The Season Ahead - message from the Secretary, Nikki Gander

Ladies, I have now taken over as the Secretary of the RAF Ladies and would like to thank Flt Lt Ali McDermott for all her help and advice while taking over and I will endeavour to keep her high standards and thank you to the rest of the ladies for your support. I have been keeping my swing going over the winter months with the winter league and hope the rest of you have managed to take advantage of the milder winter. As always with a team of RAF members last season we saw many players away on OOA and unable to play due to Overseas Postings, duties and injuries. It was also the last season for Sgt Helen Beddows, who has now retired from the RAF. We would like to thank Ali and Helen for their years of dedication to the team and wish them well in their future and hope to see them at the Spring Meet.

Right, time for action! I need you to consult your busy diaries and give me an indication of your availability for this year’s matches and events. To help me chase and confirm players for each match it is also really important that I have your work and personal e-mail addresses in addition to you mobile number. Also if any addresses change during the season, please make sure you tell me, likewise if I am posted you can always find me on my personal e-mail address above or my mobile number.

This year hits off with twelve of our ladies attending an overseas Coaching Tour in Spain with our coach, Simon Burdett. We will be heading back to Costa Ballena where we went for our 2010 tour a very successful week of coaching and playing seeing some significant improvement in play and a fantastic opportunity to bond as a team. .

Plans are well under way for the Spring Meeting on 16 May at South Kyme GC. As always this is a great event and a chance to catch up with our former players! WO Sue Simpson will once again be running with this event and you will receive more details on the event shortly.

The Individual Championships this year will be held at Formby Golf Club, Liverpool, from 2 – 4 Jul. Once again the handicap restriction will be 30 or below and there will be a Gross and Stableford competition. The entry forms will be available on the RAFGA website in due course and can then be e-mailed directly back to the RAFGA Secretary. Similar to last year, accommodation will be individual responsibility.

The Inter-Services will be held this year at Woodhall Spa GC, Lincolnshire, from 16 - 20 Sep. The challenge is to get your handicaps down so you can become competitive for a place in the team. It would indeed be an honour to represent the RAF and is certainly my golfing dream. For those of you who are nearing single figures, do all you can to get there, as then you will be eligible to play for the Combined Services in Jul and receive your Combined Services Colours.

Don’t forget to sign up for Sports Lottery tickets if you have not done so already. Without the funding from the Sports Lottery we would struggle to support out extensive programme and kitting requirements and the individual costs would be considerably higher. In addition, they contribute to our overseas coaching. You may even win one of the prizes!

Please complete and return your contact details and availability forms ASAP; even if you haven’t moved or changed jobs, I would still like an up-to-date electronic copy. Don’t forget to keep a copy for yourself! That way you will know when you told me you were available.

If you know of any new lady golfers on your unit or anywhere else, please let me have their details; name, telephone number, email and service address and handicap if known. Alternatively pass on my contact details to them.

Please ensure you return the availability forms to me, ASAP and no later than 1 APR 12

Here’s to more birdies than bogies and a damn good season of golfing!!

Nikki

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New RAF Ladies secretary, Nikki Gander, outlines plans for the Ladies team for 2012 in her more formal lettered version of the above message, INCLUDING ALL HER CONTACT DETAILS.