Thanks to everyone who helped make the flower demonstration such a success. We raised £570 for club funds which is really great considering the haste with which the venue was changed. I'm grateful to everyone who contributed their time to ensure that the evening went with a swing. Thanks to the committee for all the jobs that they undertook and also a special thank you to Tracey who managed to get the use of the Sedgefield Community College which was a great location. Naturally the greatest thanks have to go Mildred who came up with yet more beautiful arrangements to amaze us.

I have been in discussions with Duncan at Hall Garth regarding the future of the section and so far these have gone quite well and in the main have been positive. Naturally, some of the queries that we have come up with need to go back to the owners for their consideration, but it looks like there will be no problem with the team matches and the Stables bar will become the new golfers area with revamped prices for meals etc.. We will see the start of this work in the new year as equipment and staff arrive from Mount Oswald which closes at the end of the month.

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you a very happy Christmas and all the best for 2014.

Many thanks to Margaret Russell for arranging a great Turkey Trot at Knotty Hill. The wind made the course tricky (to say the least), but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves (especially the ginger drink which was just what the doctor ordered when we came in from the cold). The food was excellent (in particular Kay's mince pies) - Congratulations to all the winners!

The results of the ballot to decide the future location of the section were announced today. There were 13 votes for Hall Garth, 6 for Oak Leaf and 3 people indicated that they would not play at either course. I shall therefore be contacting Hall Garth with the view to arranging a meeting with them to discuss our "requirements" to see whether we think we could make it work there for a year. I will keep you posted as soon as I have any news to report. In the meantime I will try to book tee times at Hall Garth for the next couple of Sundays.

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the flower show on Tuesday.

Week 4 of "Woodham's Winter Tour" was played at Oak Leaf and yet again the weather was very kind. I cannot believe that we have managed to get through these last 4 weekends without getting soaking wet or cold. A committee meeting will be held tomorrow night and one of the items to be discussed is to decide the fairest way to canvass the opinion of the members regarding where they would like to play in the future.

Next week is the Turkey Trot and this has been arranged by Margaret Russell and is being held at Knotty Hill - further details can be found on the Social Events page.

Don't forget to keep selling those flower show tickets.

Week 3 of "Woodham's Winter Tour" was played at Hall Garth. The weather wasn't quite so kind today but luckily we did not get too wet (especially as I was playing 18 holes). Some of the tee boxes had been moved forward and this made the course quite a bit shorter which improved the scores no end. Tracey managed a magnificent 41 points so I suppose it may have been made a bit too easy as it will play quite a bit shorter in the summer.

Please keep selling Flower Show tickets as it would be great to see a lot of people attending Mildred's last demonstration for us.

Week 2 of "Woodham's Winter Tour" was played in glorious sunshine at Oak Leaf. I must say that we have been really lucky with the weather these past two Sunday's and have now seen Hall Garth and Oak Leaf in probably their best winter conditions. Next week we will be back at Hall Garth and the consensus for 1st December was to play at Oak Leaf rather than trying out Norsk Hydro when we were unlikely to settle their due to the lack of facilities available. Please let me know if you want your names adding to the list for the 1st December game. Don't forget the Turkey Trot on the 8th December is being played at Knotty Hill (Margaret Russell is taking names for this).

A committee meeting has been arranged for Monday 2nd December to discuss the arrangements for the Turkey Trot and Flower Evening, as well as progress so far on the Woodham Tour. Please let me have your feedback so that it can be added into the discussion at the meeting. Under these circumstances there is no need for an official letter to committee, just let me know how you think things are going so that we can make any changes necessary to make things work better. I know I can't bring Woodham back at the moment - you know I would if I could. I'm afraid at this time we are just going to have to make the best of the options that we have available to us. So any ideas to make it less painful will be gratefully received.

In the meantime if you could sell lots of Flower Show tickets that would be great!

Many thanks to everyone who turned up to clear the locker room yesterday and take items home with them. It was very sad to see the room empty, and I suppose you don't realise how much it had become our home until it is no longer available. Never mind, I'm sure that everyone will keep the items safe until we find a new location.

Our first week of "Woodham's Winter Tour" saw us at Hall Garth. The weather was glorious (albeit a trifle cold first thing) and I think everyone enjoyed the challenge of playing a new course - it wasn't as easy as I thought it was gong to be that's for sure!

I have spoken to Bob Fleming who is the leader of Great Aycliffe Town Council and was one of the founder members of Woodham. He says that he will organise the free tickets for us to play at Oak Leaf next Sunday. Of course they would love us to join them as the only lady member they have currently is Steph Peareth.

Please let me know if you want your names adding to the list for golf over the next couple of weeks. We have booked to play at Hall Garth again on November 24th (first tee time is at 10:00). We are still waiting to hear from Norsk Hydro as to whether we can get a game there on the 1st December. Don't forget the Turkey Trot on the 8th December at Knotty Hill (Margaret Russell is taking names for this).

