Unification Working Group

FAQ’s June 2026

An Introduction to Unification

You may have become aware of the discussions being undertaken to possibly unify the Warwickshire Ladies County Golf Association (WLCGA) and the Warwickshire Union of Golf Clubs (WGU), into one unified body to be known as Warwickshire Golf. A working group with three members from each organisation and a representative from England Golf, was set up to explore the possibility of unification and have recommended to their respective boards that unification is the right way forward for the golfers of Warwickshire and both boards have endorsed this recommendation.

At your home club it will be business as usual in that you can still enjoy playing golf in the same way with your friends in a casual round and entering club competitions as you do now.
At County level you may notice some differences. Such things as an integrated Warwickshire Golf website, which will deliver improved communications. You will have access to a county diary with online booking for county competitions, news updates, newsletters and competition and match results.
With such a busy unified county diary you may notice some date changes to some events, and we may in the future run male and female events concurrently with male and female officers and volunteers running the events. This may well provide the opportunity to run mixed events moving forward also.
The men’s/boys and ladies/girl’s teams will have the same branded Warwickshire Golf kit moving forward.
With one unified body future AGM’s, EGM’s and General Meetings can be attended by both male and female affiliated members. The Warwickshire Golf board of directors will initially be made up from the existing boards of the Warwickshire Ladies County Golf Association (WLCGA) and the Warwickshire Union of Golf Clubs (WGU). The board of directors of Warwickshire Golf and staff will be responsible for the running of golf and its development.
Legal advice has been sought and the recommendation that the Ladies Association will merge with the Union to form one unified body, Warwickshire Golf. (Subject to approval at the WLCGA AGM in November).

The new body’s Articles of Association will mandate that at least one third of the board must be male and at least one third of the board must be female. The number of directors may rise in the future as the workload and strategy are put in place.

A Nominations Committee will be established to select potential new board members with relevant skills. After formation, a regular programme of reappointment will be maintained.

Yes, the new unified county will still have a President.

The reserves and assets from each of the WLCGA and the WGU will be merged into Warwickshire Golf. Assets and future income will be appropriately used to ensure we promote and develop the game of golf within the county moving forward. The expectations from our governing bodies, such as the R&A and England Golf, places a far greater onus on our organisations to be in control of our governance and legal frameworks.

Yes. With the continued difficulty in attracting volunteers, we anticipate and have factored into costings the possibility of extra staff.

Yes. There is a likelihood that affiliation fees will rise in the future. However, we will attempt to keep the fee as low as feasibly possible whilst providing a service fit for purpose.

England Golf supply a template, and we also get advice from our County Support Officer who sits on our unification working group committee.
We have sought advice from counties who have unified, including Kent, Devon, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Derbyshire. Lancashire, Cheshire, Essex & Cornwall are the most recent counties to unify.
England Golf will also be providing some funding once unification is completed.

Warwickshire Golf will be committed to following the guidance as directed by the England Golf sustainability policy.

We will operate as one organisation under the new Articles of Association, ensuring professionalism, fairness, with a commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion in all Warwickshire Golf activities.
The WLCGA and WGU already work closely together on Safeguarding, Course Rating, Refereeing, Junior and Senior Competitions and the maintenance of WHS. Unification will facilitate many more joint ventures.

Subject to unification approval at the Ladies AGM in November, and approval from the Union's members, it is proposed to hold roadshows around the county to fully explain our plans and timescale moving forward.

The draft articles are available to be viewed on request to the Secretary of WLCGA and from the Operations Manager of WGU.

There are a number of national risks to the game of golf. An ageing membership, cost of living and time pressures. In relation to the unification, it is vital that the new organisation is formed following project management principles, a new team with a cross section of skills and expertise and ensuring the Code of Governance is followed.

We will be able to make better use of our time by reducing duplication of functions, reducing the number of meetings, making more use of technology and reducing costs by sharing assets and sharing our volunteers. Website and social media management, insurance and banking will also attract efficiencies.

We are currently looking into a potential formula to agree with our clubs an appropriate level of remuneration.

We will utilise all multi-media platforms to ensure we can communicate across all age ranges.

The draft articles will be available and an opportunity to ask questions. All clubs and lady members have been informed of the roadshows, and the slides are available for those who were unable to attend.

Our articles set out the balance requirements for the organisation. This can be challenged /questioned at future AGMs.

There will remain dedicated lady delegates at our clubs. We will have more opportunities to collectively drive forward the Women in Golf programme of work.

This questions and answers document is recommended to be read in conjunction with our Benefits to Unification document.