EARLY BEGINNINGS

"Committee meeting held at Sandwell Park Golf Club March 27th 1907"

These simple, straightforward words announce the beginnings of the Staffordshire Ladies County Golf Association (S.L.G.C.A). The ladies of Handsworth, Sandwell Park, South Staffordshire and Trentham Golf Clubs had followed the example of many other lady golfers in England and formed a county golfing association.

In Staffordshire, ladies had been an accepted part of most of the clubs (around eight in number) which developed by the early 1900's. Indeed at Trentham Golf Club the boast is that the ladies played there first! There is, too, clear evidence of matches played between the ladies sections of these different clubs. The two neighbouring Counties of Warwickshire and Worcestershire had already formed County Associations in 1900 and 1903 respectively. Staffordshire Clubs already had established connections with clubs  near them but sited in other Counties e.g. Trentham with Cheshire and Handsworth with Worcestershire and Warwickshire. These contacts were clearly strong and such fixtures are still regarded as an important part of the golfing calendar. Also, the  Midland Counties Ladies Golf Championship, begun as early as 1897, was a competition both for club teams and individuals and remained so even when County organisations were formed.

Despite the four club's individuality, by 1907 they clearly decided that a County organisation was desirable. Several of those original Staffordshire members would have known each other well not only did they play against each other, they, in fact, belonged  to each other's Clubs. In the L.G.U. handbook of 1908, for example, Mrs Shelton is named as President of Sandwell Park but is also a member of South Staffordshire. Miss N Poutney was Secretary and Treasurer of Handsworth but also listed as a member at Sandwell Park. 

At that first Committee meeting they arranged for the greens of the four clubs to be approved as County Greens. They resolved that proper handicap procedures should be followed. At this time, most clubs organised their own club handicaps. One of the main actions of Miss Pearson's L.G.U. was to introduce a consistent system of handicapping. The Staffordshire Ladies decreed that where a competitor had not yet received an L.G.U. handicap, she must play off the lowest club handicap she had!

If Staffordshire was late in becoming an organised golf County compared to others, the ladies were determined to lose no more time. They promptly entered a team in the Midlands Division of the County Golf Competition and in that first year, it achieved second place to Worcestershire, winning four out of six matches.

The Committee also organised their first County Competition held at Handsworth on October 30th.' An 18-hole medal game was played in the morning but, unfortunately, heavy rain washed out the bogey round in the afternoon. Seven ladies are listed as competing – Mrs Shelton (South Staffordshire) and Mrs Browne (Sandwell Park) both scoring 79. 

Those first years of the new S.L.C.G.A were very successful. The membership already 32 at the first AGM in October 1907 remained steady at about 35 right up to the First World War. 

From the beginning, the Association was run efficiently. Already at the first Committee Meeting, a secretary was in place - Mrs H Mander. In later years she was succeeded by Miss Nadin. Mrs Miller (Sandwell Park) became Captain in 1907, an office she held until after the Great War. At the 1907 AGM, it was agreed that each club belonging to the Association should send one member to serve on the Committee - an arrangement which has lasted for many years. Also at that first AGM the position of a President was  discussed. Countess Torbay was suggested but finally it was agreed to ask Lady Lewisham, the daughter-in-law of the Earl of Dartmouth. He had strong connections with several of the founding clubs.

The County became keen participants in the Inter-County Championships and by 1912 reached the finals at Ganton. They also reached the finals the following year, at Royal St Georges but on both occassions were unsuccessful. An article in Midland Golfer suggested that the Midland Ladies woud not succeed until after their courses were less easy! - not so much in length, but in careful bunkering to develop greater skills.

Sadly, with the outbreak of the First World War, golf was sidelined for the next few years but the County Association had been so firmly established that it was quickly re-established in the Autumn of 1919.

THE SECOND HALF OF THE CENTUARY

During the second half of the twentieth century, ladies golf flourished with some home national bodies (Ireland, Wales, Scotland) celebrating their fiftieth anniversaries and in England, the new England Ladies Golf Association was set up. New competitions were established. Encouragement began to be given to juniors to take up and improve their game. New courses were built and others refurbished. Staffordshire benefited from all of these developments and the County Association enjoyed many formidable individual and team victories.

The organisation of the County remained in the capable hands of its Committee and Executive. The minutes show regular discussion of County events, a wide interest in Midlands and National golf and an appreciation of its members.

Membership continued to grow and as new clubs were formed,  they were welcomed into the Association. For many years until  1977, the AGM was held at Brocton Hall but that year 60 ladies from 15 clubs packed into the room. It was agreed that a new venue must be found and the offer of a large room at Beau Desert  was accepted gratefully. Today the membership has grown further with inaccess of 30 clubs being represesented.