The feedback from presentation evening has been positive and looking at the pictures it looks like everyone enjoyed themselves! Thanks especially to Margaret Russell and Pat for all their help in setting up the room and working like mad behind the scenes. Also to Mildred who provided floral arrangements despite the fact that she was organising Harry's Mum's 90th birthday celebrations, to Deb for organising the music and Lis for taking some great photographs.

Firstly, let me apologise if I have not responded to your emails and messages. I have received feedback from the round of golf held at Hall Garth today which seems quite positive, but with everything else that has been going on it been impossible to respond individually to everyone.

The arrangements for Presentation Evening are coming along - details of the menu are on the social events page. I have had choices from most people but for those that haven't please respond by email before noon tomorrow when I need to let the the hotel know (otherwise I'll have to choose for you).

If anyone has not got their name down for golf over the next two week please let me know and I'll add you to the lists.

You will have had your letter from RMT confirming the email that I read out at the meeting on Tuesday. Therefore I’d be grateful if you could let me know whether you are available to help clear out the locker room and/or store some of the section’s belongings until we find a new home.

Committee met this morning to discuss the future of the ladies section of Woodham Golf Club.  It was agreed unanimously that we do not want to see the end of the section and that there was an appetite to explore a number of different options and models for operating the section and our competitions going forward.

One of the most important aspects of what was discussed was the need to keep all members informed to ensure everyone is kept in the loop and knows of all the activities that are going on. Therefore each Committee member now has a number of “golf buddies” to contact to ensure that this happens.  In addition I will keep the web site as up to date as possible and send out regular email bulletins.

The first important thing is to seek the views of members on some of these options and therefore there will be a meeting on Tuesday 5th November at 6:30pm at the offices of livin, Farrell House, Arlington Way, DurhamGate, Spennymoor DL16 6NL. An email will be sent giving directions.

The next important piece of information is to let you know that Presentation Night will still go ahead as planned this Friday (8th November) but to take place in the Brafferton Suite at Hall Garth Hotel, Coatham Mundeville, DL1 3LU at 7 for 7:30pm.  I will circulate the menu at the meeting on Tuesday and by email, but obviously I will need to know whether you intend to come by Wednesday so that I can let the hotel know numbers and menu choices. The cost will be limited to £12.00 for those attending with the section subsidising the remainder of the cost.

A courtesy round of golf has been generously offered to us by Hall Garth hotel for Wednesday morning (6th November) at 10:30am.  Anyone wishing to play should contact Barbara Robinson as soon as possible please.

We are also in the throes of organising golf for Sunday mornings thereafter – this will be discussed on Tuesday evening at the meeting but if you are unable to attend and wish to play next Sunday (10th November) please contact me for further details.

From the phone calls and emails I have received since last Wednesday I know how much the ladies section means to everyone. Please rest assured that the committee and I are working as hard and as quickly as we can to find a way through this sad situation to ensure that we have a future.

You have probably all heard that Woodham Golf Club was closed this afternoon as the Directors had decided to take action to commence liquidation proceedings and it will be closed until further notice. All the staff have been made redundant (including the green keeping staff) and Ernie was given the opportunity to remove his stock from the shop. At this time we are unable to gain access to the clubhouse or the course.

The ladies committee will meet on Sunday at 10:30am at our house to discuss where we go from here and I expect that we will call a meeting of all the lady members for some time next week or early the week after at a location to be confirmed to go through our thoughts and to listen to yours.

In the meantime, it is suggested that you may wish to cancel your standing orders.

According to the notice on the clubhouse door, members who have personal belongings at the club will be contacted by mail during the week ending 7th November 2013 to allow these to be collected.

At the moment I cannot see it being possible to re-organise an alternative venue for presentation night at such short notice, but I will keep everyone informed of the plans.

Naturally I am very sad that it has come to this and I’d like to take this opportunity of thanking you all for your support over the past year and I will continue to work as hard as I can to keep the section alive. Although we may not currently have a course to play on, the consensus of opinion from the many of you that I’ve spoken to tonight is that we do still have a ladies section.

It looks like David will not open the clubhouse on a Tuesday evening just for our AGM. Therefore we are proposing to change the date to the following Monday (18th November) and start the meeting at 6:30 in order to complete the AGM and committee meeting before the quiz people arrive at around 8pm. This will all be confirmed at the weekend.

Our good wishes go to Keith Robinson who had a minor heart attack last week. He is back at home recovering and we all hope that he will be fit enough to go on his trip to Australia with Flo next month.

A very sad week with the funerals of both Maura's Mum and Terry's Mum - our thoughts are with both families at this difficult time. We have sent flowers on behalf of the Ladies Section and there is a lovely thank-you card from Terry in the locker room and she has asked me to pass on a message from her thanking us so much for the beautiful flowers and the kind thoughts which were very much appreciated.

