A MOTHER-OF-TWO who only took up golf to avoid being left at home while her husband and sons were playing has become her 127-year-old club’s first female captain.

Jane McDonald carried out one of her first duties of the new season when she hosted more than 100 golfers at Kilmacolm Golf Club’s Captain’s Day tournament on Saturday.

The 55-year-old was appointed captain after having served as the club’s vice-captain last year.

While the vice-captain tends to go on to hold the position of captain, it’s not guaranteed and her appointment still had to be approved by a vote at the AGM.

“I was completely bowled over to find I’d been given this honour,” she said. “It was very brave of last year’s captain, Kenneth Wilson, to choose me as his vice-captain last year.

“When he told me, I nearly fell over. I was so shocked.

“There were still hurdles to overcome before I was appointed captain. It’s a huge honour.”

Mrs McDonald, who plays off 20, said she took up the game two decades ago after her sons began playing. She added: “They took up golf and my husband, Douglas, plays too. I realised I would be left at home when everyone was out on the golf course, so I thought I’d make an effort to get into it.

“Kilmacolm is a lovely, friendly club and I found I enjoyed it very much.”

While Mrs McDonald is the overall club captain, there is also a club ladies captain, who hosts tournaments and prizegiving ceremonies for the women golfers.

While Mrs McDonald has helped to break the glass ceiling and become the first woman to have her name etched on the club’s captain’s roll of honour, she revealed history is unlikely to repeat itself particularly soon.

“I’ve stuck with tradition and appointed a man as my vice-captain,” she said. “I felt two in a row may be over-saturated for the men.”