What an incredible weekend for English golf. A massive congratulations to Aaron Rai for his phenomenal performance at the PGA Championship, alongside Lottie Woad winning her second LPGA title at the Kroger Queen City Championship.
Lottie finished two shots clear of Haeran Ryu to secure the win, which has now pushed her to her highest world ranking of number 5. It is incredible to think she only turned pro last year, and how wonderful that we now have two English players in the world's top 10, the other being Charley Hull at number 7.
Seeing our homegrown talent dominate on the world stage is a massive reason to celebrate, and it might just be that you’re in the process of planning a golf celebration of your own.
Whether you’re organising a Lady Captain’s awayday, coordinating a large group outing, or mapping out an overnight weekend break with your closest friends, we all know one thing is certain - it takes an immense amount of planning.
For many years I’ve been a proud committee member of a society called SLOWE (Sexy Ladies of West Essex), made up of members from my home club. We might not look quite as sexy now as we did when we started over 30 years ago! But when our committee gets together, it’s always a good excuse to enjoy a meal, share a glass of wine and catch up on the latest gossip. Beneath the laughs, however, we take our responsibilities incredibly seriously!
We will spend ages discussing the perfect themes, brainstorming side games for after dinner, sourcing the best prizes, and figuring out formats that keep everyone happy. That's why this article resonated with me, as it provides advice on the dos and don'ts of planning a golf day. The piece is a great reminder that you simply cannot please everyone when managing a group of different skill levels and personalities, but you can prevent complaints with a proactive strategy.
It really is a good idea to have a theme that gets everyone of every age excited to join in. For our group, our dinner dress codes have included everything from a 60s night and a classic black-and-white theme to special celebrations for our silver and pearl anniversaries. The committee used to go absolutely all out - we’ve worn inflatable horse costumes at Lingfield Park, dressed up as a murder mystery cast, and even put on full singing and dancing shows. Thank God my days of rehearsing Olivia Newton-John's ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’ are firmly behind me!
When it comes to the day itself, ensure there is an element of fun and never underestimate the power of great food and plenty of snacks out on the course. Keeping everyone fed and watered is the easiest way to keep spirits high.
Until next time, happy planning and play well!
Alison Root
Women's Editor Golf Monthly