Today saw the first game of the Winter League and yesterday we were at Castle Eden to find out the teams that we have been drawn against in the Afternoon and Evening League matches. The afternoon team have been draw to play against Heworth, Whickham, Consett and Wearside. The evening team are playing Heworth, Hartlepool, Chester-le-Street and Houghton-le-Spring (somehow or other we managed to avoid South Moor much to Maggie's delight!). I have put the dates of the matches on the web set, but please be aware that these still need to be confirmed. In the meantime if you are arranging Open Days then it would be helpful to avoid match days to give us the opportunity of having as many people as possible available to play.

Today saw the final game of the summer season and we all got soaked (I suppose we will have to start getting used to the bad weather now). As all of the summer fixtures have now been completed the winners of the competitions that run through the season have been worked out - my thanks to Pat and the rest of the Internal Comps Team for their hard work in keeping all the scores throughout the summer months.

I think that most people are aware that sadly both Maura's Mum and Terry's Mum passed away last week. The funeral for Maura’s Mum is on Monday at 10:30 at St John Fisher, Sedgefield and Terry’s Mum is on Tuesday at 13:15 at the Wear Valley Crematorium in Coundon DL14 8NR.

Well it was the last singles game of the summer season today - I don't know where the time has gone as the year seems to have flown by. I therefore need to collect in all the trophies to get them engraves in time for the Presentation Evening on Friday 8th November. I would be grateful if you could give the trophies directly to me (not leaving them in the locker room) so I can ensure that they don't go missing. The sign up sheet for the event will be put up in the locker room this week now that the menu has finally been agreed.

Another thing that has to be arranged at the end of the golfing year is the AGM. We are looking for volunteers to come onto the committee and I'd be grateful if those whose time has been served would be willing to stand again. The section cannot function without a strong committee to ensure that all the competitions are organised and the club can continue to function - so if you would like to help out then please let Margaret Russell or myself know.

Terry's mum has been taken into hospital seriously ill and it looks like she may not pull through - Our thoughts are with Terry, Geoff and the rest of the family at this very difficult time.

Many congratulations go to Janice and Tracey on a fine win of the first playing of the Dennis Robinson Memorial Trophy (I hope Tracey's Mum is still reading this web site).

The men have been unable to organise a team for the Woodham Spoon match that was due to take place on Saturday and therefore the game has been cancelled - Thank you to everyone who signed up for my team.

I had an email from Rebecca to say that Troy had come 3rd out of 13 teams in their match in Louisiana. Rebecca finished 9th out of 69 and as she came in the top ten she has been selected to play in their next match in Florida on the 14th October.

Many congratulations to Liz Nelson who won the Gross prize in the Senior Ladies Championship and to Chris Quinn who won the net prize.

Thanks to everyone who took part in the Macmillan Spoon event a few weeks ago. We donated £65 in total to a very worthy cause (the entry fees were augmented by a donation from the section) and have received a thank you letter and the spoon to present at prize giving. Talking of which, the list of prize winners is on the notice board in the locker room for people to choose whether they want a voucher or goblet. I would be very grateful if you could return all trophies directly to me - please do not leave them in the locker room or the glass cabinets as its so easy for them to get lost.

Lists are on the board for the exchange day with Richmond at Woodham on Tuesday 1st October and the Woodham Spoon on Saturday 5th October (who said the season was coming to an end!). Please sign up asap so that we can organise the draw for these events.

Apparently the Woodham Ladies website is read throughout the world! I knew that Pat's Dad often looked to see how we were doing but we are truly international as we have another reader from much further afield in Australia. So "G'day" down under to Tracey's Mum, you can be very proud as Tracey won today's competition. I'm hoping that Rebecca is also looking at the site occasionally. She emailed me to say that she had got into the college team to play a match in Louisiana that starts tomorrow. So I'm sure that you'll join with me to wish her all the best.

Well I supposed it had to happen at some point and the weather forecast for today was truly dreadful. However, despite our misgivings 6 of us set off in very blustery conditions. The first few holes were not too bad, but by the time we got the the 7th it had started to rain quite hard - great I thought, that's perfect timing - we'll come off at the 9th!! About 5 minutes later the skies cleared and the rain and wind stopped. So we carried on down the 10th and although the wind was very blustery and there was rain in the air we managed to get the round finished without getting soaked - anyway that's my long winded excuse for a rather high scoring round and the first time this year that the competition has been "reduction only"!

Good Luck to all the Senior Ladies who are playing in their Championship on Wednesday.

What a lovely sunny day - much better than the forecast and from the good scores in the games today it was apparent that everyone enjoyed the weather. I have to say that Pat and I were very pleased the win the trophies that she donated in the year 2000. It doesn't seem possible, but looking at the record it appears that it is 10 years since we won them previously - if you had asked I would have said 5 years ago - how time flies.

Many congratulations to Norma who won the golf at Catterick on Monday in rather blustery conditions.

It doesn't seem possible that it is September already and the schools are back next week - where did the summer go?

