There are only three area bodies in Scottish Golf at present that are fully representative of all genders within their club's membership, providing competitive opportunities and representation for all golfers within the member clubs, regardless of gender.
Two of the bodies concerned, The North area and the newly formed Fife Golf Ltd. have enjoyed the benefit of the relevant gender based bodies in the area mutually commiting to an amalgamation to form the fully representative area administration.
The Ayrshire Golf Association tried unsuccesfully on two occasions to progress a similar path with the Ayrshire Ladies County Golf Association but unfortunately on both occasions the individual members of the latter, which is an individual membership body similar to a club and who represent less than 10% of female members of Ayrshire clubs, overwhelmingly rejected the move.
Consequently, in 2022, the Ayrshire Golf Association member clubs agreed to changes in the constitution to develop The Association into a progressive and fully representative body for all golfers of the member clubs, and over the last few years several county wide competitive opportunities have been provided for the women members of member clubs, which is a continually developing aspect of The Association's work.
The Association is also keen to be able to provide representative opportunities at a national level for all members of the member clubs and in this respect Scottish Golf,was approached over two years ago with a request to facilitate the inclusion of an Ayrshire Golf Association team in the Scottish Women's Inter County Finals competition, a national scratch matchplay event involving teams of low handicap players which is financed and administered by Scottish Golf. This is effectively the women's equivalent of the Scottish Men's Area Team Championship competition which is similarly administered and financed by the national body.
The four teams who qualify for the finals weekend do so through local regional qualifying in West, North, East, and South qualifying competitions, involving thirteen Ladies County Associations and, in the case of North and Fife, the other two fully representative bodies.
Unfortunately the current position of Scottish Golf is that they have no input or influence on the qualifying events, and as such the Ayrshire Golf Association's request to enter a team in the competition over the past two years has been frustratingly by passed. The Association do not accept this position, and feel that, as owners and financers of the event that the national body should have an interest and input into the qualifying criteria and arrangements.
The Association feel that this represents a great injustice to the over 90% of women members of Ayrshire Clubs who, due to the current arrangements, do not have the opportunity to play for and represent their county in a national event, funded by the national body. This also flies in the face of recent communications from Scottish Golf promoting inclusion and opportunity for female golfers in general.
This exclusion of over 90% of women golfers in Ayrshire also extends to at least one other national competition funded by Scottish Golf. The Commonwealth Spoons competition is a women's foursomes event that sees qualifying competitions played under the auspices of the thirteen Ladies County Associations and the two other fully representative bodies, whereby the pairings in each qualifying event on both a scratch and handicap basis progress to a national final from the regional competition. Again, The Association have enquired about runing a qualifying event but indications are that this would not be possibly due to the current qualifying criteria. In short over 90% of women golfers who are members of Ayrshire clubs do not have the same opportunity to participate in this, or the County Finals competition, as the other two fully representative bodies in Scotland or the thirteen Ladies County Associations who, as far as can be ascertained in the case of the local area, represent less than 10% of women golfers from Ayrshire clubs, which appears to be justified solely on the historical qualifying criteria in place.
In the event no definitive answer was provided to the question raised by President Gilligan, but The Association are fully committed to continue to pursue the matter and ultimately provide the same competitive and representative opportunities to all women golfers who are members of The Association's member clubs, as is enjoyed by others at present, especially those who are represented by the other two fully representative regional bodies in Scotland.
At the conclusion of the question and answer session at the AGM, the formal business of the meeting was dealt with.
Alan Kilpatrick BEM was elected Chair of Scottish Golf for the next three years, while current directors Alistair Gray and Vic Skelton were re-appointed for a further three year period.
Lynne Terry was elected President of Scottish Golf for a two year period.
The Scottish Golf per capita affiliation fee sum for 2025 - 26 was agreed at £17.50, which represents no change from the current level.
