It is a huge honour and privilege to be elected as Gosforth Golf Club’s Lady Captain 2025-26.

I have supported the club for nearly 40 years and I have a strong affiliation with members past and present. My parents were members before me, Billy and Joan Ogden, my dad was the Seniors Secretary long ago and I feel I have followed in his footsteps. I have been a regular member of the committee for over thirty years and I’ve supported many Captains through their term in office. I am proud to serve as Lady Captain and promise to conduct myself with peaceful integrity throughout the coming year.

My registered charity will be the RSPCA. This charity is close to my heart, my husband Phil and I have travelled worldwide and we’ve seen how conservation projects and animal charities can improve the environment which is crucial these days. I feel it is really important to treat our animals with love and respect. The RSPCA inspires to create a better world for every animal and strives to ensure animal welfare by changing laws, industries and minds or simply taking action to stop animal cruelty or neglect. I strongly support everything they do locally and nationally, they have improved millions of animal’s lives but they face new challenges every year and need our help.

Thank you all in advance for supporting my charity this year and I wish you all a very successful golfing season going forward.

The Ladies’ Section of the Club was formed shortly after the Club was established.The welcome offered to lady members in the early 1900’s set the Club apart from many other clubs at that time and this has continued through to the present day.

The Ladies' Section is a growing and vibrant part of the golf club. The Section extends a warm welcome to players of all abilities, and whether a novice or a seasoned handicapper, Gosforth Golf Club is a friendly and beautiful place to play golf.

The Ladies play competitions on Sundays and Tuesdays. Nine hole competitions are played throughout the year to encourage those who are new to the game or who have less time to spare. Social mixed competitions and mixed trophy competitions are held in the summer.

Two Ladies’ Open Competitions are held each year in May and September. These Opens are very popular and well attended by members and visitors alike. The ladies have an “Away Day” every year normally in August which is always well attended and a great day out.

We are proud to have three teams entered in the local leagues playing in the 2nd, 4th and 6th divisions. In addition we also have a team entered in the Evening League which is played over 9 holes and is ideal for those who find it difficult to play during the day. The Ladies' Section also takes part in the knock-out Percy competitions organised by the NLCGA every year.

We are very proud of the Get into Golf programme for girls and women organised by our professional Chris Matthews which has been very successful in supporting women through their learning and building confidence to play on the course and become members of the Golf Club. We organise monthly informal competitions between the new players to promote an element of competition and fun into the game and this is followed by tea and cake back in the club house.

If you decide to join us we will appoint a lady member to introduce you to other members and if you are new to the game she will be able to mentor you through the game and rules etc. and take you out on the course. There is regular communication by email and using social media between members of the Ladies' Section so that everyone is kept fully informed.

We had a wonderful day for the ladies Club Championships 2025 and a huge congratulations to everyone who participated with fantastic support from referees and caddies. Thanks to the Greens staff who had the course looking good despite recent lack of rain. The winner of the Club Championship 2025 was Sarah Phillips and the runner up was Lillibeth Ratcliffe. The two semi-finalists were Ashley Kent and Lynne Liddle. Huge congratulations to you all and the Ladies Section is proud to have such wonderful examples of sportsmanship, camaraderie and superb golf within their ranks!

The new silver trophy was won by Di Brett who beat Debbie Reape in a tightly contested match. The Bronze trophy was won by Helen Cleland who beat Jan Langan and the High Bronze competition went all the way to the 18th where Barbara Williamson beat Annette Storr in a very tight match.

Well done everyone!

Captains Prize (best overall net) - Kirsty Balfour
Silver - Winner Lilibeth Ratcliffe
Bronze – Winner & Captain’s Salver Holly Mathews
High Bronze - Winner Pauline Robertson
Best Gross - Melanie Garland
Silver - Runner-up - Leanne Sidney
Bronze - Runner-up - Sheila Macphail
High Bronze - Runner-up Yvonne Steane
Past Captain’s Prize (Mary McChlery) - Fiona Thoburn
9-Hole Winner Eileen - Bushby
Best front nine - Julia Brown
Best back nine - Annette Storr

Fun Competitions
PAR 3s Best Gross
Silver - Lilibeth Ratcliffe
Bronze - Susan Taylor
High Bronze - Yvonne Steane

Nearest the pin (5th)
Silver - Jill Dowson
Bronze - Jackie Watson
High Bronze - Fiona Twaddle

Longest drive (18th)
Silver - Sarah Phillips
Bronze - Alice Marshall
High Bronze - Annette Storr

Drive nearest the line (7th) - Vivien Twaddle
Putting winner - Pat Pringle

Congratulations to our Club Champion 2024 Lillibeth Ratcliffe and the runner up was Melanie Garland with Sarah Phillips and Jill Dowson as semi-finalists

The Bronze trophy was won by Ashley Kent with Fiona Williams as runner up.

The High Bronze trophy was won by Ann Cammozzi with Jill Chaplin as runner up.

Thank you to all the players, their caddies and to all the ladies who came along to support.

There was much fun and laughter on Captains Day even if the weather was a bit inclement. The photos demonstrate the camaraderie in the ladies section.

A commitment to a more inclusive culture within golf we, Gosforth Golf Club call on everyone involved in golf to play their part in developing a culture that values women’s involvement in every aspect of the sport, from participating to pursuing a career.

• Our aim is to increase the number of women and girls playing and working in golf.
• To achieve this goal and to enable women to flourish throughout golf, we recognise the need for a fundamental shift in culture. There is a clear ethical need for change and the potential economic benefits of growing the sport through more women and girls playing are substantial.
• The R&A commits to playing a leading role in this process and to working with affiliates, partners and the wider golf industry towards achieving this goal.
• In signing this Charter, we Gosforth Golf Club commit to making tangible efforts to develop a welcoming and inspiring environment for women. We will do more to attract women into golf, to remain, and to have rewarding careers.

The Charter:
- Is a statement of intent from the golf industry and Gosforth Golf Club, to unite and to focus gender balance at all levels
- Commits us all to supporting measures to increase the number of women, girls and families playing golf
- Calls for positive action to encourage women to pursue careers in all areas of the sport
- Recognises the need for change that creates an inclusive environment within golf and our golf club

Signatories commit to activate this Charter by:
- Developing and implementing an internal strategy for enhancing gender balance at every level
- Establishing senior management responsibility and accountability for gender balance and inclusion, which is discussed and reviewed at committee/board level with Gosforth Golf Club
- Strongly advocating more women and girls playing and working in golf.
- Working with key stakeholders to develop and embed a more inclusive culture.
- Promoting the Charter and our goal of encouraging more women and girls to play golf and work in golf.

How we at Gosforth Golf Club plan to achieve this
1. Deliver two initiatives annually commencing April and August targeting women/girls and families that are aligned with key England Golf campaigns and monitor performance based on these initiatives
2. Promote a membership pathway, for women/girls and families to progress within the club by introducing an academy style membership
3. Have designated Champions/Mentors within the club who can assist and support new participants and members to assist in achieving their goals
4. To achieve and maintain 30% female representation on our Board of Directors by actively promoting these positions linked to appropriate role descriptors that are not gender specific by being specific in our recruitment process.
5. To become a SafeGolf accredited club and ensure policies and procedures remain up to date by recruiting the right people who are committed to achieving these goals.
6. Appoint a designated Charter Champion within the club who can assist with the promotion and reporting of the charter

Charter Champion: Ashley Kent