Mens

County Teams

Middlesex Men’s County Team Launches New Development Initiative

Middlesex Golf has unveiled a strategic overhaul of its Men’s County Team structure, aimed at boosting competitiveness and creating a clearer pathway for player development. Following a detailed review, the initiative addresses gaps between the County and Challenge teams and seeks to integrate rising talent from the U18 boys’ squad.

Key Highlights

• New Combined Squad: A 20-player squad will be selected based on defined criteria including handicap (tbc), recent performance based on qualifying cards submitted for WHI and commitment to training and fixtures. Away golfers (college or work related) will be considered as “wild cards” and exempt from standard criteria.
• Winter League Introduction: A four-event, non-qualifying winter league will offer competitive play without impacting handicaps, tailored for off-season conditions.
• Enhanced Match Play: Inter-team matches against top-performing club teams will provide additional competitive exposure.
• Tailored Coaching: The County Coach will assess players during matches to deliver targeted training based on individual and team needs.
• Fixture Coordination: Efforts will be made to avoid scheduling conflicts with key county finals, ensuring top players can participate fully.

Philosophy

The Middlesex Teams & Coaching Committee created the following philosophy to ensure a supportive and outstanding service is consistently delivered to the County's elite players.

“Middlesex Golf Teams & Coaching pledge to accommodate all interested golfers and of the ability to represent the County, according to the standards set out by the committee.

Whatever your reason for playing the game, we will foster that passion and encourage you to play and love the game in your own unique way. If you aspire to be one of the greatest that has ever played the game, we want to facilitate your path to the top. If playing County golf is your goal, we want to help you taste success along the way. Regardless of what your goals in the game are, we want every golfer that has been selected by the County to be able to say that they have learned lessons that are not only applicable to golf but also life.”

We commit to offering all County Players something at the County level that players cannot obtain at the club level.

Team Managers

1. Alan Megson - Men's County Team Manager
2. Bill Carey - Men's Senior Team Manager
3. Cairbre Smith - Boy's U18 Team Manager
4. Kevin Tierney - Boy's U16 Team Manager
5. VACANT - U14 Boys
6. Ines Hellmayr & Corrine Moy - Women's Senior League
7. Michael Bryant - Women's 1st Team Manager
8. Liz Kynoch - Women's 2nd Team Manager
9. VACANT - Junior Girls Team Manager
10. Martin Robinson - County Coach

Winter Training

After the playing season has ended, players have the opportunity to be selected for Men's Winter Training. Potential Men's 1st Team players will combine with potential Men's Colt's team players and they will all benefit from 'away days' together during the winter and other experiences that the County will provide. As well as providing a fun social atmosphere, this combined training gives the Team Managers the opportunity to monitor all potential players and see who is performing well and improving before a decision is made about which players should go into the Men's 1st Team and Colt's Team Squads in spring. The criteria for selection for Winter Training are:

• The player must have their Home Club in Middlesex
• The player's WAGR Ranking
• The player's performances in National events (Brabazon Trophy, etc.)
• The player's performances in County events (Men’s County Championship, etc)
• Typically, a Handicap Index of 2.4 or better

The overall aim of Winter Training is to improve upon the already considerable abilities of the high-performance players and assist them towards excelling in national amateur golf while representing Middlesex. Players who are selected will be invited to join the squad in late 2020. They will be provided with a schedule of events for the next 12 months, a Welcome Pack and some information about what will be expected of them.

Summer Squad & Inter-County Golf

A squad of 10-12 players that will make up the Men's 1st Team will be selected for matches, as well as the county's initial 6-man team squad, which will be chosen after Winter Training has finished and before the playing season begins. Generally, the criteria for selection are:

• Players' commitment to and performance in tournaments. We understand not all players can make all games. We also encourage players who are selected for England to take these games as a priority over Middlesex events. We do ask players to take Middlesex matches as precedence over club matches.
• Players' commitment to and performance in Winter Training
• Players' commitment to and performance in County matches

We like to begin the year with trips to play golf at away courses for team bonding as well as viewing early-year performances to select our initial squads of players. We also base the previous year's efforts and successes on those who aim to maintain their 1st team selection.

Though we have early team gatherings in the year, this does not mean players who begin to meet the criteria after the team has been chosen are excluded from matches. Players that show mid-season form and improvement are welcomed into the team.

• The player must have their Home Club in Middlesex
• The player's WAGR Ranking
• The player's performances in National events (Brabazon Trophy, etc.)
• The player's performances in County events (Men’s County Championship, etc)
• Typically, a Handicap Index of 2.4 or better, tbc

The overall aim of Winter Training is to improve upon the already considerable abilities of the high-performance players and assist them towards excelling in national amateur golf while representing Middlesex. Players who are selected will be invited to join the squad in late 2020. They will be provided with a schedule of events for the next 12 months, a Welcome Pack and some information about what will be expected of them.

Events we play in

We play Ryder Cup-style competitive matches against four other neighbouring counties; Hertfordshire, Essex, Bedfordshire and BB&O. Two matches are played at home courses and two are played away, alternating every year in which counties we play home and away.

The format is four foursome matches in the morning followed by eight singles matches in the afternoon. With 12 points in total to play for, 6.5 points on the day guarantee a county a win. This then equates to a league table against the other four counties with the winning county selected for the national finals.

We also play the England South East Group 6-man team event. This is a one-off 36-hole medal event, with all 6 scores counting. It truly separates the county's elite players and it is hoped, with the right effort and commitment from future golfers, Middlesex can be again fighting for the top spot in the South East England region and heading back to national finals.