Masterton Golf Club

MASTERTON GOLF CLUB Inc.

 

Half Yearly Report

August 2015

 

We’re six months on from our most recent AGM and six months away from the next one. Daylight saving starts next month and Christmas is only 4 months away. Time flies when you’re enjoying your golf !!!

 

Who would have thought anyone could possibly beat the record of Tiger Woods as the youngest ever world #1 golfer? His record was beaten by nearly 4 years in February 2015, by a young golfer from New Zealand, Lydia Ko – unbelievable !!! The form of Danny Lee and Ryan Fox gives us even more reason for optimism – could one of those two win a major?

 

On behalf of the Board it’s my pleasure to present this half year report to the members. It’s all too easy to reflect on the last 6 months and say that little has changed – to the contrary, I had to be selective in what I included in this report and what I left out.

 

What’s gone well ?

 

1. A fantastic result in the Marquis Shield which now sits proudly above the bar upstairs. Mixed results in other interclub competitions. Three of our younger members have had impressive results this year. Congratulations Sam-Marie Brown, Kerry Mountcastle and Dean Gray.

 

2. Jocelyn Pollock remains firmly focused on raising money for the clubhouse refurbishment. Thank you Jocelyn and your helpers for all the time you have invested in our club. Donations of saleable items are always welcome – keep this in mind when you do your Spring clean.

 

3. We are very proud of our caterer, Kerry, for the fantastic food she makes available to our members and visitors. Please continue to support her and encourage non-members to utilise the café. Open five days a week from Monday to Thursday and Saturday.

 

4. Robin and his team continue to do a fantastic job on the maintenance of the course. Very few people would challenge the statement that we are “Wairarapa’s premier golf course”. The condition of the course during the winter months has been wonderful and recent developments including the red tees, the 8^th green and the 14^th green ring main continue to enhance the course.

 

5. Volunteers are an important part of our club culture. From the firewood team to the gardeners, to those who assist around the clubhouse and course, the organisers of our competitions and our fundraising activities – thank you on behalf of the Board and the club members for your commitment.

 

1. The women’s and men’s match committees remain focused on the management of our golf, internal and external. Competitions have been well organised and undertaken with a level of healthy participation and competitive spirit. Well done Pam, Tony and your respective committees.
3. Our office staff are committed to ensuring that the day to day operations and finances are under control. Thanks Lorraine and Russell.
5. Joel Macklin has reinvigorated junior golf in our club. His energy and enthusiasm was behind the recent school holiday programme which was well attended by many aspiring junior golfers. Great work Joel !

 

1. The Quiz night is this week (4^th September) and tickets are on sale now for the club raffle to raise money for the club house refurbishment. We have also applied for some grants to support our fundraising activities. More information will follow on our refurbishment plans once we can determine the level of available funds. In the meantime, the refurbishment work has commenced – the recently sanded and varnished dance floor upstairs looks brand new again !!!
3. Rosalee Thurston and John Hopkirk have both been recently appointed to positions on Wellington Golf committees. The representation of our club and Wairarapa clubs at the regional level is extremely important following the wind-up of the Wairarapa sub-association.
5. I would encourage you all to have a look around our new website. It’s a significant improvement and a fantastic marketing tool. Well done to Kirstin Hewitt and all those from our club who contributed and continue to contribute.

Areas to work on

 

1. Financial – I believe our financial position has been well managed given the continued decline in our various income streams including subscriptions, green fees, bar profits and grants. The recent change in drink driving laws has clearly impacted our bar sales. Our financial position will remain an area of key focus. We need to ensure that we maximise the level of income we receive from non-members rather than just focusing on members.
3. Membership – Sports club memberships are less popular amongst younger members of the community (the under 40’s). Increased choice, lack of available time, a focus on the family and other financial priorities are the usual comments we hear. Casual, varied and on demand recreation seems to be the norm for this group. We need to change our focus for these golfers, trying to sell memberships won’t work. If we can get them to play our course five times each year, that will be success.
5. Participation – I often reflect on the lack of entries in club competitions and an empty carpark as signs that club member participation is declining. Whilst this is a concern, our club is fortunate that we offer a variety of options for golfers including vets, nine-holers, Friday / Sunday club, mens, womens and interclub. Each group remains strong and is essential to our future. If you know of a member who hasn’t played golf recently then give them a call and organise a game. We want our club to be inclusive not exclusive.
7. Merger / amalgamation of clubs – There is no doubt in my mind that the number of golf clubs in the Wairarapa will reduce over the next 10 years. It’s happening all over the country so why should our region be any different? We need to work closely with other clubs to ensure that this reduction is well managed and doesn’t result in a similar decline in the number of Wairarapa golfers. These are challenging times and we need to be innovative if we want our club to flourish. Your Board is open-minded and pro-active when it comes to determining our future – long may that continue.

 

 

Earlier this year one of our Board meetings focused on a review of our vision and purpose as a club. The Board’s agreed vision is “To be the most enjoyable golfing challenge in the Wairarapa”. We agreed that our purpose was twofold; firstly “To provide an environment for golfers to enjoy the spirit, challenge and healthy competition of the game of golf” and secondly “To create opportunities for non-golfers to enjoy the experience of golf at their level and in their own way”. In six months’ time we will reflect on our performance against these measures.

 

Enjoy the longer days and warmer weather to come. Happy golfing !!!

 

 

Rob Blackett

Chairman

Board of Management