LRLCGA nominate The Pathway Tour for EG Award
Leicestershire & Rutland Ladies County Golf Association were delighted to nomination Mick Billingham, Director of Junior Golf, Leicestershire & Rutland Men’s Golf Union and Anita Higginson, Junior County Organiser, Leicestershire & Rutland Ladies County Golf Association for the England Golf Awards 2023 in the category ‘Women & Girls Trailblazer’
Although we are still awaiting the outcome of the shortlisting, we feel it’s important to shine a light on the wonderful work that Mike and Anita have done for Junior Golf in our County.
Anita has championed initiatives for Women and Girls throughout the County including Girls on Tour and Girls Golf Rocks. In 2019, together with Mick, they decided to look at a more inclusive view of junior golf and rather than the initiatives being gender-based they decided to work together to develop junior golf in the County and the Foxes Junior Pathway Tour was born.
The Pathway Tour is a series of five competitions run for Girls & Boys at Clubs across Leicestershire & Rutland with the aim of introducing junior golfers to competitive golf in a safe and fun environment. It provides Tour Members with the opportunity to develop their game at all levels under the watchful eye of the County Boys and Girls Junior Organisers.
The Tour has been an important step in recognising that all youngsters can play golf and whilst accepting differences in ability and cognitive development it does not have to be based upon gender, thus preventing stereotypes from being ingrained at a young age and therefore promoting equality. Encouraging boys and girls to play together can have a social impact enabling a greater understanding between genders, foster mutual respect and reducing potential future stereotyping.
The Pathway commenced in 2022 and has so far taken place in over 5 different locations throughout the County – Hinckley, The Leicestershire, Cosby, Lutterworth & Birstall Golf Club. The Pathway was overwhelmed with applications to join the Tour and at each location more than 70 youngsters played in 4 different skill level events which include, Flag 50, Super 50, 9 hole stableford and a 18 hole stableford.
The feedback from parents and professionals has been overwhelming;
Parent (KB) "Mick they absolutely loved it thank you! They can’t wait for the next one! Some putting in the living room before then I hope!!!"
Parent (AB)- "Top marks so far, great comps"
Advanced Fellow of the PGA (AM) - "From a personal perspective she (Anita) is simply the best example I have ever seen of someone who 'gets' what it takes to create total inclusivity regardless of background and I have witnessed my own daughter grow in confidence in golf, in no small part due to the efforts of Anita".
Junior Girls (EW) - The latest development she (Anita) has been instrumental in introducing the County junior boys into a combined Foxes Pathway Tour. This has created a more inclusive environment and allowed us to make a lot more friend"
Parents have commented on the minimal outlay to join The Pathway. The Pathway, unlike commercial entities offering similar opportunities, keeps the cost to a minimum, engaging with local courses, reducing travel which helps promote inclusivity and opportunity for all.
The Pathway continues to develop and new for 2023 is a new category - ‘9 Hole Stepping Stones’ designed for those players who have developed beyond the Super50 events and are now ready for a true 9 hole challenge but have not yet been awarded their formal WHS Handicap.
The 2023 Tour is already ‘sold out’ and due to the fantastic demand, all the 2023 Tour places have now been allocated and we have a reserve list in place. The number of youngsters involved has been increased from 70 to 96 per venue.
The Pathway is a wonderful inclusive initiative breaking down barriers whilst having fun!
It takes a special kind of person to work with young people, Anita and Mick are these people. Their commitment and passion for growing the game of Junior golf cannot be underestimated. Together with their team, they have broken down barriers giving hundreds of youngsters within the County the opportunity to play golf in a competitive gender free environment.
Research shows that allowing girls to compete alongside and against boys enhances their view of themselves and makes them more resilient. Inclusivity is the way forward and with more and mixed gender events taking place at a national level the Foxes Junior Pathway Tour is leading the way at a junior level ensuring youngsters grow with the game.
We are immensely proud of the work being carried out by Anita. Mick and their team of volunteers.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
To support The Pathway, both the Association and the Union are seeking to recruit more volunteers to assist in the planned events for 2023 and beyond. Building a bank of volunteers and engaging with more affiliated clubs encouraging them to host junior events is key to the ongoing success of The Pathway and both the Association and the Union are committed to supporting this wonderful initiative.
If you would like to volunteer to help at any of the 2023 events, please contact Anita
2022 Baxter Trophy Final
Over the last two Sundays some excellent mixed foursomes golf has been played at Scraptoft Golf Club, as 39 pairs from across Leicestershire and Rutland competed for the prestigious Baxter Trophy. This year one of the pairs competing and representing Luffenham Heath Golf Club were brother and sister Chris and Sally Jee, grandchildren of Alex Baxter who founded the competition at Kirby Muxloe in 1985. Alex herself played off 4 and was County Champion twice.
