Captains Report

CAPTAIN Greg Rundle

Members, I am pleased to present the Annual Report for the 2020/2021 Financial Year and to be reporting on the strong position of the Club, both financially through a healthy balance sheet and in membership numbers with strong growth being recorded. Firstly, I would like to thank the immediate past Captain, Bevan Roberts, for his contribution to the Club, and thank the Committee of Management for their continued service to the Club throughout the year. Thanks also to our staff, who, under the strong guidance of General Manager, Robert Vincekovic, were able to make sure we, as Members, could continue to enjoy the sport we love, throughout what was an unprecedented year, with changes to rules often happening by the hour. With this being the first 12-month period reported after the changes to the financial year in order to align it with the membership year, it is pleasing to report the Club has posted a net operating profit of $286,017. This result was assisted largely by support payments from the Federal Government and the resurgence in the popularity of golf with many new Members being welcomed to the Club. Current debt levels are extremely manageable, positioning us well to undertake some of the course enhancements works being considered for the next four years. We welcomed a total of 223 new Members to the Club throughout the year in varying categories and saw a waiting list implemented for the first time since 2009. We now have a membership base actively using the course at a higher rate than ever before.

During the year, our Committee of Management, along with senior staff, began the process of compiling our new Strategic Plan which is to be implemented alongside the Course Enhancement Plan over the next 4-5 years. We look forward to presenting these to Members over the next few months.

With the Clubhouse being closed for a period, the opportunity was taken to undertake internal renovations, with new bathrooms, carpet and painting performed with the assistance of our hospitality staff who were being retained on the JobKeeper subsidy. Once operations could reopen, it was pleasing to see the strong Member support for our hospitality offerings with high volumes of sales for this period. Unfortunately, our function business took a little longer to rebuild, but is now reaching pre-COVID levels once again. I would like to acknowledge the work of the course staff under the guidance of Course Superintendent, Tim Warren, and the Pro Shop staff under the guidance of Club Professional, Shane Robinson, who kept golf being played throughout the year. Course conditions remained strong, during a time of extremely high demand, enabling all players to enjoy a quality experience. They also managed to tackle a number of projects to improve course playability with extensive bunker work undertaken to assist our Members with ingress and egress. Pro Shop staff were at the front-line for all Members throughout the year providing a level of service and assistance that made all the changes and adaptations for the year an easier journey. Our Annual Report would normally talk to the success of the players who represented our Club, on state, national and international stages, but the 2020 season was greatly restricted by the pandemic. The cancellation of the 2020 pennant season meant we were unable to defend our titles or challenge for new ones. However, throughout the year, we were able to play a number of Club competitions within the strict COVID guidelines, with some of our Members having performances of note which are recorded through this report. Once again, I would like to thank Members for the ongoing support of your Club during the 2020/2021 year.