After serving as vice captain under Sandra McGonigle over the past year, Jane Johnson has assumed the role of ladies captain for 2022. She recently chatted with member Dan Miller about her plans going forward.
DAN: Thanks for taking the time to chat with me. While many people at the club certainly know you, we’re hoping this will be a good way to introduce you to all of the members. Your counterpart, Mark Rogerson, says he didn’t start playing golf until he was in his 40s. Did you come to it later in life, too?
JANE: Actually, I’ve been playing for 24 years now. I got started by accident really. I was the manager at the Kings Arms Hotel in Berwick and we had an assistant manager who used to run off to Magdalene Fields on a his breaks every day. He encouraged me to give golf a try. I thought it was a silly game, chasing a white ball all around a field. But once I got out there in the fresh air, I found that it really helped me clear my mind and forget — at least for a little while — everything that was going on at the hotel. I absolutely loved it.
DAN: Did it take a while to get the hang of it?
JANE: My coordination was pretty good and I was able to hit the ball on the practice area pretty much from the start. I did that for a year before I even began to think about going onto the course. I eventually became a member at Magdalene Fields. Eric, my husband, was also a member there. Then about 18 years ago he moved over to Goswick, so I followed. I’ve been a member her for about eight years now.
DAN: How long did it take for you to feel comfortable at Goswick?
JANE: Not long at all. I found the ladies section to be very friendly right from the start, though we didn’t have that many ladies at the time. That’s still kind of true today, though Sandra did a lot of work to increase our numbers.
DAN: So will that be an area of focus for you, too?
JANE: Yes, I will do what I can. It is a bit of a challenge at Goswick. Magdalene Fields is right there in town whereas Goswick is outside of town. So for some of the ladies finding the time can be a problem. And Goswick is a more difficult course, which can be a hurdle if you’re new to the game. At Magdalene Fields you had fully lies and fluffy greens. Goswick is a true links course so you have tighter lies, which were quite a test for me at first. Fact is, they still are.But the ladies section is coming off a fun and very enjoyable year. There is some positive momentum. I need to do everything I can to keep it going.The same applies to our junior section. I’ve been very involved with that, in particular the coaching on Monday nights. To see these young ones come along is so rewarding. At first they might not be able to hit the ball. But just a few weeks later they’re knocking the ball down the practice area. It’s just marvelous.
DAN: Goswick’s remoteness can be a hurdle. But I think it’s also part of its appeal. Like you mentioned, golf can be a wonderful and much needed escape from our day-to-day realities.JANE: Absolutely! I just love my golf. It’s hard to explain. I play year-round. The only time I won’t play is if it’s snowing.DAN: That enthusiasm, alone, should go a long way toward encouraging other ladies to play. Do you have some specific ideas on how you hope to increase participation?
JANE: Competitions can be a good way to do that. Our competition days are Sundays and Mondays. And we form teams that compete in the North Northumberland league and the Shield Matches. But not everyone is interested in playing in competitions. So we also have regular roll-ups on Wednesdays and Thursdays where ladies can put their name down and come along and have fun just playing the game. I might try to introduce some different formats to mix it up a bit and keep it interesting.I’d also like to see us hold more mixed events. Sandra and (club captain) Paul (Holmes) made some progress on integrating the sections. I think there’s more we could do on that front.
DAN: You’ll be happy to hear that Mark said the same thing. So it does seem there’s a very good opportunity there just waiting to be developed.
JANE: There’s plenty to do. I’m really looking forward to my captain’s year.
DAN: Well, we’re all very grateful for your willingness to take on this responsibility. You’ve come a long way from those first swings on the practice tee at Magdalene Fields.
JANE: Golf has been very good to me. The least I can do is try to give something back.