments will be merged as one Participation & Club Support function. The budget
will also need to reflect the changed AGM and County Conference, Championship Golf
Week and changes to staffing allocations within the Compliance Department.
Community Amateur Sports Club Scheme (CASC)
HMRC have issued a further technical consultation on 9 th October and require comments
to be submitted by 5th November. This document is very technical and it is not expected
that any further changes will be made as a result of any responses, it is also difficult to
gauge the affect on golf without the detailed guidelines which will only be released with
the final rules in March 2015.
In many regards it is quite difficult to assess whether golf clubs will still wish to be
registered as CASC’s going forward and it would still be our intention to seek
professional third party assistance in interpreting the final rules and guidelines when
they are issued. Clubs will still have a year to react to the new proposals and withdraw
without penalty if they so wish.
Bridport & West Dorset and the KPMG Economic Review
HMRC continue to delay the payments process to clubs awaiting VAT refunds following
the Bridport ruling. They are still pursuing their unjust enrichment stance and have
sought a six month extension to serve their arguments. KPMG have objected to this and
a case management hearing took place on 25 September at which they sought to
accelerate the appeals process and allow claims to be progressed. KPMG have identified
a second club willing to act for the benefit of the sector and are seeking that other
agents acting for clubs support this so that a positive outcome will be for the benefit of
all clubs with a claim.
KPMG have undertaken their economic impact review of reducing the VAT rate to 5% for
the proprietary sector and presently the UKGCOA is writing a presentation report to send
to HMRC. England Golf will need to assess the content of any such presentation and be
sure that it represents fairly the interests of all clubs within the sector. It is still hoped
that a meeting with HMRC/Treasury can be arranged in the near future and it is the
intention that England Golf will be represented at such a meeting.
Item 8
General Meeting November 2014
REPORT:
CHANGES TO THE ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
PURPOSE:
TO INFORM AND SEEK VOTING MEMBER APPROVAL FOR THE CHANGES
1.
Article 56.1
The Article be amended to read:The Board (or any individual or committee to whom it delegates its powers) shall
make, vary and revoke regulations, mechanisms and standing orders for the better
administration of the company including (without limitation):Explanation for the proposed change
The proposed change seeks to align the Article with the Governance policy of
England Golf by which the Board delegates powers to the Chief Executive. The
change is the addition of the word individual as it previously only referenced
committees.
2.
Article 24.4
The final sentence of the Article be removed and replaced with:C Voting Members shall be entitled to vote in respect of both the election of an A
nominee and the election of a B nominee. Any election shall be by a single
transferable vote for each election of a nominee for which they are entitled to vote.
For the purposes of this Article, a single transferable vote is a vote (a) capable of
being given so as to indicate the Voting Member’s order of preference for the
nominees; and (b) capable of being transferred to the next choice when a prior
choice is eliminated from the list of nominees because of a deficiency in the
number of votes given for that nominee.
Explanation for the proposed change
The process by which Voting Members were required to vote for Directors at the
2014 AGM was considered in some quarters to be undemocratic as it required all
votes to be cast for the exact number of vacancies with it being deemed that votes
not cast in this way would be deemed spoiled. The Board considered that the
method it adopted would give a fair result in an election in which so few votes
would be cast and it was consistent with past elections. However, it was agreed
that the Board would reconsider the method to be used in the future and to amend
the Articles to avoid future confusion. With a number of counties moving towards
merger, the proposal also seeks to correct how C Voting Members would vote in
such an election.
The single transferable vote (STV) is a voting system designed to achieve fairer
representation and to minimise "wasted" votes through ranked voting in multi-seat
constituencies. Under STV, an elector has a single vote that is initially allocated to
their most preferred candidate and, as the count proceeds and candidates
eliminated, is transferred to other candidates according to the voter's stated
preferences.
In the STV, to be adopted by England Golf, each Voting Member ranks the list of
candidates in order of preference. Voting Members place a '1' beside their most
preferred candidate, a '2' beside their second most preferred, and so on. The
completed ballot papers therefore contain an ordinal list of candidates. Voters may
rank as many or as few candidates as they wish.
Each candidate's first votes are counted and the candidate with the fewest votes is
eliminated. The votes for the eliminated candidate are transferred to the next
candidate who has not been eliminated. When the number of votes to transfer from
a losing candidate is too small to change the ordering of remaining candidates,
more than one candidate can be eliminated simultaneously. Once a candidate is
eliminated from the count, all ballots are treated as if that candidate had never
stood. This process continues until there are the same number of candidates as
positions.
