South West Womens Golf

The History of the South West Division

Gloucestershire has been in the forefront of the Division since it was created in March 1911.  Then there was no ELGA, let alone EWGA, and it was a Divisional Sub-Committee of the LGU consisting of two representatives each from Gloucestershire, Somerset, Glamorgan, Wiltshire and Devon.  Dorset was admitted in 1912.

Meetings were held annually in Bristol until 1913 after “which everything was put in abeyance” until the end of the First World War."

The South West Championship was inaugurated in 1931 with the entry fee not to exceed 5 shillings and the first one was at Ferndown in Dorset.

Monmouthshire joined the Division in 1925 when it was decided to form the two Sub-Divisions -Glamorgan, Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire and Devon, Somerset and Dorset -- with Wiltshire, the odd one out, playing alternate years in each.  The Chairman tossed a coin to decide where Wiltshire would start and it was the North.

In 1926, Hampshire joined the S.W. Division and started to play in 1927.  At the same time it was announced that Cornwall had formed a County Association.  So Hampshire's life in the South West was short-lived because, at the 1928 AGM, it was agreed that they should return to the South East and their place was taken by Cornwall.

The winners of the sub-division County matches then played each other in a County Tie, for the honour of representing the SW at the County Finals.

In 2008 EWGA restructured the divisions and the Welsh counties joined the Welsh Golf Union.   So eight became six, the subdivisions disappeared, and the first South West Week was played at Dudsbury Golf Club in Dorset in 2008. The South West Division now comprises Gloucestershire, Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset. 

The South West committee was formed with a Chairman, Secretary and a SW Representative from each county.  The Chairman attended the EWGA meetings and relayed the information back through the SW committee which in turn relayed it back to the individual counties via their SW Rep.  They met 4 times a year at Burnham & Berrow Golf Club.  This committee was also responsible for organising and running the SW competitions.

In 2012 a major change within the management of golf took place with the merger of the EWGA and EGU into England Golf.  The South West committee was restructured.  The SW Representatives are now the voting members for their counties and attend 2 General Meetings a year plus the AGM in Woodhall Spa, the headquarters of England Golf representing the views of their counties. THey also attend Regional Meetings led by EG either on-line or in person at a venue in the region. 

The SW committee meets at least twice a year either on-line or in person normally at Burnham & Berrow GC to organise the SW Competitions and develop other competitions as appropriate .