Committee Spotlight - Margaret Brown, County Captain

Committee Spotlight - Welcome to our new County Captain  

This month, I interviewed our new County Captain Margaret Brown. Whilst Margaret has been on the Board for the past 2-3 years in the role of Honorary Secretary and then Vice Captain, it was a great opportunity to find out about her golf journey and what brought her to the role of County Captain.

SCLGA Board Member: 2 years
Home Club: Mannings Heath GC
HCP: 20.4

Can you tell us about your golf journey, when you started?
In 1989 I moved to Horsham and the following year one of my colleagues took part in a beginner’s class at a local driving range. I had always enjoyed playing pitch and putt on holiday so was keen to give golf a try and signed up for the next session of 8 weeks tuition. By the end of the 8 weeks, I was hooked and bought my first set of clubs. The following week my boss suggested we take a day off work and play at Cottesmore. We played 18 holes in the morning, had some lunch and then went back for a second 18 holes. At the end I wondered why I felt so exhausted as I had only walked around a few fields all day!! It never occurred to me that most people start with maybe 9 holes not 36!

I was working at Sun Alliance at the time and a few weeks later someone approached me to ask if I was interested in joining a new golf course that was just about to open called Slinfold Park. As it was a new club they did not have a Ladies section so I went along to the first meeting to discuss how to set one up. There were only about 8 of us who turned up so after we chose a Captain and other representatives they said that the rest of us could make up the committee. So that was it. On the committee after just a few weeks of golf! I have to say it was a great start to golf, everyone was very enthusiastic.

In 2002 I became Lady Captain at Slinfold before moving to Gatton Manor where I stayed for 6 years. I was Lady Captain there but although I loved the course the Ladies section was so small I decided that I wanted more of a challenge so moved onto Mannings Heath golf club. Once again after a few years I was approached to take on the role of Lady Captain and in 2019 agreed to take this on. I must have done something right as I then stayed on for a second year although I think it was more a case that no one else would take on the role.

Career/work life?
I spent my working career in Insurance dealing with a variety of things from Pensions to Pricing large fleets of ships around the world. I also Project Managed several projects and in between career breaks I worked as an Office Manager for a local Charity called Home Start.  This really opened my eyes as to how difficult it is for a charity to exist and is forever seeking additional money just to maintain a service that is vastly oversubscribed.

How did you become involved with the SCLGA?
In 2020 I attended the SCLGA AGM meeting where I found out that they were looking for a new Secretary. Looking at the Job Description I thought that maybe it was something I could do but didn’t have the confidence to apply. A few weeks later a friend of mine who was on the Competitions committee asked if I would be interested. I was newly retired and agreed to have a think about it.  Pat Johns the County Captain at the time got in touch with me and arranged to get together for a coffee to discuss the role. Before I knew it I had agreed to take on the role. As there was no AGM until the following November I was seconded onto the Board immediately and at the 2022 AGM was formally elected to the Board as Secretary.

During the year I was approached by the Vice Captain Pat Codd to ask if I would be interested in becoming her VC and as they say the rest is history. What attracted you to the role? The chance to learn more of what went on within the SCLGA. I had two friends who had been on the committee in the past and once I retired I felt that I had some time on my hands to get involved.

Key remit, highs and lows: To support all levels of golf within the County. I've been travelling around the County and getting to know more of what goes on within other clubs which has been great. On the other hand, there are some very long days involved.

What do you feel are the Challenges and Rewards being involved in the SCLGA? 
It is lovely to see our youngsters playing golf to such a high standard and to see them progress up the ranks to the senior squads. However, it is just as inspiring to see others come along on a County day enjoying their golf and sometimes taking part in a County event for the first time. I had the privilege to act as starter at one of our 9-hole events for higher handicappers and it was a joy to see how proud they were to have taken part in their first event. The biggest challenge I feel is the unpredictability of the British weather. One minute we may have a heatwave planned and another we have to cancel an event due to flooding.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? 
I love playing golf in Portugal. Until recently I co-owned a property in the Algarve and tried to get out there as much as possible during the winter months. For various reasons we recently sold the property but I have made some good friends there and will continue to visit as much as possible particularly during the winter months in the UK. Some years ago, our Golf Club owner Penny Streeter bought Leonardslee Gardens just down the road from Mannings. I don’t know much about plants but do know how to drive a golf buggy so on Saturdays you can find me driving a 6-seater buggy up and down the slopes at Leonardslee where I volunteer.

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Thank you Margaret for your time and commitment to the SCLGA - its clear you have a wealth of experience in committee roles at both club and county level. We wish you a successful two years as SCLGA County Captain.

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