Warwickshire Golf Union - What do we do ?

BACKGROUND:

The Warwickshire Union of Golf Clubs was formed in 1906. The Union is a non-profit making organisation that devotes its resources to the administration and development of amateur golf in Warwickshire. At present the Union comprises of 45 Golf Clubs.

FINANCING:

The Warwickshire Golf Union is financed principally through subscriptions paid by every male playing member of an affiliated golf club.

OBJECTIVES:

As its primary objectives, The Warwickshire Golf Union aims to:

• Run County Championships and other County competitions.
• Oversee County Teams that represent the County both regionally and nationally.
• Use coaching programs and County events to develop talented players.
• Ensure that courses within Warwickshire are rated correctly in accordance with WHS guidelines.
• Provide education and advice on handicapping and rules to ensure the integrity of competition.
• Run an efficient County Card scheme that adds value to both Warwickshire Clubs and players.
• Act as an effective conduit between England Golf and Warwickshire Clubs.
• Represent Warwickshire Clubs for their benefit when voting on England Golf policy.

MANAGEMENT:

The Warwickshire Golf Union is managed by its Board members with the day-to-day affairs being carried out by the County Secretary. The County Secretary reports to a Board of elected members from various affiliated golf clubs within the county.

CHAMPIONSHIPS AND TOURNAMENTS:

The Union organises and subsidises championships and tournaments for men, boys, seniors and clubs. Without exception they are administered to the highest standards and are at some of the best venues within the County. The Warwickshire Men’s and Boys Amateur Championships qualify for World Amateur ranking points. To enter or to view a full list of our championships please click    here

COUNTY TEAMS:

The Union supports the First Team, The Seniors, The Junior Elite (Under 18’s), Under 16’s and Under 14s County Teams. We arrange home venues, coaching, management, equipment and entries. Our First Team, Seniors, Junior Elite and Under 16s compete in the Midland Region Leagues as well as National Qualifying events and Finals. As a result of our talent pathway and coaching programmes (which starts at Under 12) we are now regularly producing players who feature not only for county and national teams but also go on to win on the world stage.

COURSE RATING:

You may have wondered how the Rating and "Slope" of your course is determined. The Union, through its Course Rating Team of experts, surveys each course on rotation and ensures that the rating value of each course has been assessed in accordance with the strict guidelines.

HANDICAPS:

Although computer systems now handle the day-to-day alterations of handicaps, disputes and advice are handled by the County Secretary in conjunction with his counterpart in the Ladies Association. We visit our affiliated clubs to ensure that they are comfortable with their responsibilities and offer an "induction" service for new Handicap Secretaries and committees. We liaise with England Golf on your behalf as well as help clubs with rules and course set up queries that have an impact on qualifying competitions. We are responsible, along with other County Unions, for ensuring that handicaps are handled with consistency and integrity throughout the country.

COUNTY CARD :

The County Card represents tremendous value for money. It provides the opportunity to play more than 1,300 clubs who offer special rates throughout the country. If you are an affiliated member of a Warwickshire golf club and want to apply for a County Card click    here.

CLUB SUPPORT:

We are fully committed to overseeing competitive golf by helping our affiliated clubs who deal with the day to day business of running and promoting golf. This can take the shape of helping clubs with handicapping and rules as mentioned above, but also involves us providing educational seminars covering governance that can either be general or specific to changes in law and policy. This is an area that we are constantly looking to expand and believe that by providing educational support for club managers we, in turn, provide a better environment for our golfers.