Captains Report

Fellow members

It’s hard to believe that we’re well past the half-way point in my Captain’s year, and I’ve discovered that along with the responsibilities it entails, it also encourages the rapid growth of grey hair! I hope to enjoy the remainder of this year as much as the beginning.

Many Club matches have been played, and it’s been nice to see new faces as well as the hardened regulars representing the Club.  Playing for your Club is an honour, and playing alongside my team-mates has made me feel very proud.  Please continue to put down your names for future matches no matter who you are or what your handicap is.

I’ve tried to play in most swindles this year, and apart from the real early birds I’ll continue to put myself about. If any member would like to play with the Captain, just ask the Pro or secretary and they will arrange it for you.

I must give big congratulations to Ian Seymour who became Club Champion once again with one of the greatest playoffs ever seen at Mitcham. Having to sink that 2 on the 18^th to extend the playoff took real bottle, and it took a further two holes, eight in all, to seal his victory over one of Mitcham’s true gentlemen, Derek Thomas. Derek’s consolation was the Handicap Plate.

Another big congratulation goes to the Senior’s Club Champion for the second year running, Martin Clark. This year saw many more entries than previous with Len Turner winning their handicap plate.

Our Ladies Champion, Evie Simpson defended her title successfully for the third time – can anyone out there dislodge her?!  Judith Grigg was runner up, and Anne West won the Handicap Plate.

Well done to all the winners and losers

Captain’s Prize was a great day for me, made even better by the fact that the winners of the golf trips both invited me to join them – thanks and congratulations to Billy Frost who won the main prize, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast and 2 rounds for 4 at the Belfry, and to Alan Thorpe, who won a 4 ball to Brockett Park, courtesy of Your golf Travel.

As we have all noticed, we have a new patio space, and having spoken to a few guests, they feel a lot more comfortable relaxing in this environment after a round, but please extend a warm welcome inside the clubhouse too.

We are in the process of making wheelchair ramps to encourage less able people to enjoy our facilities, and we are keen to hear from you should you find anything lacking in and around the clubhouse.  Please discuss with any committee member.

We held an Open Day which proved to be a success, with a couple of new members joining as a result.  My thanks to those who worked hard to make it happen.

Charity Day is on September 27^th, and when I last checked with Paul, he said there were only about three spaces left. If you haven’t entered then you’ll miss out on a great day for great causes, with a free fitness assessment by a professional sports physiotherapist.

We have a new Lavender Open Champion, Georgio Coppola from Puttenham, who shot an impressive 70+70=140 in extreme heat – no mean feat!  Well done to local hero, Matt Addy who claimed the prize for the best am score, but unfortunately he wilted in the afternoon sun!

As with all competitions, thorough planning and able staffing from start to finish is needed.  A big thank you goes to Paul Burton, Jim Lawrence, Dave Varren, Frank Cassidy and the Simpson family for all their help.

The list for the Captain and Pro challenge is still up with the matches about to start, so please add your names.  Last year’s play-off for the coveted Claret Jug was won by Evie Simpson & Judith Grigg who saw off the fierce competition with an impressive 43 points.  The first ladies pair to achieve this.  Well done indeed.

The sand in the bunkers improving all the time as it continues to settle, and as requested the grass on the 13^th plateau has been cut down.  This fantastic course is looking really beautiful, albeit somewhat arid! The rough is punishing, but will soon die down, but in the meantime please continue to play provisionals to minimise slow play. We had an unfortunate accident when one our cutting machines leaked hydraulic fluid onto the 6^th green.  Dave Willis has this in hand, but some re-turfing will be required.

You may have read the recent Board report on the MGC blog regarding the Club’s financial performance this year.  I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and thank all those concerned for a job well done.

Your captain

Report from the Board

Dear Member

The Board would like to update you regarding the current financial situation at the club, and share with you plans going forward for the remainder of the financial year.

As we all know we had a tough start to the financial year (Oct 2012), as the weather continued to play a big part in disrupting competitions and general play on the course, putting considerable strain on our resources.  We are very reliant on green fees which effectively subsidise our subscriptions.  This income provides us with a buffer which allows us not only to survive in an increasingly difficult trading environment, but also enables us to make provisions for the future.  Maintaining control of our day-to-day running expenses is key to our continuing success.

We are pleased to announce, that due to the hard work and diligence our staff has put in over the past 6 months, to June 2013, we have managed to recoup some of the afore-mentioned losses.

Here are some highlights:

1, Subscriptions are slightly down on Budget, but we are ahead of last year with many more members joining throughout the year.

2, Greenfees continue to be a challenge, being down against budget, and almost on a par with last year.  Our Director of golf is working very hard to encourage new visitors to the club, and we have seen a substantial increase in green fee payers of the last 3 months.  We are sure that his initiatives will continue to enhance the bottom line.

3, Catering continues to be ahead of Budget, due in no small part to the great work our GM has done over the last six months to market very effectively MGC as a function venue, Patrick’s very high level of expertise and professionalism and Archie’s ability to consistently return good margins.  The recently completed patio project should further enhance this source of revenue, though we are of course at the mercy of the weather in this regard!

4, Spend is a key measure for us, and we’re pleased to report that this is very much under control against last year.

Dennise and Paul will continue to explore new avenues regarding the marketing of the club through sponsorship and other initiatives which will generate further income over the next few months and beyond.

Qtr 4 (July – Sept) will continue to be a challenge but we have a packed golfing & functions diary to look forward to.  Here’s looking forward to sharing more good news stories at the AGM.

The Board.

Mitcham Golf Club