The format of the Dennis Robinson Trophy on 29th September has now been decided by Barbara - it will be a pairs Texas Scramble (Stableford). For those of you who signed up on the original sheet some names have been transferred to the new list (the obvious pairings), but this leave a few players who signed the original list who will need to sort themselves out with a partner. The list is also up in the locker room for the Woodham Spoon on Saturday 5th October - I'd be grateful for all the support I can get for the Lady Captain's Team.

Many congratulations to both Thomlinson teams who did really well today at Heworth.

The silver team of Margaret Nisbet and Tracey Hahn beat Barnard Castle 2 up in the second round (following a brilliant tee shot by Tracey on the par 4 18th that reached the green) but lost to Beamish in the third round. The bronze team of Roz Railton and Barbara Robinson beat Boldon 5 & 4 before losing to Billingham in the afternoon game.

Well done and many thanks to the players and their caddies who had a very long day and did Woodham proud. Getting through to the last 8 in the competition in both divisions is a really magnificent achievement.

As predicted its been a busy week. Many congratulations to Margaret Nisbet and Tracey Hahn who beat Billingham  5&4 in the Thomlinson Cup Silver Division. Meanwhile Roz Railton and Barbara Robinson had a much tighter game but managed to beat Seaham on the final green to go through to the next stage of the Bronze division competition. The next matches are being played at Heworth on Wednesday (28th) with the Silver team playing Barnard Castle and the Bronze team playing against Boldon. We wish both team good luck for the morning matches and hope that they get through to play in the third round in the afternoon.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the Invitation Day (my prayer mat worked well as the weather was glorious). Congratulations to Janice Blakey and her partner who won a very tight game with 42 points from Margaret Nisbet and Barbara Robinson who with their respective partners both came in with 41 points. My thanks to Barbara and Maggie for sorting things out prior to the event, and to Janice and Margaret Russell who helped on the day checking cards, selling raffle tickets and collecting money. We had a very nice meal after the games and so I have asked David to come up with a menu for presentation evening which will be held at the golf club - full details will follow.

Many congratulations to Steph Storry who won the Golightly Putter with a net 66 - happy new handicap of 14.5!!

We have decided to cancel the Edmenson Trophy as it clashes with the Hadwick Live concert that a number of members are going to. The trophies will be presented to the lady and gent with the best Stableford score during the Woodham Spoon Competition.

It looks like there is another busy week ahead. Margaret Nisbet and Tracey Hahn are representing Woodham in the Thomlinson Cup Silver Division against Billingham whilst Roz Railton and Barbara Robinson are our Bronze team playing against Seaham. Both matches are being played at Darlington Golf Club on Wednesday. Our Invitation Day is being held on Thursday (I have my prayer mat out again in the hope that the weather will be kind). We then have our normal Sunday competition followed by the Mixed Mixed is on Bank Holiday Monday.

Harry Stafford came out of hospital on Tuesday and has asked that his thanks is passed on to everyone for the cards and good wishes that he has received.

Another busy week - Many thanks to everyone who helped at the Ladies Open on Wednesday. I'm very thankful that the weather was kind and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. I believe that we will have raised over £300 on the day which is a good boost to the coffers. Congratulations to Margaret Russell, Barbara Robinson, Maggie Brown and Linda Luke who were the winners of the Woodham prize with 98 points.

Liz Nelson played in the May Lowery/Callers final at Whitburn on Friday, although she was not in the prizes I'm sure you would like to join me in thanking her for representing the club.

I'm sure that you will also wish Harry Stafford all the best after his operation this week. We have sent a card to him and hope that he has a speedy recovery and manages to get back out on the golf course before the winter weather sets in.

Back to our normal summer weather this weekend - just a bit windy to make conditions tricky (although not as bad as at St Andrews for the British Ladies Open). Natasha, Liz and Steph managed to defeat the field by a huge 11 shot margin to win the Three Man Team event today - many congratulations to them.

Well, we must be coming towards the end of the season (I've no idea where the time has gone) as the Sivewright team played their last match this week and had a good win at home against Bishop Auckland (3-2). The match went to the final hole in the last match out on the course. Although it may seem like the season is drawing to a close now that all the team matches have finished, there are still plenty of games to be played. There are lists up in the locker room for Invitation Day, the Senior Championship, Mixed/Mixed and the County Vets lunch - please sign up in good time as this helps greatly when organising these events.

Liz Nelson played in the May Lowery final at South Moor this week and came third (only 1 shot behind the winner). So Liz now goes forward to play in the May Lowery/Callers combined final at Whitburn on Friday 9th August. I sure that you wish to join me in congratulating Liz on a great performance and wish her all the best at Whitburn.

How strange - there was some wet stuff falling from the sky this morning!! Unfortunately it put pay to the golf as the course was closed due to waterlogged greens. Therefore the Dennis Mullen trophy will be played for on 1st September (instead of the "Yellow Peril"). The Captain's Trophy will also be played for on this date and is open to all Past Captains, the current Captain and Vice Captain.

