FIPPA Newsletter - October 2006.
Welcome to this edition of the FIPPA Newsletter.
Doreen Powell, Great Britain, player and administrator.
For Past President of the British Pitch and Putt Association Doreen Powell, it was quite an eventful introduction to Pitch and Putt. The Cambridgeshire resident recalls. “A member of staff from our golf club (June Van Eyssen) persuaded me to play in the first British ladies championship at Abbotsley. She had previously met Willie Parker (RIP) who had explained the opportunities, which existed for the use of our par 3 course. John Manning, Mervyn Cooney and Willie attended a meeting on promotion of the sport following the Championship and I accepted the proposition to become a member of the first BPPU (as it was then called) committee. As the meeting progressed (and I am still at a loss as to how it happened), I found that I had become involved as President of the BPPU.”
Many elements of the role pleased Doreen. “Besides the advancement of Pitch and Putt worldwide, in Europe and Great Britain, I have derived much pleasure from making new friends and acquaintances from all over the world and here in England. It has given (husband) Graham and I the opportunity to travel, plus the fact that I have faced a challenge, which I didn't know I would be able to cope with but which has subsequently given me an interest that has made me proud to be a part of the achievements of the BPPA.”
As in any aspect of life there have been reverses. “Disappointments have been many and these have involved making great efforts to organise and develop something only to have our efforts criticised. However, I have turned my disappointments to positives and have learnt many of life's lessons while sitting in the hot seat! The major problem for me has been the difficulty of persuading people who are in our potential growth areas to take the game of Pitch and Putt seriously. This has slowed the growth of the sport in Britain. However, there are signs that things are beginning to change. A handicap system will come into operation later in this year, which will enable players new to Pitch and Putt to compete against the specialist players. I regard this as a vital component if we are to move forward as a credible sport.”
The potential is huge. “I consider that Pitch and Putt in Britain is at a point where it is about to take off. Our web site has helped a great deal with this; as we have attracted the attention and interest of people who we hope will give us a big shove in the right direction. We are aware that there are a lot of Par 3 set-ups that could be sold the benefits of joining BPPA. Unfortunately many such courses in this country do not have the financial resources or foresight to develop Pitch and Putt. This needs exploiting to a far greater extent than at present.”
BPPA have an action plan. “Our priorities for 2006/07 are many. We have a strong group of players who have improved beyond measure and are competing to fill the places in our national team. To improve our placing in the European and World Championships would be a great achievement. Another priority is to increase the membership of the BPPA and fulfil our ambition of hosting a British Open and also to return the wonderful hospitality accorded to us by Jose Maria de Anzizu and the Catalan national team during our Ryder Cup style match at Gualta.”
New members are clearly the key. “We aim to generate more members by inviting courses to stage Opens on their Par 3 courses from Pitch and Putt tees and thereby spread the word of the benefits and activities of the Association. We will be using the media as much as possible to progress this. We hope an article on the BPPA in the October edition of Golf World will prove fruitful. A professional golf writer Tom Cox has also shown an interest in what he terms as "Our own secret little world" and we hope to be featured in articles that he writes for the national newspapers and in his current book, which is due for completion shortly.” Doreen sees publicity as a major project for her successor in this regard. “Our new President, David Woolmer, feels we still have a long way to go in order to attract the media coverage.”
Doreen, who works as personal secretary for a building company, speaks passionately about another BPPA aspiration. “We aim to have an open in Britain and hope that this will come to fruition in the not too distant future when we have a suitable course and sufficient resources to meet our needs. The example of the French, Dutch and San Marino Opens is hard to follow but we aim to be able to stage an event, which would come up to the standards already set by them.”
The BPPA remains committed to the evolution of the international dimension. “Development of on the international front has been very encouraging with some of our players travelling to Ireland in order to widen their experience in competition. The Association would like to be able to profit from financial support/sponsorship to allow more people to experience the playing opportunity. We shall continue to encourage participation in events, both now and in the future, and hope the development currently taking place abroad will profit our players in the long run. We hope to take part in the world inter-club league next year. It is a wonderful example of advancement using modern technology.”
Mother of four Doreen nominates one unforgettable moment from her involvement in our sport. “The most memorable moment in my Pitch and Putt career was the first time I represented Britain in the European Ladies side at McDonagh in 2003. I lost my match but the achievement of taking Peggy Campbell (RIP) to the 16th (further than I ever imagined I would get) was something I won't ever forget. Peggy was a lady of great skill and dignity and it was an honour to share this time with her. This also was the last time I met and spoke to the great Willie Parker (RIP). He was a great inspiration to me and to all those of us who had the pleasure and privilege to meet him. His forethought and drive was remarkable and something that I shall never forget. If I could achieve a fraction of what he did during his lifetime I shall retire happy.”
Horse racing devotee Doreen, whose preferred Pitch and Putt courses are Abbotsley and Overbetuwe, finds it difficult to plump for a favourite between Pitch and Putt and golf. “Although involved in golf for over 25 years and Pitch and Putt for the last 5, both have their advantages and disadvantages. However, the one thing Pitch and P utthas given me is a wonderful opportunity to show off my short game skills and more time to meet and make friends, more energy and the conservation of physical energy, especially with the ever increasing age problem. However mental energy is used up with the desire to organise well, compete and attempting to improve my Pitch and Putt skills.”
Husband Graham is equally immersed in Pitch and Putt matters. “Graham has been a constant support to me during my involvement both at home and abroad. It has been a complete partnership between the two of us. He is, like me, very competitive, and took the British Seniors title this year for the first time.”
Doreen, whose primary ‘hobby’ is her children and grandchildren, is upbeat concerning Britain's prospects for the 2007 European Team championship. “John Deeble has played on the Irish circuit recently and gave an excellent display amongst the experienced Irish players. This invaluable experience has and will be passed on to the rest of the British team and if he and his team can achieve an improvement in our final placing we shall be very pleased. We are looking forward to Chia immensely.”
What’s Doreen’s perspective on the matches against Ireland in the European Championships in 2003 and 2005? “An opportunity to compete in these ladies events has been wonderful and although my skill level is nowhere near that of the Irish ladies, I will continue to enjoy these events, which I think are very worthwhile. It is my personal desire to get more ladies involved in Pitch and Putt. This is the one area where the growth prospects are probably the greatest in Britain.”
How could they be developed? “Matchplay is the only worthwhile format for these matches, particularly taking into account the skill gap that exists between the Irish ladies and the rest. Strokeplay is too difficult against players with the skill of the Irish ladies as evidenced by the results in 2005 but with matchplay a couple of very bad holes is not the end of the world. In the long term, I would like to think that we could have sufficient ladies playing at a skill level that would allow us to enter a British Ladies team to compete against the Irish, Dutch and Catalan ladies.”
Doreen is appreciative of the work done by the EPPA and FIPPA Boards but counsels realism. “This is an area where an immeasurable amount of work is done and so many items covered. I think their priorities should be to continue this work but not to expect and hope that all countries will develop and achieve the desired results at the same pace. We appreciate the leadership example shown to us but can only follow and take the opportunities when presented to us. I would also like to thank John Manning, Mervyn Cooney, John Hudson and Jose Maria de Anzizu for their continual support and encouragement.”
Like many others, the two-time British champion speaks enthusiastically of fippa.net. “The FIPPA web site, together with the world inter-league site, is an example of the expertise set by the Board and one, which we should all try and follow.”
(with John Manning)
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