NancyThorne
Ladies Captain Glen Golf Club
8th May 2010

Dear Ladies,
The object of this letter is twofold, first to update you on matters concerning the Ladies section and the second to invite you to offer feedback and suggestions for improvements within the Ladies section aimed at both retaining our current members and encouraging potential new members.

ONLINE COMPETITION ENTRIES
Entries for most competitions can now be done on line, via the Glen golf club web site at www.glengolfclub.co.uk. The process is very straightforward and instructions can be found on the web site in the Members section. All that is needed is your 4 digit ID number (membership number) and your PIN which can be obtained from Rita. You can also enter competitions using the computer in the Clubhouse, or by phoning the Committee member on duty to book you in. For the time being, both systems will be available for competition entry. However, we hope that everyone will become accustomed to using the online system fairly quickly, so that we can do away with using paper entry sheets, currently displayed in the Ladies Locker room, in the near future. Entries for fun competitions, Winter & Summer Foursomes and the Dickson Trophy will continue to be paper-based, with sheets pinned up on the notice boards as normal.

SUMMER OUTING
This year's Ladies Summer Outing is to Magdalene Fields Gold Club in Berwick Upon Tweed, on Sunday 8th August, with teams of3 playing in the Club's Open Ladies Texas Scramble. This will be a great fun opportunity to enjoy the banter, a quiz and a sing song on the group bus - and of course we get to play golf too! Details are to be posted on the Ladies locker room notice board shortly - put your name up early to be sure of a place!

FRIENDLY MATCHES
Sheets have been put up in the Ladies locker room with details of up and coming friendly matches. Please can I encourage everyone - if they not already done so - to put their names up, for an opportunity to play other courses and enjoy their hospitality. These events also give us an opening to encourage visiting ladies to join the Glen.

ON COURSE TOILET
The Ladies Committee has raised its concerns with the Club's Management Team about the state of the on-course toilet - an issue that has been raised a number of times by lady members and visitors alike. We have been assured that this issue will be sorted out and arrangements put in place to ensure the toilet is cleaned on a regular basis.

SUGGESTIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS
The Ladies Committee would welcome your thoughts and suggestions about how The Glen Golf club can improve what it has to offer for ladies. It would be really helpful if you could let us have your thoughts in response to the points below - the questions are posed with the overall aim to retaining lady members, encouraging lady new ladies to join whilst achieving best value for money and improve the Glen Experience:-

 1.  Ladies Open Day - it has been suggested that we might have a Ladies Open Day to encourage
new members to join, for a one off fee of £1 0.00 to tryout the course.
* What do you think ofthis idea?
* Can anyone add to this suggestion to improve it or think of other incentives to aid recruitment?
* Ladies Social Members - can they be converted to playing members?
* Might the offer of free lessons to social members encourage them to take up the game?

 2.  Current lady Members - though there are around 80 full lady members, only a core of
approximately 30 ladies play at most medals and in competitions.
* Why do some ladies not play?
* What changes would the ladies like to see, which would encourage them to play?
* What do you like and what don't you like about the Glen?
* What can be done to improve the Glen?
• Should there be fewer medals in the year - playing our obligatory 7 in the better weather and having fun competitions instead throughout the Winter months, which don't affect our handicaps?

 3.  Club sustainability - as with most clubs the Glen has been affected by the recent recession and though things are on an upturn, it is important that the Club remains sustainable whilst offering good value. There is a huge demand for Visitor times on a Saturday and understandably this is a big. contributor to the C1ub-income,ana·-tllough there must be a healtllY balan~e for the members, the following options have been suggested. We'd welcome your thoughts on:-
* Instead of the current system of morning and afternoon competition slots, ladies might instead all play at one time of the day. This would allow bigger visiting parties to be able go out in a group. Would this change be acceptable to the ladies?
* Midweek medals - whilst clearly not an option for some ladies who work during the week, this might make it possible, as is done at some other clubs, to allow ladies to take part who might otherwise be unable to play in competitions Would this be a development which would encourage you to play more?
* Mixed medals on a Sunday afternoon?
* Could we be more pro active in encouraging ladies to join the Glen on the day of the Colonel Weir Ladies Open competition? And what incentives might we use?

SUMMARY
It is the aim ofthe Ladies Committee to provide the best possible service for Glen Lady Members, and your feedback and suggestions are very important in this process. Please send any responses or suggestions to me bye-mail at ceo(a),lbcadets.org, or talk to any member of the committee. We are very keen to hear your views on the points above, and on any other ideas you may have.
Wishing you all a very happy golfing season

Nancy