Where two or more losing candidates have the same number of votes each shall be
eliminated where doing so would leave enough remaining candidates to fill the
number of vacancies. Where doing so would leave insufficient candidates, the other
remaining candidates shall be declared elected and the count shall begin again
from the beginning with only the two or more losing candidates and with all
previous losing candidates and those elected candidates excluded from the count
as if those candidates had never stood. The process shall continue until the number
of candidates left equals the number of remaining positions to fill.
PROPOSALS
The Voting Members will be asked to vote to approve these amendments
separately. Being amendments to the Articles they will require a 75%
majority acceptance.
Item 9
General Meeting November 2014
REPORT:
REPORT OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP COMMITTEE
PURPOSE:
FOR INFORMATION
A Championship Committee Meeting is to take place just prior to the forthcoming
General Meeting. The Minutes will be circulated shortly thereafter in the usual way.
Tournaments
The final Championship of a very busy season has recently concluded and the
Department is already well into the planning and preparation for next year’s events.
Taken as a whole it has been a highly successful season supported by the very positive
results from the satisfaction surveys which are now regularly undertaken. Where
criticisms are forthcoming these are reviewed by the Committee and appropriate
changes implemented.
England Golf has been made most welcome at all the Clubs hosting this year’s
Championships and our thanks and appreciation go to them for the use of their course
and facilities. Above all the support of the many club volunteers has been tremendous
and there is no doubt their enthusiasm and enjoyment has added greatly to the success
of the Tournaments.
The tournament entry levels have been encouraging resulting in the targeted income for
the year being met. As usual all the Men’s and Boy’s events were oversubscribed with a
welcome small increase for the Women and Girls. The fields have been opened up to the
maximum possible and the introduction of a two tee start at some events has also
proved very beneficial.
Venues
As before many of the Clubs we have visited this year have invited us back for future
events. The chosen venues for 2017 are also almost in place and the Committee will
shortly be turning its attention to 2018.
Golf Week 2015
The planning for this week of events as part of the Strategic Plan continues and we are
near to finalising the programme and details of the tournaments. Voting Members,
Counties and Associations will be kept informed of progress. It is due to take place at
Frilford Heath GC from the 10th to 14th August.
It is planned to bring the event week back to Woodhall Spa in 2016.
European Golf Association
The outcome of our bid to host the European Men’s Individual Championship in 2017 is
still awaited. Their decision is expected shortly, together with the chosen date for the
event. Only then will we be in a position to confirm the venue.
Budget
With careful control of costs it is pleasing to report the Department will be within budget
for 2014.
Amongst other considerations all our event contracts have been reviewed and updated
following which a budget has been submitted for 2015 and awaiting approval.
New member of staff
The Board has approved the employment of an additional Championship Manager to the
Department.
The position is currently being advertised and interviews will take place after the closing
date in November.
New Season
As mentioned earlier planning for the new season is already well underway. Preview
visits are to commence shortly to make the arrangements and identify the requirements
for each event.
The opening up of the on-line entry system is not so far away: 1st February (Junior
events 1st April).
We look forward to another good year.
Recommendation: The meeting to note and accept this report.
Ray Smith
Chairman of Championships
Item 10
General Meeting November 2014
REPORT:
REPORT OF THE PERFORMANCE COMMITTEE
PURPOSE:
FOR INFORMATION
Team Results
World Team Championships
 Espirito Santo Trophy – T8th England, 3rd Individual Bronte Law;
 Eisenhower Trophy – T6th England.
European Team Championships and EGA Events
 European Girls Team Championship – 6th
 European Boys Team Championship – 4th;
 European Ladies Team Championship – 4th;
 European Men’s Team Championship – 3rd;
 European Senior Ladies Team Championship – 1st;
 European Senior Men’s Team Championship – 3rd;
 European Young Masters – Boys 8th Marco Penge, 9th Matty Lamb, Girls Hollie
Muse 6th, T21 Sammy Fuller.
Home Internationals Championships and Age Group Matches
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Girls Home Internationals – 1st;
Boys Home Internationals – 1st;
Ladies Home Internationals – 1st;
Men’s Home Internationals – 4th;
Senior Ladies Home Internationals – 1st;
Senior Men’s Home Internationals – 3rd;
England Girls u16 v Switzerland – Won 7-2;
England U16s v Spain – Lost 19-5;
England Boys U16s v Wales – Won 17.5-2.5;
England Boys U16s v Scotland – Won 16-9;
England Boys U16s v Ireland – Won 10-6;
GB&I Representation
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Curtis Cup – 5 England Players represented GBI;
Jacques Leglise Trophy – 5 English Players, GBI 12.5 – Europe 11.5;
St Andrews Trophy – 3 English players, GBI 14 – Europe 10.