We had a great Woodham Waywards trip to Hollins Hall this week - many thanks to Janice who dealt with all the booking arrangements with the hotel. The weather was much kinder (perhaps a bit too warm on Wednesday as its quite a hilly course) and there was some great golf played especially on the second day when we played a scramble - the winning score was 55 points!! For a list of all the winners please see the social events page.

The Evening League team played their last match this week and had a win at home against Chester-le-Street. Liz and Natasha represented Woodham in the Coronation Foursomes at Durham City and Maggie played in the Journal at George Washington. Although neither of them managed to progress to the next round, they played very well (Maggie especially just missing out). So many thanks to them all for taking the time out to represent the club.

Please note that the Brooke Dawson Trophy (due to be played on 17th August) has been cancelled.

Many thanks to Janice who organised a great trip to Hollins Hall. The weather was perfect (much better than my golf). The course was quite tricky, but there were some good scores nevertheless - especially on the second day.

I had the pleasure of playing with Rebecca in the competition today and thoroughly enjoyed the game. She hits the ball a mile and was on the back of the 15th Green for 2 (using an iron for her second shot!!). She is obviously looking forward to going to university in America and leaves on 1st August to study criminal justice and politics at Troy university in Alabama. We presented her with a cheque for £350 which was the proceeds of the Bonus Ball draw. Many thanks to everyone who took part. One day, when we see Rebecca playing golf on the tele we will be able to say that we played with her as a junior and encouraged her along the way.

Many congratulations to Tracey Hahn who scored a magnificent 43 points today and cut her handicap to 7.

Well the weather Gods have certainly been on our side as we had plenty of sunshine for the Mixed Open. Everyone seemed to enjoy the day and were very complimentary about the course, food and organisation. Many thanks to Pat who I know was very worried about the event and everyone else who helped out with the start table and the raffle. The event could not have taken place without people being willing to give up their time to help and I'm very grateful to everyone. We will have made about £600 for club funds which is a great boost.

Rebecca will be playing with us net week, and this will be the last time that she will play at Woodham before going to America. Therefore the proceeds of the Bonus Ball will be presented next Sunday so even if you are not playing you may wish to come along after the game to say goodbye to Rebecca.

Another great Sunday weather-wise - lets hope it keeps fine for the Mixed Open next Saturday. We have now got over 50 teams playing on the day and I'm sure we'll give them a great welcome.

Congratulations to Steph Storry and Norma Thompson who won a very closely fought game this weekend. Good luck to all the teams who have matches this week. If you ever thought that we played sport under pressure, spare a thought for Andy Murray who managed to win Wimbledon today!

Congratulations to Margaret Nisbet who won the Club Championship for the eighth time this weekend. In very tricky conditions Margaret scored a gross 78 and 82 to win by 9 clear shots from Maggie and myself. The net prize over the two rounds would also have been won by Margaret Nisbet but for the rule that says that the winner of the gross prize cannot win the net prize as well and so I managed to win this by default. Margaret also won the medal competition on Saturday and the Sunday medal was won by Tracey Hahn who managed to go round in 77 shots despite the windy conditions and cut her handicap.

Rebecca was unable to play in our club championship as it clashed with the Durham County Junior Championship at Houghton-le-Spring which she won with a gross 153 over the two rounds - many congratulations to her on regaining this title from Laura Alexander who was second this year.

There were three team games this week - we won at home in both the Afternoon and Evening League games but unfortunately lost away in the Sivewright match at Birtley. There are another three matches this coming week as well so what with these and the Club Championship its been very busy.

Five Sunday's of good weather in a row proved to be impossible as we had to dodge the showers this weekend. Many thanks to all who supported Peter Hogan on his captain's day. He raised approximately £800 for the McMillan Cancer charity during the day (there was still money to be counted when he announced the estimated total yesterday evening).

We had a convincing win 6-1 in the Afternoon League game this week at home against Whickham - well done to all who played.

There a a number of team matches as well as the Club Championship (gross and net) over the next couple of weeks so lets hope we don't have typical Wimbledon weather and that the sun shines on us.

The Ladies v Seniors match due to be played on the 15th July has been postponed - a new date will be agreed with the vets section and posted on the web site and in the locker room.

Four Sunday's in a row in short sleeves is definitely a world record! As you can imagine I am so relieved that we managed to keep dry during Captain's Day. I'm really very grateful for all the help and assistance that I received from all the members. It would not be possible to organise the event without you all being prepared to muck-in and I was very touched by all the nice things that were said about the day - I just hope everyone had fun, as in my opinion that's the most important reason for playing. The amount and quality of food provided for the halfway house was astounding, but all the ladies present made a good attempt of eating it all and the men in the groups behind finished it off. I am truly grateful to everyone for making the day a success. Many thanks to all of you for giving up so much of your time.

There was Sivewright team game this week played at home against Wearside which I'm pleased to say we won 3-2.

Please sign up for Men's Captain's day which is being held next Saturday (22nd June). There are tee times reserved for the ladies from 11:24 for about an hour and it would be good to fill up a few tee times to show our support for the club captain.

