The Club

Captain's Message

I am honoured to have been elected to serve as your Captain this year. Serve is the operative word — I am here for each and every one of you, and I will give 100 percent in representing your views within the club, as well as when representing Southerndown externally.

My focus for the year is to help foster an environment where all members feel a sense of ownership and pride in the club, and where everyone can enjoy both the golfing and social life at what is truly a great club.

Social Events

We have four main social events planned for the year:

• The Duncan Putter Dinner and Tournament, where Nick Owen, Membership Secretary at the R&A, will be our guest speaker. Southerndown traditionally provides excellent support for this weekend through volunteers acting as starters, ball spotters and course marshals.
• Captain’s Weekend
• Club Summer Party
• New Year’s Eve Celebration

All acts have now been booked and I hope members will support these events throughout the year.

In addition, we will be organising some more informal gatherings, including a quiz night, divoting evenings, and a curry night in support of the Perry Shield auction. As the weather improves, we will also gauge interest in bringing back 9 & Dine evenings.

Competitions

There are numerous competitions throughout the year, and I encourage all members to ensure they are handicap-qualified to participate. It is each member’s responsibility to check their eligibility.

Regarding competition entries, extensions will not be authorised without a valid doctor’s certificate, as entering a competition indicates your intention to be available to play within the prescribed timescales.

For the Handicap Committee, the following members have kindly volunteered to be co-opted:

Simon Denny – Handicap Secretary, Mike Brady – Committee Advisor, Chris Bradshaw – Committee Advisor

I will also be entering competitions as a solo player, so if you haven’t played with me before, you would be very welcome to join me. It’s also a good opportunity to discuss any ideas or issues you may have. While I am always happy to listen and represent members’ views to the Executive, I would encourage members to also put their views in writing so they can be formally considered.

Charity

I am delighted to support Make-A-Wish Wales as my main charity this year. The organisation supports children facing devastating futures by granting wishes and providing them with opportunities to experience something truly special.

Captain’s Tour

This year’s Captain’s Tour will take place in Dungarvan, Ireland, from 10–13 September. Details are available on the Captain’s board and there are still a few places available should anyone wish to join us.

Mixed Away Day

Jan and I have arranged a Mixed Away Day at St Mellons on 5 August. We hope to attract at least 32 participants, though more would be very welcome. Please remember you do not need to be part of a couple to sign up.

CAPSEC Committee

The CAPSEC committee oversees the golfing and social activities on behalf of members. I am pleased to confirm the following members who will serve this year:

Jamie Keddle – Deputy Captain, Jan McPherson – Ladies Captain, Suzanne Roberts – Ladies Deputy Captain, Mike Kidger – Seniors Representative, Llewelyn Mathews – Teams Representative

Additional representatives include:

David Evans – Juniors / Paula Wilson – Girls’ Golf

Derrick King Day

Derrick King Day, held in support of Velindre Cancer Charity, continues to be an important event in the club’s calendar. Claire Davies has kindly agreed to chair the sub-committee for the event, supported by Julian Kelly, Claire Goldsworthy, and myself.

If any members would like to join the committee or assist in sourcing donations or sponsorship, please contact one of us. Let’s work together to make this year’s event bigger and better than ever.

A Final Word

While I am happy to discuss matters informally, I would always encourage members to also submit issues in writing so the club can respond appropriately. Let us all look forward to a fantastic year of golf and social events — and never forget that we are fortunate to play on one of the finest golf courses in Wales.

Diolch.

Steve Roberts
Southerndown Golf Club Captain 2026-27

Ladies Captain's Message

It is a great honour to be elected as the Ladies Captain for Southerndown Golf Club for 2026-2027. I am delighted to be part of this special club and am very much looking forward to the year ahead.

I joined the New to Golf Scheme at Swansea Bay in 2015, having been recommended by my boss at the time, who was a member and previous Club Captain. The membership was short lived as we then moved to Ogmore by Sea. Southerndown Golf Club was an obvious choice being five minutes from home, and a club with amazing views, a fantastic course and a very friendly reputation. The reputation was certainly justified.

The ladies’ section has gone from strength to strength in that time, with lots of new ladies, many joining through the New to Golf scheme as I did. Regardless of experience or ability, I would encourage everyone to join in the activities of this very friendly and welcoming Ladies Section. Many of our social members also continue to support the ladies’ events and are a wonderful group of ladies, who share not only their wealth of knowledge which they are happy to impart, but also special memories of the club over many years.

In 2026-2027, we continue to have lots of options for both competitive and fun golf activities, in addition to the social events and away trips. This year we are taking 20 ladies to Morocco and have a 3-day visit to Old Thorns Golf Club and Spa in Hampshire, together with an away day at Trefloyne. Social events include Decades on the Dancefloor, a Ladies Race Day and Lunch, and a Halloween Party.

Team golf is naturally a very important part of our golfing year, with 3 league teams together with a Senior Ladies and Friendlies Team. It goes without saying that I wish all our teams every success in the year ahead, and whether it’s match golf or just a friendly game, we have something for everyone.

My chosen charity is Ty Hafan which many of you will know. It opened in 1999 and is a local hospice, providing a wide range of specialist services for children and young people with life shortening conditions. It supports the children and their families to experience happy moments together for however long they are able. The charity relies totally on supporters and fundraisers, for over 85% of their funding as the costs exceed £6m a year, to provide support which is free to the children and their families.

It is an amazing facility with wonderful staff and everything they do is centered around the children feeling that this is a “home from home”, for however long they need it. Anything we can do to support this wonderful local charity will be very welcome.

Finally I would like to wish Steve Roberts our Club Captain, and all our members fun, enjoyment and golfing success in the year ahead.

I truly appreciate the opportunity to be Ladies Captain of this prestigious club.

Jan McPherson
Ladies Captain 2026-27