PLAY UP AND PLAY THE GAME

Within that first year of 1907, the Staffordshire Ladies Golf  Association had initiated its Annual Competition (the forerunner  of the County Championship) and had entered a team in the Inter- County tournament.  These two remained the key part of the  County's golfing calendar.

Although throughout the period between the wars, Staffordshire lady golfers competed keenly and the County produced some excellent golfers (e.g. Miss Dobson, Miss Birkett and Mrs Bayliss), that team never again reached the County Finals.

However, the first real glory years for the Staffordshire County team were not to begin until the 1960s. By that time, there were several talented juniors and young lady members who were succeeding in Midland and National competitions, as well as some good, experienced golfers from the previous decade (Mrs Snape, Mrs Richmond, Mrs Denham). This mixture of wisdom and youth resulted in a decade of success. Under Bridget Jackson's Captaincy, Staffordshire gained its first County Finals Championship in 1962 at Parkstone.

This team of Susan Armitage, Christine Bayliss, Ann Coxill, Kay Denham, Angela Higgott, Bridget Jackson, Marjorie Rickatson and Jenny Stant, with a few changes  during later seasons, reached the final for five of the remaining seven years of the 60s, winning again in 1965 and being runners-up in 1967. In 1963, partly as a result of the team's success in the previous year's County finals, the girls were asked to play at Spa against a  team of Belgian lady golfers. According to a local account, "the atmosphere was most amicable" but the match taken most seriously. The Belgians won the morning foursomes (by one game) but the English triumphed four - two in the afternoon singles so that the match ended five - four to the English team.

The final at Hunstanton in 1965 was particularly hard fought. In the match against Gloucestershire, as an article in the Express and Star reported, Ann Coxill "was the toast of the team after she had defeated the English Champion Miss Ruth Porter by two and one" in a "magnificent win in which she was never behind in the match". As the same article foretold, "all the form points to Friday's Staffordshire/Cheshire encounter deciding the Championship". At the end of that match, the points were 17-17 so for the first time a replay was held at Lindrick and Staffordshire won five-four. 

The 1970s brought equally exciting success for the team.  Barbara Bargh (nee Whitehead)  already a member of the team was to be joined by Anne Stant and Maureen Hood. The team was in the finals five times, runners up in 1972 and winners at Prestbury  in 1976.

Since then the County's team has continued to play successfully in the tournament, making frequent appearances in the finals (the last time at Hollinwell 2018) and being champions again in 1994 at Stratford-on-Avon under the captaincy of Doreen Banks.

On July 14th and 15th 1921 the first County Championship was held at Sandwell Park. There were seventeen entries for the Lewisham Cup and Mrs E. B. Bayliss ( South Staffordshire) won with gross scores of 86 and 96. Mrs Carr was second and Mrs Miller third – three names already well-known in Staffordshire golfing circles before the war. 

Over the decades the county has witnessed many exciting finals and new champions

In 1954 one of the greatest players to win the Staffordshire title appeared on the scene - Miss Bridget Jackson. She was to win 12 times and as of 2024 no one has achieved this number of championship wins. Also in 2024 Bridget, following her dedication to the game and her many accomplishments was inaugurated into the England Golf Hall of fame.

THE SECOND TEAM

The first record of the Second Team is a decision of Committee on 28th October 1938 that Miss J Bayliss should be Second Team Captain. This was proposed by Mrs Parkes and seconded by Miss Evershed and was passed at the subsequent A.G.M. Within a year, the country was at war.  At the recommencement of County golf in 1946, Mrs Kelsey had become the new Second Team Captain. From then on, the Second Team Captains were elected regularly at the A.G.M. and the practice grew whereby no decision on a  candidate was taken until the name of the First Team Captain was agreed.

The increase in numbers and skill of young County players in the1960s certainly helped the fortunes of the Second Team.The Captain, Mrs Homer, noted that her report to the A.G.M. would be very brief "versus Warwickshire, won; versus Worcestershire,  won; versus Shropshire, won; Staffordshire girls versu girls Worcestershire, won". In 1969, the Captain reported that she had played three juniors in the team and they had all done very well. 

By the 1990s, competition for places was becoming very stiff - the Captain reported that she would not be able to consider anyone with a handicap over nine and by the end of the season, she noted that all the team had handicaps of eight or below. 

Since that time, the Second Team has gone from strength to strength and during the early 2000s, team handicaps were five or below. 

It continues to be made up of a mixture of seasoned and young golfers, some who will go on to the First Team and beyond, and others who are happy to play a steady and important role at Second Team level. 

Although the league format and County regions have altered over the years the Second Team have continued to be successful, winning its league events on numerous occasions.

2024 MNR League winners under the Captaincy of Rebecca Brookes