Over the past six months and particularly over the first two months of the playing season, Match & Handicap (M&H) has been monitoring the impact of opening the Tee Sheet to Lady Members on a Saturday morning before 11.00. As part of this Tee Management Pilot, M&H has also been assessing the demand and availability of tee times to Men on a Wednesday morning.
The results of the Pilot were assessed by the Board on Wednesday 17 June and their decisions shared with, and endorsed by, the Ladies Committee on Monday 22 June. The results showed that there has been ample availability of tee times for Women and Men across each of these two days of the week. The key issue is the popularity of tee slots between 08.00 and 10.00 on these days and so, to meet the needs of all concerned, the following decisions have been taken:
Wednesdays, from 8 July 2026:
Wednesdays, from 8 July 2026:
1. The Tee Sheet shall be reserved for Ladies from 09.30-11.00 each Wednesday.
2. The Tee Sheet on a Wednesday shall be three balls only until 10.30. From 10.30-11.00, to allow for Ladies not wanting to play in a competition, we shall open the Tee Sheet to four balls.
3. Any member wishing to book a tee time before 09.30 or after 11.00 on a Wednesday, including Ladies wishing to play earlier or later in the day, will be able to do so on the Open Tee Sheet.
4. Any of the reserved tee times on a Wednesday that are not booked will be released onto the Open Tee Sheet at 09.00 on the preceding Monday.
Saturdays, from 4 July 2026:
1. Pilot conditions on a Saturday will be made permanent from 4 July 2026 except for:
- Men's Championship Qualifiers when the Tee Sheet will be restricted, with Ladies able to book a tee time from 11.00. There is one remaining Men's Qualifier this season on Saturday 4 July.
- The Men's Christmas Cracker. This is a Shotgun start so the Tee Sheet will be closed to other members for the duration of the competition.
2. Ladies Championship Qualifying Saturday Medals will be held on the same day as the Gents' Qualifiers next year and the tee will be reserved for Ladies playing in the Qualifiers from 12.00-13.00. The Tee Sheet will be reviewed on the preceding Thursday at 09.00 and any unallocated tee times from this reserved hour slot will be released onto the Open Tee Sheet.
In Summary:
On a Wednesday, if you wish to play before 09.30 or after 11.00, you will be able to do so but the tee sheet will not be reserved. Please note that the tee sheet opens at 07.00 on the preceding Wednesdays and Saturdays for tee bookings.
If you wish to play in the reserved tee slot, then your booking must be made before 09.00 on the preceding Monday when the unallocated tee times will be released to other members.
There will be five Saturdays in the year when Ladies playing rights will be restricted to after 11.00. Ladies wishing to play in any of the four Saturday Championship Qualifiers, which will fall on the same day as the Men's Championship Qualifiers, will have the opportunity to book within an hour's Reserved Tee Slot from 12.00-13.00. The reserved tee times will be available until 09.00 on the preceding Thursday when the any unallocated tee times will be released to other members.
In Closing:
I appreciate that this new arrangement will take time to get used to and that each of us will need help and support in adjusting to the new protocols. By looking out for our friends, reminding each other to book our tee time in good time each week, we will quickly adapt and continue to thrive.
In setting out to represent you through this Pilot Review, as your Lady Captain, I was determined to serve both our community of Wednesday golfers and our hopefully growing group of Lady Members on a Saturday. My hope is that you find this new arrangement a gentle and enabling compromise.
If you have any questions, or would like to talk through the new arrangements, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Thank you for your continued support.
Yours aye,
Eleanor Stewart
07768 647916
