ELGA LADIES TERMINATE MERGER TALKS
WITH ENGLISH GOLF UNION MEN

According to an article by Lewine Mair in the "Daily Telegraph," the English Ladies Golf Association has called a halt to his talks with the English Golf Union over a possible merger.
Lewine writes in her article:
The English Ladies' Golf Association have called a halt to their talks with the English Golf Union over a possible merger. Though the women had visualised an equal partnership, they were dismayed to discover that, only three months into the talks, the men expected to have the upper hand.
The main stumbling block is the EGU's headquarters at Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, a centre of golfing excellence which is not exactly in the centre.
At a meeting in St Andrews on March 20, the men said the women should leave their present headquarters in Birmingham and join them.
ELGA explained that they were not prepared to make a hasty decision on such a big issue. In the first place, they felt that the men should talk to their own membership to see if they believed that Woodhall was the best place for the EGU to be long-term. At the same time, ELGA said that they would need to get feedback from their members.
"If it turned out to be what both sets of members wanted," said Sarah Miller, the chairman of ELGA, "we would go."
Sport England have said repeatedly that they would like to see the two bodies unite, not least from a Lottery-funding point of view in that facilities and administrative costs could be shared. It would also help the women if their girls' squads were to practise more alongside the boys.
However, ELGA officials are not at all sure all the advantages that have been put to them would outweigh the disadvantages of being so out on a limb.
After discussing the women's concerns, the EGU went a step further in stating that relocation was a pre-condition to any merger.
There was a further meeting on April 3 at which nothing was resolved. "As a consequence of these unacceptable terms, talks have been suspended," said Sarah Miller.