History

A Brief History

The County Club of Worcestershire was established in 1903, with it’s first inaugural meeting being held in Birmingham on 21st January 1903. Clubs involved in this meeting were Worcestershire, Kings Norton, Blackwell and Hagley (Stourbridge) with discussions around forming a County Club in Worcestershire. Letters were sent to 17 Ladies Golf Clubs throughout the County informing them of the resolutions of the meeting and inviting them to join. It was agreed there would be an annual members subscription of 5/-. Today this would be equivalent to £31.01.

In November 1903 a total of 22 ladies had joined the Club:-
Worcestershire LGC 11 joined
Kings Norton 5 joined
Hagley (Stourbridge) 2 joined
Blackwell 2 joined
Worcester 1 joined
Tenbury 1 joined

Kidderminster, Harbourne, Droitwich, Evesham and Moseley wrote wishing the County Club success whilst Redditch, Pershore, Dudley, Kings Heath, Broadway and Bromsgrove did not reply. 

On 19th February 1904 the first AGM was held at 7 St Swithens St in Worcester. The Club minutes show the name was changed to The Worcestershire Ladies County Golf Club. This name remained the same for a further 48 years when in 1952 the name changed to The Worcester Ladies County Golf Association (WLCGA). 

Our first County President was The Countess of Dudley who, in 1903, consented to allow her crest to be used as part of our County badge. A few years later in 1905 Club uniforms were chosen and it was agreed the colours would closely follow that of the County badge . Whilst the County uniform isn’t, thankfully, quite the same style today our County colours remain in the original chosen colours of green serge, black and white .
Today we have evolved to form an Executive Committee with 38 affiliated clubs,  a membership of approximately 1850 ladies and with Club Delegates who meet four times a year. The Delegates form a valuable link between their Clubs and the County Executive being able to vote on behalf of the ladies they represent.

Historical Record of Past Officers

Note: This history has been written using information collated from A Hundred Years of Ladies’ Golf in Worcestershire by Sylvia James (Hon. Secretary 2000 - 2001) This as documented in the Worcestershire Ladies County Ladies Golf Association, Centenary booklet 1903 - 2003. 

Brief History of Vets

At the county meeting of August 12th 1954 held at Stourbridge GC it was proposed by Mrs Crooke that a Worcestershire Veteran Competition should be held. She offered to donate a trophy to be played for. 

In December of the same year, it was decided that a Worcestershire Lady Veteran Association should be formed with Mrs Crooke as Captain, forming a committee of five. It should be run as a separate organisation, making its own rules & arrangements. What is now known as the Dorothy Crooke Salver should be awarded to the County Vets Champion.

The membership should be open to any lady veteran (50 years and over on 1st of January of any year), who is a member of an affiliated club in the county. The subscription to be 5/- (25 pence).

The County of Herefordshire joined the existing Association at a later date.

Since then, the Association has grown to a membership of over 450 ladies. Over the years numerous trophies were added to our competition calendar and league and friendly matches against surrounding counties were established.

In 1950, Madeleine Fyshe, together with Dorothy Crooke, started the Midlands Veterans Golf Association. A £2 donation by the county to help start this Association was proposed and accepted. 

Thanks to these forward thinking and enterprising ladies, we had two thriving and ever-growing Veteran golfing Associations we all can be proud of.

At the AGM on 4th of October 2021 held at Kings Norton GC, the membership of the WHLVGA voted unanimously to join the WHLCGA as a subsection, complementing the age range of the County Golf Association of Worcestershire and Herefordshire.

Excerpts of the County Vets History was taken from the County Centenary Book, written and compiled by Sylvia James (Hon. County Secretary 2000 – 2001).

Historical Record of Vets' Captains/Presidents