Individual Results
Major Individual Championships
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British Girls – Semi Finals India Clyburn and Elizabeth Prior;
British Boys – Quarter finals George Lewis and Bradley Moore;
Ladies British Amateur – QF Alice Hewson;
Ladies British Open Stroke Play – 1st Meghan Maclaren, 2nd Sara Jane Boyd, 3rd
Alex Peters and Olivia Winning;
The Amateur Championship – Daniel Brown leading Qualifier, Sean Towndrow
Semi Final, Dan Brown, Paul Howard and Sean Towndrow Quarter Finals;
British Senior Amateur – 2nd Stephen East;
European Men’s Individual – 1st Ashley Chesters, T5 Ben Stow;
European Seniors Amateur Champion – Clive Jones;
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US Women’s Amateur – Last 64 Bronte Law;
US Amateur – Jimmy Mullen last 16, Paul Howard and Sam Horsfield last 32.
English National Championships
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English Girls – 1st India Clyburn, 2nd Annabel Bailey;
English Girls U15 – 1st Emily Price, 2nd Holly Muse
English Girls u13 - 4th Annabel Fuller;
English Women’s Open Stroke Play – 1st Hayley Davies;
Carris Trophy U18 – 1st Haydn McCullen,2nd Bradley Moore after play off, 3rd
George Gardner, 4th Jamie Dick;
MacGregor Trophy U16 – 2nd Luke Northwood, 3rd Oliver Clarke, T4 Coby
Cartwright and Marco Penge;
Reid Trophy U14 – 1st Harry Bigham;
English Women’s Amateur – 1st Bronte Law, 2nd Inci Mehmet, T3 Sara Jane Boyd
and Alex Peters;
Brabazon Trophy – 1st Ben Stow, T2 Ashley Chesters and Ryan Evans;
English Amateur – 1st Nick Marsh;
Other Championships and Performances of Note
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Henry Cooper Junior Masters – Boys 2nd Marcus Sewell, Girls 1st Lauren Horsford,
2nd Sophie Keech
The Junior Open – 7th Michael Gilbert, T12 Holly Muse;
Scottish Girls u14 – 1st Natasha Slater, 2nd Martha Lewis;
Scottish Boys u14 – 3rd Hugo Kedzlie;
Dutch Junior – 2nd Harry Casey, T4 Rob Burlison;
Astor Salver – 1st Sophie Keech;
Pleasington Putter – 1st Gemma Clews;
Royal Birkdale Ladies Scratch – 1st India Clyburn;
Liphook Scratch Cup 1st Samantha Giles and Sophie Keech;
North of England u16 – Girls 1st Holly Muse
Scottish Girls u21 – 1st India Clyburn
St Andrews Links Trophy – T3rd Thomas Rowland, Dan Wasteney and Paul
Howard;
The Berkshire Trophy – 1st Ryan Cornfield;
Scottish Open Youths – 1st Nick Marsh;
South of England Open – 1st Adam Chapman;
North of England Open – 1st Adam Chapman;
Lee Westwood Trophy – 1st Joe Dean.
Sport England Targets
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Combined stroke play ranking of the England Girls, Boys, Men’s and Women’s team at the
European Team Championships played annually. Target 17-20, performance 10.
% of the designated England National and regional squad coaches who attend recognised
England Golf CPD coach development in the year; target 88%, performance 93%
% of players within National and Regional Squads who achieve an objective handicap based
Talent Pathway Performance Benchmark; target 66%, performance 41%. Please note that
this target is under review with Sport England having discussed this at last year’s review
meeting with Sport England. The goal is to have a more realistic target across our Regional
and National Squads.
