The 2010 Handicap Mailing addressed to Ladies Handicap Secretaries at clubs was posted on Thursday 4 February.  It contains:

 - The 2010 Handicap Pack which includes the list of qualifying competitions for 2010
 - A CONGU Manual
 - An order form for additional CONGU Manuals
 - An application form for a 9 hole course SSS
 - The entry form for the Scottish Match Play Foursomes

Entry forms for 2010 are now available to download please click here or on the Entry Forms menu on the left of the screen.

The SLGA has announced the following changes to its 2010 Championships: 

Girls’ (Close) Championship

The 36 hole qualifying stroke play for the Scottish Girls’ (Close) Championship at Eyemouth Golf Club will now be held over 2 days (13 & 14 July) with the final of the match play stages on the morning of Saturday 17 July. 

Junior Open Stroke Play Championship

This 54 hole Championship at Dunfermline Golf Club will now be played over three days from 21-23 July. 

Scottish Match Play Foursomes

The conditions for this competition have been revised with the handicap limit for the team dropped. Each club may enter a team of 2 or 3 players with individual handicaps of 35 or less. 

SLGA Medal Regional Finals

The winners of the SLGA Silver and Bronze Medals at each club will be eligible to play in a Regional Final of their choice. Entries will be limited to 60 silver and 60 bronze players at each venue and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Entry forms will be sent to clubs with the annual mailing and the closing date for all the Regional Finals is Monday 26 April. In the event of a venue being oversubscribed players will be allocated their second choice. Two silver and two bronze players from each of the 6 venues will qualify for the Grand Final at Crieff on Sunday 5 September.  

Commenting on these changes Fiona Cowan, Championship Director of the SLGA said “These changes have been made in response to feedback from players. We believe that they will enhance the quality of our events and result in increased participation” 

Full conditions for all SLGA Championships and other competitions are contained in the SLGA handbook. Entry forms will be available here from the beginning of February.

Following Sunday’s SGU AGM the Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association and the Scottish Golf Union confirmed that they are formally considering an amalgamation, having been working increasingly closely together over recent years. 
The men’s and ladies’ amateur golf governing bodies in Scotland already have a shared strategy, joint committees and shared staff in the form of Performance and Development Managers, as well as being partners on the national junior programme, clubgolf. There is also a reciprocal arrangement whereby the respective Chairmen of the SLGA and SGU attend the Board meetings of each organisation.   
Given the increased level of cooperation, both Boards have agreed that amalgamation is the next logical step and jointly they have appointed Donald Turner as independent chair to lead a new working group. Turner will oversee the consideration of all measures necessary to achieve amalgamation and will make recommendations to the respective organisations. 
Turner has a strong business and golf background, having been on the UK National Executive with accountants Ernst & Young and is the current captain of Shiskine Golf and Tennis Club on the Isle of Arran. 
SGU Chairman, Douglas Connon, speaking at the AGM, said: “We are delighted that someone of Donald Turner’s skills and experience will assist us in this important process and are committed to ensuring we manage what is a significant proposed change as smoothly as possible.” 
Connon’s counterpart at the SLGA, Shona Malcolm added: “There has been invaluable progress in Scottish golf as a result of the two governing bodies working more closely together and it is now sensible to formalise this by amalgamating.  This will undoubtedly bring even more benefits to Scottish golf and our member clubs.” 
The new working group will be established over the next few weeks and meetings will take place throughout the year with the aim of agreeing the changes to achieve amalgamation some time in 2011.

Back L - R Winifred MacCallum, Fiona Cowan, Sandy Bushby, Helen Cuthbertson, Janet Wake, Dawn Butchart, Lorna Bennett
Front L - R Lynne Terry, Douglas Connon, SGU Chairman; Shona Malcolm, Chairman; Emma Wilson, President; Beth Paterson 

A record turnout of 168 lady golfers attended the SLGA's annual general meeting in Perth on Saturday.
The meeting heard from Chairman Shona Malcolm that 2009 had been a memorable year for Scottish Ladies' Golf, what with Catriona Matthew's victory in the Ricoh Women's British Open, the Senior Home International Team beating all three opponents on its way to a first-time win, and three Scots representing GB&I in the Vagliano Trophy match.
Catriona was elected as a Vice-President of the SLGA, and the Chairman was delighted to advise the meeting that the Open Champion would be demonstrating her support of Scottish ladies' golf by attending the current squad's forthcoming warm weather training in Spain.
The new President, former Chairman Emma Wilson, was elected and paid warm tribute to retiring President Ethel Jack, while the meeting also approved the appointment of new Board members Lorna Bennett, Dawn Butchart and Sandy Bushby. Proposals for the restructuring of the Ladies' Golf Union (LGU) were agreed, and revised Rules and Regulations of the SLGA adopted.
The Chairman updated the meeting on the amalgamation discussions with the Scottish Golf Union, stressing that there was much to be considered and the members would be kept informed of the progress of these talks.
Finance Director Lynne Terry reported the concerning trend of falling lady membership numbers in golf clubs, and emphasised the SLGA's ongoing determined efforts to raise interest and club participation in the ladies' and girls' game.
The full report of the Board is available under the SLGA AGM 2010 Agenda below.