There are no further updates as a result of the Golf Section Committee meeting held this evening. Ernie was tasked with getting information regarding any alternative payment methods and length of membership in writing so that this could be put on the notice board. Members can make up their minds whether to rejoin or not based upon direct information from Washington Developments rather than something that was said in a telephone conversation.

Three Sunday's in a row in short sleeves - it must be a world record!

There were two team games this week both played away from home and unfortunately we lost both of them, but the Evening League Team did give South Moor a run for their money and we only lost 3-2 which was an excellent result.

Many thanks to Linda, Deb, Margaret Nisbet, Lis, Margaret Russell, Barbara and Pat who all helped out with the Start/Finish table at the Gents Open yesterday. We did this in exchange for running a raffle and made a profit of £168.75 for club funds. I'm really grateful to all of them for giving up their time to help.

Please don't forget that it is Lady Captain's day next Sunday so we have a later tee off time - the first pairings are out at 12 noon, but arrive about 30 minutes prior to your tee time. The carvery will be served from approximately 6pm and you will need to bring with you 3 "prizes" in a bag to the value of 25p, 50p and £1.

As promised, the draw for the Matchplay Knockout competitions has been done. There was only one team game this week and unfortunately the Sivewright lost away to Bishop Auckland 4-1, Olivia did very well by beating her opponent 10 and 8 but sadly the other members of the team had to give too many shots on an away course. Good luck to the Afternoon and Evening League teams who have matches this week.

As promised, the notices for Captain's Day are on the board for everyone to sign up. The draw for the Matchplay Knockout competitions will be done next weekend - so this is your last chance to sign up to take part. Congratulations to both the Sivewright and Afternoon League teams who won their matches this week. The Evening League team did not fair as well away at Ryton, but we're hoping to get our revenge when they visit us in a few weeks time.

The notices for Captain's Day will go on the board tomorrow so please sign up for what I hope will be a fun filled day (well that's the idea anyway!). I have sent an email to a number of former members of the section to see whether they would like to join us for the meal. Obviously I haven't got everyone's email address, so if you are in contact with an ex-member then please ask them to come along - the more the merrier.

Congratulations to the evening League team who beat South Moor on Thursday evening 3.5 - 1.5.

New sign-up sheets have been put in the locker room that take us up until August so please remember to sign up in good time before you go out to play on the previous Sunday so that the draw can be done in time for people coming in off the course. Also don't forget to sign up for the matchplay competitions as the draw will be done at the end of the month

No Bonus Ball winner again this week so all the entry fees goes into the fund.

Most ladies have now logged their Sport Maker hours and received their polo shirts. For those of you who have not yet managed to do so, you have until the end of May to complete the 10 hours of volunteering. Please continue to log your hours even if you have received your polo shirt so that we can use this to convince County Durham Sport to pay the extra £5 per person.

Commiserations to the Afternoon League team who played at Whickham in gale force winds on Monday. They lost a very close game 4-3.

The notice is in the locker room to sign up for the matchplay competitions. The draw will be done at the end of May so please ensure that you sign up if you wish to take part.

No Bonus Ball winner again this week so all the entry fees goes into the fund.

We played in the Mail on Sunday competition away at Crook yesterday. Unfortunately the team lost, but many thanks to those who played on a very difficult course and to our caddies who supported us all the way. Perhaps we will have a kinder draw next year. Good luck to the afternoon Anderson team who play their first match tomorrow (away at Wearside).

Don't forget to log your Sport Maker hours as the next set of polo shirts will be delivered at the end of this week.

In order to help with the organisation of the Opens, please let Pat (mixed open) or Margaret Russell (ladies open) if you intend to play. This will help ensure that we can arrange the tee times to have enough people available to look after the start table, raffle etc throughout the day.

Chris Quinn won this weeks Bonus Ball with number 26.

We have now got the draw for the next round of the Mail on Sunday competition - away at Crook! The same team who beat Ramside will represent Woodham next Saturday. The Sivewright team had their first match at Wearside this week which unfortunately they lost in very windy conditions 4-1.

Don't forget to log your Sport Maker hours as the next set of polo shirts will be delivered at the end of the month.

Many thanks to everyone who turned out on an extremely cold day at Sharpley. The course was in good condition for the time of year and I think everyone enjoyed themselves despite the weather. Congratulations to Liz Nelson who won the stableford competition with 37 points.

No Bonus Ball winner again this week so all the entry fees goes into the fund.

Well the season really seems to have got underway now. We managed to play our first match in the Mail on Sunday competition yesterday and beat Ramside in glorious sunshine on their course 3-2. Many thanks to the team, our caddies and supporters, it really was a lovely day out and the match was played in a great spirit. So we are now through to the 4th round where hopefully we may be lucky and get a home draw.