Total number of players in talent pathway squads; England A Squad, England U18 squads,
Regional U16 squads; target 167, performance 173
Coaching

All National Squad Coaching sessions scheduled for 2014/15 programme
General
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Julie Brown has resigned from Performance Committee, advert to tie in with other
committee applications
Jeremy Bennett appointed as Boys National Coach
Sam Johnston appointed as West Midlands Girls Regional Coach
Martyn Thompson appointed as South West Girls Regional Coach
AASE Education Provider tender process complete – Solihull college successful
bidder
Roy Smethurst appointed as England Senior Men’s Captain for 2015
Performance Department Annual Plan

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Satisfaction survey for players, parents, managers and coaches completed
CPD sessions for coaches have been successful using their feedback
Christmas Conference confirmed for 16/17 December at St George’s Park
Parental Education seminars delivered and well received by those in attendance
at various events throughout the summer
Regional Coach appraisals complete for Boys and Girls u16
Player Development Plans in progress
Player Agreement being finalised by Rod Finlay and NE
Selection Policy has been redrafted and will be presented to Codes Committee for
next meeting.
Nigel Edwards
Performance Director
14 October 2014
Item 11
General Meeting November 2014
REPORT:
REPORT OF THE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
PURPOSE:
FOR INFORMATION
Since the previous England Golf General Meeting in July 2014 there has been a meeting
of the Development Committee in September 2014; the following provides an update in
addition to the circulated minutes:
Staffing Update
Please note the following changes since the previous report:
-
Lauren Spray has been appointed Women & Girls Participation Manager
Laura Rushby has been appointed Head of Training & Education
Iain Lancaster has been appointed Regional Manager for North West
Sam Czornyj has been appointed administrator
Department Name Change
Please note that the department is now called Participation & Club Support in line with
the strategic plan.
Annual Delivery Plan & Work Programmes 2015
Work continues on the implementation of the department’s annual delivery plan, with
individual staff work programmes in place. Planning has begun to produce the 2015
annual delivery plan.
Increasing Membership & Participation (IMP) Pilot Programme
England Golf is pleased to confirm that Northamptonshire, Staffordshire and
Warwickshire have been selected as the counties to support the delivery of the pilot
programme. The IMP pilot programme will operate over a two year period from October
2014 to September 2016 and a total of £150,000 per annum will be allocated to
increasing capacity across the three pilot counties, working closely with local partners.
Club Profiling & Club Offer
Work is underway to ensure that the specific requirements of golf clubs are understood
by the local county workforce and that resources are targeted more effectively. This will
include how the full portfolio of club support resources is promoted to counties and
clubs.
MORE PLAYERS
County Golf Partnerships (CGPs) 2013 to 2017
CGP biannual reviews for the period April to September 2014 are currently being
prepared by counties and the CGP Impact report will be distributed later this year.
The CGP Management & Development satisfaction survey has been collated and
distributed to all CGPs for review. Specific actions are being activated based on the
feedback from the county representatives.
There are currently 7 County Development Officers (CDOs) directly employed by England
Golf and 14 self-employed CDO contracts with England Golf.
MORE MEMBERS
Play More Golf Fund
298 golf club applications were received and assessed through the county workforce and
regional managers. 144 golf clubs have been awarded funding and the impact will be
assessed once all activity is completed.
Participation Offers
Work is progressing well across all three priority areas and key actions have now been
defined for disability, women & girls and junior golf offers that will be implemented at a
county and club level.
STRONGER CLUBS
See Club Services Committee report for information and progress on specific
programmes and resources for golf clubs.
EXCELLENT GOVERNANCE
Equality Standard
The Preliminary level documentation and evidence has been submitted to Sport England
in September and we await feedback on the submission.
Peter Turner
Chairman, Development Committee
Item 13
General Meeting November 2014
REPORT:
REPORT OF THE CLUB SERVICES COMMITTEE
PURPOSE:
FOR INFORMATION
Since the previous England Golf General Meeting in July 2014 there has been a Club
Services Committee meeting in September 2014; the following provides an update in
addition to the circulated minutes:
Staffing Update
Please note the following changes since the previous report:
-
Lauren Spray has been appointed Women & Girls Participation Manager
Laura Rushby has been appointed Head of Training & Education
Iain Lancaster has been appointed Regional Manager for North West
Sam Czornyj has been appointed administrator
Department Name Change
Please note that the department is now called Participation & Club Support in line with
the strategic plan.
Annual Delivery Plan & Work Programmes 2015
Work continues on the implementation of the department’s annual delivery plan, with
individual staff work programmes in place. Planning has begun to produce the 2015
annual delivery plan.
Increasing Membership & Participation (IMP) Pilot Programme
England Golf is pleased to confirm that Northamptonshire, Staffordshire and
Warwickshire have been selected as the counties to support the delivery of the pilot
programme. The IMP pilot programme will operate over a two year period from October
2014 to September 2016 and a total of £150,000 per annum will be allocated to
increasing capacity across the three pilot counties, working closely with local partners.
