Ladies Golf                                           

Ladies Captain - Stella Curran

I grew up in Lytham St Annes on the blustery Fylde coast. I remember riding my bike to school past the crowds heading to watch Tony Jacklin’s Open victory in 1969 and wondering what the great attraction was! Several years passed before I found the answer ...it was 1981 when I hit my first golf ball - at the Ikoyi Club in Lagos, Nigeria, while visiting a school friend and her husband, both keen golfers.

On my return home home I bought a half set of clubs. I was working at Weetabix, in the same department as Alan Howells, a past Mens Captain at MHGC, who did his best to teach me to chip during lunch breaks.

I played at Delapre for a year and then joined Oadby Golf Club in 1984, after moving to the Market Harborough area to work at Golden Wonder. There were several of us in the group that started playing golf at Oadby and now we are spread out over the clubs of Leicestershire it’s so nice to meet up at Opens and matches.

I joined MHGC in 1990 and straight away I knew I’d made the right decision - the course with its slopes and views and fun, friendly people. I thought how much more forgiving Market Harborough was than Oadby which had lengthy out of bounds on the racecourse, hedges and a ditch which ran across several holes. At that time Market Harborough was only 9 holes so the only water was on the 9th (and the 18th). Now, with the many mature trees on the back 9 and water on the 3 fine finishing holes, ‘forgiving’ is not a description I would use!

So, all these years on, with lifelong friendships formed, I am now the Ladies Captain for 2024-5. I’m looking forward to the challenge and hope I can come somewhere near to matching the fine Captaincies of those before me.

Welcome to the Ladies Section of Market Harborough Golf Club!

We are a friendly and inclusive section and whether you are an experienced player or a beginner you can be assured of a warm welcome. As well as social golf, we run many competitions throughout the year.

We hope you will find the following information of use.

Ladies Morning

Tuesday morning tee times between 8.30-10.30am are reserved for ladies only.  During the winter months we play very informal and friendly competitions encompassing interesting and fun formats.  In the summer, the majority of our Tuesday competitions are qualifiers that count towards your handicap.  There are several national competitions (generally in pairs) run throughout the season too.

Working Ladies

We are fully aware that many ladies still work and cannot play on a weekday.  As a result we have flexibility of tee times on a Saturday, which are paired with the ladies' Tuesday games, so that you can be included in the weekly competitions.  Similarly, working ladies are encouraged to play on a Tuesday evening in the summer months, whilst daylight permits.

Ladies Academy

Our golf professionals run three academy sessions every Thursday evening to accomodate all levels.  These are very well attended and provide a perfect introduction to golf.  The sessions are 6pm for beginners (no handicap), 7pm Intermediate (18+ handicap) and 8pm for advanced players (under 18 handicap).  Most ladies new to the game become 'hooked' and take the decision to join the club as flexible members to begin with and then on to full membership.  Full details of our memberships are on our website.

Competitions

In addition to our weekly Tuesday competitions there are plenty more you can get involved in, as follows:

Club Knockouts -  singles, pairs and mixed pairs

Friendly Matches -  both within the club and against other clubs.  Ladies and mixed

Leagues - Handicap, Scratch and County

National Competitions - Kyocera, Coronation Foursomes, PING 4BBB

Juniors

There is a large Junior Section at the club who meet on a Saturday morning.  All girls who are members with a handicap are welcome to join the ladies on a Tuesday morning in the school holidays.