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Margaret on her retirement in 2007 from being SLGA Chairman
Photo courtesy of Carol Fell |
From the Midlothian County Ladies Golf Association Website
It is with great sadness I tell you of the death of Margaret Rodgers.
Margaret was an Honorary Member, Captain (1997-98) and President (2008-10) of Midlothian County Ladies Golf Association and one of the County’s greatest supporters. Many of you will know she was also the creator of Michaela, the much loved mascot of the County Squad.
Captain, and a member for most of her life, of Turnhouse, Margaret was a talented player, selector and administrator, and has made a huge contribution to Scottish golf over the years.
I am sure many of you will have a connection, and fond memories, of Margaret. She will be deeply missed.
The funeral is private.
She had also held various SLGA posts in the past, including chairman from 2005-07, and was made an honorary member of the MCLGA in recognition of her work.
In 2006 she led the Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association and Scottish Golf Union joint working group to look after the best interests of the amateur game in Scotland. CLICK HERE
A Forever Tribute has been set up by her daughter Jane dedicated to her memory CLICK HERE
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| Margaret - County Finals 2009 |
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| Margaret with County Team in 2009 |
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| SLGA Counties Centenary 2009 |
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| Midlothian Mascot Michaela created by Margaret |
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Scottish Seniors Championship Strokeplay 2006
Machrihanish |
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2006 Scottish Senior Matchplay Finalist Fiona De Vries and Helen Faulds
with Margaret Rodgers and Nancy Chisholm |
All photos - Courtesy of Carol Fell
Tributes to former SLGA chair and Midlothian stalwart Rodgers
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
The Scotsman
14 Jan 2022
Golf is mourning the death of Margaret Rodgers, a Midlothian stalwart who was at the centre of the unification of the men’s and women’s games in Scotland.
Margaret Rodgers, a well known face in Scottish golf, having been at the heart of an initiative that led to a unified body for the amateur game in the country, has died.
Including a spell as Lady Captain, Rodgers, who hailed from Ireland but lived in Scotland for most of her life, was a member of Turnhouse for 46 years, while she was also a member of Gullane.
A low-handicapper in her day, she won the Turnhouse Ladies’ Championship in1986 and1987 and has her name on six of the nine main ladies’ trophies at the Capital club.
“My first memory of her was playing as her partner in a mixed foursomes soon after I joined Turnhouse in the late 1970s,” said Allan Shaw, a former Lothians Golf Association president.
“My trepidation in playing with a lower handicap lady golfer resulted in me leaving us up against the front face of the bunker at the third green. Undaunted, she demolished the face of the bunker and left me with a two-foot putt and we sailed on after that to finish in the top three.”
Rodgers was heavily involved in the Midlothian County Ladies Golf Association, becoming an honorary member after stints as captain (1997-98) and president (2008-10).
“She was one of the county’s greatest supporters,” said captain Isla Mccrone in a post on the MCLGA website. “She was also the creator of Michaela, the much-loved mascot of the county squad.”
In 2006, during a spell as chair of the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association, Rodgers was part of a joint-working group with the Scottish Golf Union setup to look after the “best interests of the amateur game in Scotland”.
Alongside SGU chair Alistair Low, she was involved in discussing how the then ruling bodies of Scottish amateur golf could work together for the “betterment of the game, irrespective of gender”.
Though encountering some bumps along the way, Scottish Golf, a unified body, was formed on 1 October, 2015.
“I suppose it was a big step,” said low of that working group. “The ladies were very conscientious and helpful and Margaret was extremely encouraging.”
A post on the Scottish Golf website said of Rodgers: “We are grateful for her vast contributions to Scottish golf over the years.”
Former Scottish Golf president June Mcewan first got to know Rodgers when she was chair of SLGA. she said: “Margaret was always very enthusiastic in promoting women’s golf and in working more closely with the SGU and contributed greatly to the game on many levels.
“She was a good listener, and, on a personal level, encouraged me to have the confidence to further my volunteering within the game. Margaret was a gentle lady with a lovely sense of humour and will be sadly missed.”
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Claire Hargan with Midlothian Mascot
Photo courtesy of Carol Fell |
Six-time Midlothian champion
Claire Hargan, who is now the
Assistant Director - Rules at the R&A, also paid a warm tribute to Rodgers. “Margaret truly was a great ambassador for Scottish women’s golf and for women’s county golf,” said Hargan. “In the 10 or so years I was involved with Midlothian Ladies County she was always there supporting the team. She was great fun to be around but, behind the scenes, she clearly put in a power of work for the women’s game in Scotland.”
