Golf Business News – Nottinghamshire County stalwart earns Gerald Micklem Award

Nottinghamshire’s Maureen Clarke has been presented with England Golf’s prestigious Gerald Micklem Award, recognising her tremendous service to golf throughout her lifetime.

The Gerald Micklem Award – named in honour of the former English Amateur champion and Walker Cup player – was set up in 1990 and annually recognises those unsung individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to further the interest of amateur golf in England.

Maureen, who received her award at the England Golf AGM at Woodhall Spa Golf Club on April 23, said: “It’s an absolute privilege to win this award. I have had a wonderful time visiting many lovely golf courses, meeting lovely people, and having fun.

“I could not have achieved this if it had not been for the terrific support I have received from my husband Michael, my family, friends, county and golf clubs. I consider myself extremely lucky to have received so much pleasure from doing something I have loved.”

Maureen, who has been married to husband Michael for 63 years, has two daughters, one grandson and two step-grandsons. She took up golf in 1968 when her daughters first attended school and it soon became an obsession, as her handicap reduced to 12 in the first year. She was soon playing off 4 in the 1970s when she played in the Nottinghamshire County Ladies’ First and Second teams.

In the early 1980s, Maureen was invited to become Notts County Ladies’ Junior Organiser, a role which saw her organise training and competitions for Nottinghamshire’s girls for five years. She was then asked to run Midlands Junior events and became an English Ladies’ Golf Association (ELGA) Junior Area Manager for the Midland Division and represented Nottinghamshire on the Midlands Divisional Committee from 1998.

That year, Les Pepper from Lincolnshire inaugurated the Midlands Divisional Champion of Champions for Junior Champions (boys and girls) within each county, and invited Maureen to organise the girls’ side of the competition. The pair ran the event for 10 years after which it was taken over by the Midland Golf Union. At the same time, Maureen inaugurated the County Scratch Matches and donated a trophy along with the other two Junior Area Managers from the Midlands Division – a competition which is still being played for today.

Maureen was on the ELGA Junior Committee for six years, organising the transport and accommodation for the English Girls’ Championship, and then moved onto the National Training Committee for four years. In 2002, she became an ELGA Executive Committee Member, joining the Rules & Regulations Committee. Whilst on the executive for four years, Maureen represented ELGA on the Golf Foundation and the English Schools Golf Committee and was on the Handicap Committee for one year which led to her being appointed as County Handicap Advisor for Nottinghamshire County Ladies for eight years.

ELGA sent Maureen to St Andrews for her TARS Rules exams in February 2003, which she passed with flying colours, becoming a Chief Referee for the governing body. Maureen was the first woman to be invited to referee The Open representing England Golf, after the merger with ELGA in 2012, which she admitted was her “proudest moment”.

Maureen continued to take her TARS Level 3 exams every few years – five times in total, where she excelled twice with merits and three times with distinctions. She began teaching Rules after The R&A gave an on-course demonstration to the Midlands Divisional Committee in 1998.

As a teacher in her profession, Maureen started Rules talks and interactive demonstrations, either on-course or inside with indoor Rules equipment which depicted a golf hole with all the hazards from tee to green, and lots of golf balls in difficult situations requiring a ruling. Any donations from this were passed on to Nottinghamshire County Junior Girls’ Golf for the development of junior golf in the county.

Following the Rules changes in 2019, Maureen gave over 50 demonstrations and Rules talks for golf clubs and associations, and she taught at many Rules Seminars which ELGA held for county officials, and England Golf held to train officials and players for their R&A Level 2 exams. She refereed the Regional Qualifying for The Open for nine years and four years of Final Qualifying for The Open at Notts Golf Club.

Maureen has been a member of Sherwood Forest Golf Club for 57 years. At club level, she has had various roles, including Match Secretary, Handicap Secretary, Lady Captain (1990), and was made an Honorary Member in November 2012. She was also on the Sherwood Forest management committee for six years, and on the Green Committee and Handicap Committee. Maureen was also a member of Wollaton Park Golf Club from 1976-2002 but changed to Notts Ladies’ Golf Club, Hollinwell, in 2002, and has represented Notts Ladies’ Golf Club on the Notts Golf Club Green Committee since 2021.

At county level, Maureen became a Nottinghamshire County Ladies Golf Association representative on the Midlands Divisional Committee for six years. She was County Captain from 1998-1999 and was appointed an Honorary Member of the County in 2009.

A Chief Referee from 2012-2019 and NCLGA President from 2017-2019, she went on to win the Women in Golf Unsung Hero Award in 2023, after which the Midland Golfer awarded her Golf Achiever of the Month.

After 20 years on the Tournament Rules Panel working with the national governing body, Maureen retired in 2022 and was Chief Referee for the last time at the English Boys’ Championship (McGregor Trophy), which was played at her home course, Sherwood Forest.