Ladies’ Golf Captain’s Blog

I’m very sorry to report that Inge Hopkinson has passed away. When I joined Roehampton Club, Inge was a fixture at the Club, playing golf, croquet and bridge. She and her late husband John had been Members since 1990, although poor health forced her to withdraw from Club life in the past few years. The ladies’ golf section sends our deepest sympathy to her family.

A huge congratulations to all the players who have represented Roehampton Club over the past few months in the various team knockout events.

Pearson Squad

Having won the Surrey Cup, the Pearson squad headed to Princes Golf Club in Sandwich to compete for the Pearson Salver against clubs representing Kent, Middlesex and Hertfordshire. In the morning round, Roehampton Club faced the host county Kent, represented by Nizels Golf Club. The matches were very close, but unfortunately, we lost four of the first six matches, and although the seventh match was dormy and looked like it would have been won, it was not enough to see the team through to the afternoon finals. It was some consolation that Kent went on to victory and were named champions.

All the ladies who participated in the Pearson season are to be congratulated. In a nine-month season that began on 20th October, twenty two different players combined to defeat the Richmond Golf Club, Malden Golf Club, Walton Heath Golf Club, Betchworth Park Golf Club, Worplesdon Golf Club and the Leatherhead Club.  Captain Liz Collins and the entire squad of players and caddies should be incredibly proud of their achievement. We wish them a well-deserved break before they get back to work in September!

Centenary Bowl

The Centenary Bowl team were unfortunately defeated by Royal Wimbledon Golf Club in the quarter finals of the competition. The squad made a strong showing to get that far, defeating Bramley Golf Club, Croham Hurst Golf Club and Hindhead Golf Club along the way. They will now enter the Plate competition.

Hicks Trophy Plate competition

Squad stalwarts Lorna Robey and Jane Peel were joined by Hyun-Ji Kim, Laura Weatherill and Hannah Li to sweep the board at home against Coombe Hill Golf Club. This decisive victory sees the team through to the semi-finals of the plate competition, with their opponents still to be announced.

Australian Spoons

Catherine Cooper and Caroline Leslie travelled to Haywards Heath Golf Club to play in the South Region final of the England Golf Australian Spoons, after qualifying through our club competition in March. They scored a very respectable 36 points, which saw them finish an impressive tenth out of 53 pairs. Congratulations to them both for representing Roehampton Club so well.

Competitions

The Yellow Ball Competition held on 26th July was met with laughs and groans. As always seems to be the case, ladies reported playing beautifully with their own ball, and then falling into a panic when it was their turn to hold the coloured one.  Regardless, everyone seemed to have fun, which was always the point. Three teams managed to hold their nerve, resulting in a three-way tie at the top. Congratulations to:

1 Lindy Evans, Shirley Keane and Jenny Gaskin (c/b)
2 Marion Tamblyn, Lou Lou Van Geuns and Keh Smith (c/b)
3 Tricia Morgan, Jackie Beedle and Caroline Fairnie (c/b)

There were some fantastic scores in the Stableford on 2nd August. Fiona Pollard came in with an amazing 42 points which included a birdie on the notoriously difficult eighth hole. Also a round of applause to Harriet Prince, a lovely Junior Member, for not only joining the ladies competition but winning the Bronze division.  Congratulations to:

Division 1:

1 Fiona Pollard (42)
2 Vivien Harris (38 c/b)
3 Annette Kjeldsen (38)

Division 2:

1 Harriet Prince (41)
2 Gunilla Huldt (37 c/b)
3 Caroline Fairnie (37)

Surrey events

Please note that registration for the Surrey Winter Knockouts is now open – Entry forms are available online on the SLCGA website by clicking on the Events tab and then September.

The entries for the Super Seniors (+65) on 15^th September at The Drift Golf Club are still open, as well as for the Autumn Meeting on 29^th September at Betchworth Park Golf Club.

Penalty Areas (Rule 17)

There are two types of Penalty Areas on the golf course, delineated by either red or yellow stakes.  If the colour of the penalty area has not been marked or indicated by the Committee, it is treated as a red penalty area.

A ball may be played as it lies in a penalty area without penalty.  However, if the player wants to take relief, there are slight differences between how it is done depending on the colour of the stakes.

For a ball in either a red or yellow penalty area, the player has two options:

1. Stroke-and-distance relief. The player may play her ball from where the previous stroke was made;
2. Back-On-The-Line-Relief. The player may her ball in a relief area that is based on a reference line going straight back from the hole through the estimated point where the original ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area;

For a ball in a red penalty area, the player has this further option:

1. Lateral Relief. When the ball last crossed the edge of a red penalty area, the player may drop her ball two club lengths from the estimated point where the original ball last crossed the edge of the red penalty area. The drop point must not be closer to the hole but otherwise may be in any direction.

If a player’s ball has not been found but it is known or virtually certain that the ball came to rest in a penalty area, the player may take relief as outlined above.  Once the player puts another ball in play in this way, the original ball may not be played if it is subsequently spotted.  However, if it is not known or virtually certain that the ball came to rest in a penalty area, the player must take stroke and distance relief, going back to the spot of the original shot and incurring a one stroke penalty.

Please note the difference between a ball that has entered a penalty area, marked by red or yellow stakes, and one in an area of Abnormal Course Conditions, such as GUR, marked by blue stakes.  For GUR, there is no penalty, however the relief is only one club length, in any direction not closer to the hole, from the nearest point of relief (the point closest to where the ball entered the area, and where the abnormal condition does not interfere with swing, stance or lie). The player may not take back-on-the-line relief, unless she decides to call her ball unplayable and take a penalty.

Patricia Morgan, Ladies’ Golf Captain