GIRLS' SQUAD REVIEW 2022

The DevonGolf Girls’ Squad had a great season in 2022 with some wonderful highlights along the way:

• Winning their first warm up match against a strong Somerset team with 6 rookie players in the team
• Finishing 3rd at the South West Inter-Counties’ Girls Championship at Carlyon Bay Golf Club
• Winning the Tyler Trophy v the Women’s B Team
• Winning their match against the Devon County Veteran Ladies’ Golf Association (DCLGA)

The fantastic coaching and support throughout the season from Teignmouth Golf Club’s Professional Jon Axford and Exeter Golf Club’s Chris Honeywell resulted in a collective reduction in the squad’s handicaps of a whopping 74 shots!

The team was led this year by Carys Morris as Captain. Whilst acting as Captain Carys also qualified for the Junior European Tour, taking her to The Champions’ Week in Spain. Carys just missed the cut by 2 shots to finish in a very credible joint 17th place.

In her captaincy year Carys also completed a 72-hole golf challenge and, with the help of her team mates, collectively raised over £3,000 for the DevonGolf Girls’ Squad funds - so her legacy will live on for years to come. Carys did all of this whilst studying, working and passing her driving test. A big thank you from me and the squad to Carys and her amazing family who have been a huge support to the Girls’ Squad over many years and, I know will continue to be, despite Carys now moving into the Women’s Team – I guess the family are just about to become twice as busy!

Unfortunately, as well as Carys, we lose four other fantastic players from the squad this year - Gudrun Nolan, Chloe Hall, Ruby Davis and Flossy Voaden who have represented Devon so proudly over the last few years. Again, a massive thank you from me to the girls and their families for their support. All five girls have secured places in the DevonGolf Women’s Squad for next season, a testament to our plan of working closely together across the Girls’ and Women's squads. All of which means spaces have opened up in the Girls’ Squad and I look forward to very soon being able to tell you which girls have been invited to join.

2023 is going to be an exciting year as DevonGolf host the South West Inter-Counties’ Girls Championship at Teignmouth Golf club from 6th-9th August. We’d love to get as much support as possible, so please put it in your diaries if you want to see breath-taking golf from the best junior golfers from across all 6 counties – Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire.

A final thank you from me to all those that have helped and supported the girls this last year in many different ways - Jon Axford, Chris Honeywell, Vicky Holloway, Paul Cloke, Wendy Stanbury, Pam St Leger and of course all the parents and families because without you none of this would be possible. It’s been a real privilege to work with you all this year and I feel a huge sense of pride in what has been achieved both on and, just as importantly, off the golf course. 

If you know any young girls that aren't already involved in the DevonGolf coaching schemes, there are some fantastic opportunities available in 2023. The Development Squad offers girls under 18 with handicaps of 54 and below group coaching and on-course experience – that’s every girl with a handicap at your club. Please make them aware of this fantastic opportunity to be a part of something so helpful at an early stage in their golfing lives. Meeting other girls of similar abilities will be a tremendous support with their golfing confidence. The Development Squad is then a feeder for the DevonGolf Girls’ Squad for those with handicaps of 24 and below, or those that may be slightly higher but are showing potential for rapid improvement.

For more information please do get in touch – it would be great to hear from you. 

email me at: girlsmanager@devongolf.org.uk

Hannah Stephens
U18 Girls’ Team Manager

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