Club Profiling & Club Offer
Work is underway to ensure that the specific requirements of golf clubs are understood
by the local county workforce and that resources are targeted more effectively. This will
include how the full portfolio of club support resources is promoted to counties and
clubs.
MORE PLAYERS
See Development Committee report for information on England Golf Partnership (EGP)
and County Golf Partnerships (CGP) progress.
MORE MEMBERS
Local Market Review (CACI InSite software)
Reports continue to be produced for golf clubs and guidance has been developed to
highlight how to utilise the insight. The reports provide clubs with a profile of existing
members, using this information to map the potential members/golfers in a local area.
These have been design in order to support clubs in the decision making process when
considering activities including, reviewing pricing structures, deciding on green fee offers
and planning marketing activities.
STRONGER CLUBS
Clubhouse
The online system was launched to clubs on the 24th April 2014, which followed a
promotional campaign. Figures as of the end of September 2014:
- 2,300 registered users
- 1,358 registered clubs
GolfMark Launch
The updated GolfMark was launched in June 2014 to those clubs awaiting re-assessment
and just over 100 clubs have registered for the updated programme. Communication
with all affiliated clubs will be implemented in October 2014.
Biennial Golf Club Membership Questionnaire 2014
A final report has now been received from Sports Marketing Surveys (SMS), which will
now be reviewed and presented in a National Results Booklet along with specific County
Breakdowns.
Virtual Golf Club Managers Group
A virtual group is to be formed which will include both paid and volunteer club
secretaries/managers from both the private and proprietary sector. This group will be
utilised to gather feedback on England Golf’s club offers.
Training & Education Tender
Following the submission of nine tenders detailing how a training & education
programme can be delivered to volunteers within golf clubs; four tenders have been
selected in a consortium approach that will begin delivery early 2015.
Golf in Education Calendar
The Golf in Education Calendar has been updated with an additional function added to
the site which allows us to assess demand for specific topic areas.
Club Managers’ Educational Pathway
England Golf is partnering the Golf Club Managers’ Association (GCMA) and the Club
Managers Association of Europe (CMAE) to promote education and training opportunities
throughout England. The programme will include the ‘Introduction to Golf Course
Management’ course run by the GCMA, followed by Level One and Level Two Club
Management Development courses run by the CMAE, which on successful completion,
lead to the CMAE Club Management Diploma.
Greenkeepers Training Committee (GTC)
The GTC has now gained Government accreditation as an Apprenticeship Trailblazer
organisation and a new Golf Greenkeeper standard has been approved by the
Department for Business, Innovation & Skills.
Handicapping & Course Rating
See separate report from Claire Dowling, Chairman of Handicap & Course Rating
committee.
Trevor Williams
Chairman, Club Services Committee
Item 14
General Meeting November 2014
REPORT:
REPORT OF THE HANDICAPPING & COURSE RATING COMMITTEE
PURPOSE:
FOR INFORMATION
A CONGU Board meeting was held in August. That meeting had initially been intended
to be a joint meeting with the CEO’s of the Unions and Associations however most of
them were unable to attend due to prior commitments. The joint meeting has now been
scheduled for November 26th.
There will be no changes to the UHS in 2015. The four yearly review and publication of
a new manual may be delayed until 2017 depending on the outcome of the November
meeting.
A survey has been created at the request of the Unions and Associations and will be sent
to all clubs to gather and collate views on the CONGU UHS. The results will be taken
into consideration when conducting any review of the system.
The new CONGU website is still under construction and is now being developed by Peter
Austerberry and the CONGU Communications Committee. No indication has been given
for when it will become operational.
A course rating training session took place at Kings Norton on September 10 th and a
further session is scheduled for October 28th. The Regional Course Rating Advisors met
at Peterborough Milton in August to discuss an ongoing training programme. New Team
Leaders will be trained within the county by the Regional Advisor before attending
training at national level. Existing Team Leaders will receive additional training each year
along with the continued support of the regional advisor.
A Course Rating Update and Case Study have been sent to counties for information
purposes.
The eight Regional Handicap Advisors have now been appointed. A seminar is scheduled
in November to discuss their role in supporting the County Handicap Advisors and to
plan future regional handicapping seminars.
Claire Dowling
Chairman, Handicap & Course Rating Committee