The first batch of Sport Makers polo shirts have been presented to those people who had logged their 10 hours of volunteering by 24th March - these went to Shaun Kay, Margaret Nisbet, Pat Usher, Norma Thompson, Brenda Burdess and myself. The next batch will be delivered prior to the May Day mixed so therefore please try and get your hours logged prior to then to receive your Adidas polo shirt.

Details of the tee times for the Captain's Extra Away Day to Sharpley are on the Social Events page. Please arrive in good time to have your bacon roll and coffee before teeing off - Lets hope that the weather is good (I've got my prayer mat out!).

Hurrah we actually managed to play golf today and we didn't get wet (which is always a bonus!). Actually although the wind was a bit cold out on the course it was remarkably dry underfoot (except for the corner of the 5th and the 9th fairway). It was nice to see the back half of the course (as I have not been round there since October), but I'm not sure how fit I'll be feeling this time tomorrow as I'm playing in the mixed as well. Never mind I'm sure I'll feel the benefit of all this exercise as the season progresses.

Please sign up for the team matches as its only a couple of weeks before the first games start. Unfortunately we were knocked out of the Mail on Sunday competition on the toss of a coin, but I'm hoping that we can manage to play our match against Ramside (away) in the Mail on Sunday Classic.

Tracey Hahn was the winner of the Bonus Ball this weekend with number 33.
The winner of the Car Park Raffle was P. Jarvis (no. 122).

I cannot believe that its nearly April and its still snowing! Unfortunately the course has been closed again this weekend and so our normal Sunday game was cancelled (I can't say I was sorry that the course was closed as the wind is absolutely bitter and the temperature feels about minus 5 degrees). Janice and Tracey's match against Brancepeth in the Daily Mail Foursomes competition also could not be played. Better news with the Mail on Sunday competition as we won the toss and have now been drawn to play against Ramside (at Ramside) so we are through to round 3 without striking a ball!

Could everyone who has taken car park raffle tickets please return the money and any unsold tickets to Liz Nelson asap as this is due to be drawn at the Easter Mixed next Monday.

No winner of the Bonus Ball this weekend - so another £21 goes into the fund.

The weather gods have conspired against us and the course has been closed this weekend. Therefore we have been unable to play the match against Cleveland golf club in the Mail on Sunday Classic. As the game had to be played by today and Cleveland could not host the match either, the result will be decided by the toss of a coin (done by the Mail on Sunday officials). Lets hope that Janice and Tracey have more luck in their Daily Mail Foursomes match against Brancepeth which is due to be played next Saturday - we wish them all the best. The Irene Geddes Memorial Trophy has been re-scheduled for the weekend after next (Easter Sunday).

Kay Mott won the Bonus Ball this week with number 19. As Bill won the domino card last weekend I've asked her to buy my lucky dip for the lottery rollover on Wednesday!

Many thanks to everyone who supported the Past Captains' Dinner - it was lovely to see so many people there.

Please remember to complete your menu choices for the Captain's Away Day at Sharpley on April 12th and also to sign up for Woodham Waywards at Hunley Hall.

Although the golf wasn't played today, a number of us came up to the golf club to take the opportunity to say goodbye to Sam Frost who is moving to Scotland in a couple of weeks. Whilst she has only been a member of the club for a short time, she has become a key member of the Committee and we are indebted to her for all the time she has spent working on behalf of the section. We all wish her and Kay all the very best for their move to Scotland.

Well the good weather didn't last very long - we had to come off after 4 holes as there was too much snow on the "greens" to be able to putt (just what you expect for the start of the summer season!). Next Saturday we have our first match with a home fixture against Cleveland golf club in the Mail on Sunday Classic. The team is Margaret Nisbet, Janice Blakey, Tracey Hahn, Maggie Brown and Anita Maxwell - lets hope the weather is a bit better by then. We also have our first trophy competition of the "summer" next weekend - the Irene Geddes Memorial Trophy and I said at the AGM I would try and create a short "history" of some of these trophies so that those players who were not members at the time they were introduced get to know something about them - I have made a start and the result is here if you have any other stories to add about this or any other trophy then let me know and I'll include them.

No winner again on the Bonus Ball this week so another £21 goes into the fund.

There is still the opportunity to sign up for the Captain's Away Day at Sharpley on April 12th - for those that have already done so, the menu for the evening meal is on the notice board and I'd be grateful if you could indicate your choice on the list provided.

Congratulations to Barbara Robinson, Olivia Angus and Pat Usher who won the Winter 18 Hole, 9 Hole and Eclectic competitions respectively (the full results are here).

Much better weather this week and we were able to play the final round of the Winter League and Eclectic - the results will be announced as soon as they have been double checked. I cannot believe that the summer season is about to start - time is flying by.

The Bonus Ball this week was 11 and Brenda Burdess is the winner of £15 with another £6 going into the fund. Brenda has created a wonderful knitted toy - "Binky Bunker" which she has donated to the club as a thank you to the section for helping to support Rebecca on her journey to the United States. The committee will be considering how best to use him to raise funds for the club.

