Whitfield-Green elected Midland Golf Union chairman
KEVIN Whitfield-Green, the Leicestershire and Rutland county golf union director of tournaments, has become the new Midland Golf Union chairman.
He was elected to the post at the annual general meeting of the Midland GU. He succeeds Lincolnshire’s David Price who now becomes Midlands GU president.
For the first time ever, the AGM this year was held by Zoom because of the coronavirus lockdown.
Whitfield-Green, pictured, is the first county man to hold this important position in amateur golf since Gordon Upward (Lingdale), who was at the helm between 1995 to 2006.
“It is a tremendous honour and I am delighted to receive so much backing from regional officials around the ten counties,” said Whitfield-Green.
“Now I look forward to working hard in the position at a difficult time for golf to try to ensure we can get back into playing all our matches and championships again as soon as possible, while working within Government guidelines.
“It is a great privilege to be chairman. There will be a lot of work to do in serving the needs of the ten member counties and I hope we can pull together to make it the most successful regional golf union anywhere in the country.
“Our tournaments each year include opportunities for competitive golf for club members ranging in age from juniors up to seniors with their own specific events, as well, of course, as those just for men.
“Some of the championships have qualifying stages for regional finals.
“These are always fiercely contested, and it is one of the aspects of golf which has been missed so much in the 2020 season.
“These qualifiers not only provide competition on the day, but also opportunities for leading amateurs to shine and, if they can, proceed further in the individual tournaments through to the English finals.”
Whitfield-Green moved to Leicestershire from Northumberland in 1987.
He played for the county here and was a highly successful first and second team captain.
He led the county firsts to great success in 2004 when they reached the English County Finals at Worksop GC after winning the Midland championship at Woodhall Spa, headquarters of England Golf.
A year later, they reclaimed the Anglian League top division crown.
Whitfield-Green became president of the L and RGU in 2017, and held the post for two years.
But he remained county match and competitions secretary, an office in which he succeeded Graham Fox (Lingdale).
This changed into the director of tournaments when the L and RGU became a limited company two years ago.
He was first county match and competitions secretary in the 2011 season. He will continue in this role.
Whitfield-Green added: “Having represented L. and RGU as a delegate when I was county president, I appreciate it is a big responsibility. But I know what is involved as I attended those meetings when I was the county president.
“So overall, I am excited to be so involved again and look forward to representing Leicestershire and Rutland and the Midlands overall in anyway I can in the future.”
Meanwhile, the county golf Alliance season has been suspended for the moment because of the second national lockdown.
Four competitions have been called off and county golf Alliance secretary Paul Henry said the tournament set for Hinckley on December 3, immediately following the scheduled end of the lockdown, will also not take place.
He said: “But our annual Christmas meeting is scheduled for Scraptoft, a week later on December 10, and we are certainly hopeful that this will go ahead, but it is possible the format of this and the date may have to be changed – possibly to a week later.
“But I have advised all our members, professionals and amateurs alike, about these delays, and potential problems with dates, so we are hoping things will ease and the whole situation will become much clearer in the next few days.”