The weather was fantastic for both days of competition and the course was in excellent condition with some tricky pin positions, particularly on the qualifying day. The four qualifying semi finalists from the first week were Paul Jelly and Emily Blount (Kibworth), Scott Adams and Joanne Morris (Willesley Park), Andy Mee and Diana Miller (Lingdale), and Steve Sansome and Claire Bailey (Birstall).
In the first semi final Birstall narrowly beat Kibworth (2 and 1) and in the second Lingdale beat Willesley Park (3 and 2) to set up a final between Birstall and Lingdale. This was closely fought but Lingdale proved to be the more consistent pair beating Birstall 4 and 3 and winning the Baxter Trophy.
Thanks to Scraptoft Golf Club for hosting the competition and to the referees Phil Askew and Angela Allington. Congratulations to all those players who reached the semi finals and particular congratulations to the eventual winners Andy Mee and Diana Miller, representing Lingdale Golf Club.
Other prizes from the Qualifying Day were:
Best Gross - Paul Jelly and Emily Blount (Kibworth) Gross 74
Best Nett - Jed Davies and Sharon Statham (Cosby) Nett 69
Second Nett - David Eden and Paula Shaw (Whetstone) Nett 72
Full results can be seen at the following link:
County 2nd Team Success - 1st September 2022
2nd Team Final
Leicestershire & Rutland v Staffordshire
Horsley Lodge, 1st September 2022
The County 2nd team finished our matches unbeaten in 2022 which meant that we topped our mini league and progressed to the Midlands North Region final against the other mini league winners, Staffordshire.
On match day, Staffordshire fielded a typically strong team. The morning foursomes were closely fought but we found ourselves down ½ - 2½ which meant we needed to dig deep in the 6 singles matches in the afternoon. Our team went about their business with focus and determination, and we won 4 matches, lost 2, leaving the teams even on 4 ½ - 4 ½. Countback of match scores left us 11 – 11 so it was a sudden death playoff between pre-nominated players from both sides. Our nominated player, Barbara Suffolk (HI 4.3) was up against Rachel Horobin (HI 1.4). The first play-off hole was halved with a par. On the second hole, Barbara sank a great putt for par but was bettered by a fantastic birdie from Rachel, and so Staffordshire won the trophy.
It was such an exciting final, and the Leicestershire & Rutland 2nd Team did our County proud not only with their standard of play but with their commitment, determination, and great team spirit.
Huge thanks to all players who gave their time, effort and talents to the County 2nds this year.
Alison Smith
2nd Team Captain, L&R
Ladies County Foursomes Final 11th September 2022
The final of the Ladies County Foursomes was played today 11th September 2022 at Willesley Golf Club.
Cosby were represented by Rachel East, Leona Harris, Gill Colman and Jenny Hart. Market Harborough were represented by Jane Burley, Olivia Holyoak- Church, Helen Perry and Carole Hallam.
The sun shone on two very tight, nip and tuck games and as spectators we witnessed some great golf.
The final score was 4UP to Cosby.
Well done to all who played and especially well done to Cosby.
Education & Training from England Golf
The second instalment into our Life Cycle of a Female Golfer webinars explores the 30+ ages and how we can engage more female golfers. We will look to provide an in depth look into the challenges and barriers that may be an issue for females accessing golf throughout their life. To sign up, click the link below and register!
13 September 2022
Life Cycle of a Female Golfer – Part 2
If you missed Episode 1 but want to catch up, visit the link below to watch it again ahead of Part 2!
Life Cycle of a Female Golfer - Part 1
Developing Players & Retaining Young Players – Final Episode 27th September
This is the final episode in a 3 part webinar series that continues to look at the development and retention of young golfers in clubs. We are joined by Dr Ed Coughlan PhD, who is widely acknowledged as one of the top skills coaches working in elite sports today. His understanding and application of the latest techniques in coaching science and sports science provide athletes with the tools to consistently perform at the elite level. By listening to Ed and working with him you can be sure your practice will transfer to performance!
This is one not to be missed!! Sign up by clicking the link below and register!
Developing Players & Retaining Young Players – Final Episode
If you missed the first 2 episodes of this series you can watch them by clicking the links below!
Understanding Talent in Young Players - Episode 1
Retaining and Supporting Young Players - Episode 2
You can find all upcoming and past webinars here, on the England Golf Webinar Library.
We also have a couple of Activator Courses coming up in Essex and Lincolnshire - Club Activator Courses
If you are interested in hosting an Activator Course please get in touch, we are keen to get more booked in.
Finally, if you’re a volunteer please check out our Volunteer Hub on Facebook – this group has reached over 1000 members now and the community supporting each other across a range of topic areas.
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