More snow, but with only one week of the Winter League to go spring must be on the way!! We have been drawn at home against Cleveland golf club in the second round of the Mail on Sunday competition. It is always a challenge to play the first few rounds of this competition on a full course and as we do not want to lose home advantage we are going to try to play on the last available weekend (16/17 March). The first mixed competition of the season will be held on Easter Monday (1st April) which is not that long away so please sign up in good time to allow for the draw to be made.

The Bonus Ball this week was 36 - no winners so another £21 goes into the fund.

The Past Captains Dinner has been arranged for Friday 15th March. Everyone is very welcome to attend and there is a notice in the locker room where you can make your menu choices. Failing that if you email me I'll ensure that your places are booked. This will be an opportunity for everyone attending to thank the outgoing Captains for their sterling efforts in 2012 and to look forward to the 2013 golf season. It will also be a good chance to catch up with everyone.

I have been in contact with Catherine at County Durham Sport who is responsible for releasing the funding for the Sport Makers Workshop and giving out the polo shirts. Despite what I had been told prior to the event, the written confirmation that I have just received shows that the additional £5 will only be available if EVERYONE who attended the event logs10 hours before the end of May. I can only apologise for this, but it is not what I was led to believe when we set this up. She says that she will provide the polo shirts as soon as people start to log their hours and she can see that progress is being made. Again, this came as a surprise, but I guess there's not much we can do about it now and I would ask that you accept my apologies but that we get logging our hours.

Twenty one people have now signed up for the Bonus Ball draw (there were 20 last week). The Bonus Ball number was 49 and as there was no winner £20 goes into the pot for Rebecca. We agreed that with 21 players, any winning bonus ball would be paid £15 with £6 going into the fund.

Don't forget to pick up your new handicap certificates which are in the locker room - you may need these to prove your handicap is still active when playing in Opens etc.

Many thanks to everyone who attended the Sport Makers workshop this afternoon. A total of 23 ladies and 21 men were present raising £440 pounds for club funds and hopefully it inspired everyone to encourage others to participate. Logging 10 hours over the next 3 months will increase the amount raised by an extra £5 per person, so do get your thinking caps on and get friends, neighbours and work colleagues to get involved with sport.

The Captains Away Day has been arranged for Friday 12th April at Sharpley golf club, so please sign the notice in the locker room if you wish to attend. The Woodham Waywards trip will be to Hollins Hall near Bradford. Again there is a list on the notice board to sign if you wish to come along to what will be no doubt a fun filled event. Further details can be found on the Social Events page.

Nothing much to report this week except that the course looks very wet where the snow has melted. We'll need strong winds and some sunshine this week if it is to be dry enough to play by next Sunday. Don't forget to pick up your new handicap certificates that run from 1st February when you are next at the golf club.

The course was closed today due to the snow and looking at the weather forecast I'm not sure that it will be open by next weekend.

Whilst I was up at the club this morning I saw a notice on the board informing members of the sad death of Ray Belshaw on the 15th January at the age of 91. His funeral will be held at St Clares church in Newton Aycliffe on Thursday 24th January.

Sign up sheets for the Bonus Ball draw are in the locker room - pick your number and pay Brenda your money. The first week's prize will be paid out on the 17th February.

The course was much wetter today than I expected (well that's my excuse for a very average score!). Hopefully it will dry out a bit by next weekend, although the weather forecast looks like we're due for snow this week - that should be fun!

The committee have agreed to raise some funds for Rebecca to send her on the way to the US next summer. To this end we will be running a "Bonus Ball" draw each week. The idea is that you pick a number that you keep throughout the fund raising period and pay £1 per week. If you number is the bonus ball on the main lottery draw on the Saturday evening, you will win a prize (the amount will depend upon the number of people taking part in the draw). If no-one has the bonus ball number, then the full weekly amount raised will go in the kitty for Rebecca. Hopefully by the time she goes to the US we will have raised a nice sum - and everyone has a chance of winning a prize each week. If you are interested in taking part please see Brenda Burdess.

Please don't forget to sign up for the Sports Maker event on the 10th February by clicking here.

What an amazing start to the New Year - 2 Hole's in One. I'm not sure who got there first but Pat managed to hole out on the 6th and Linda got a hole in one on the 4th. I was lucky enough to be in Linda's group and she hit a lovely shot that was all over the flag, but we were not absolutely certain that it had gone in until we got up to the green. Pat's shot apparently was not as refined - it was hit a bit thin, and according to the men on the 11th tee, had it not hit the pin would have ended up about 30 yards past the hole. However, there are not pictures on the score card and they all count. This is Pat's 6th hole in one and Linda's first after playing golf for 22 years.

It was lovely to see Barbara playing golf today, the collection at Dennis' funeral raised £366 and in addition, the section has donated £50 in his memory.

We have now had confirmation of how to register for the Sports Maker event on the 10th February - the details can be found by clicking here. Please ensure that you sign up asap so that Durham County Sports (who are responsible for providing the funding) know how many people are going to attend.