Sport
7 December, 2024
Golf club board is more confident but key roles still need to be filled
Gilgandra Golf Club secretary Todd Meyers is more confident of the club’s future after Sunday’s (December 1) special meeting attracted two more board members.
Gilgandra Golf Club secretary Todd Meyers is more confident of the club’s future after Sunday’s (December 1) special meeting attracted two more board members.
While still without a president and vice-president after Sunday’s special meeting that hosted 23 concerned members, Meyers believed the meeting was a step in the right direction to securing the club’s future.
Despite the two roles not being filled at Sunday’s special meeting, Meyers was optimistic when he spoke with the Gilgandra Weekly yesterday (Monday).
“Hopefully we’ll sort out a president and vice-president from the current board in the next few weeks,” Meyers said.
“We think everything is going to be okay.
“The fact more that more people turned up yesterday (Sunday) shows they are pretty concerned and interested as far as the club goes.
“Everything will be fine … it’s just a matter of sorting out those two positions. We will get there.”
Bill Welsh and Ike Morris have joined the board as directors.
They join Meyers (secretary), Ian Ferguson (treasurer), Geoff Lummis (club captain) and other directors Stan Doyle, John McWhirter, Russell Anderson, Michael Wilson, Andy Harris and Nick Wright on the 11-strong committee.
The board will meet this Saturday (December 7).
Gilgandra Golf Club is a co-operative, meaning that it must have a minimum of five members and an appointed secretary to operate.
Even without a vice-president and president, Gilgandra Golf Club Co-Operative Limited, can function and legally trade as it has the required members (around 55 to 60), a nominated board and an appointed secretary (Meyers).
However, at the very least, Meyers believes appointing a president to head the club’s operations and meetings soon is ‘important’.
“I’d imagine (appointing a president and vice-chairperson) it will be the number one priority,” Meyers said.
“If it doesn’t happen … we can still trade without having those two positions filled as such.
“A nominated figurehead or chairperson would be ideal. If that doesn’t happen we can work around that. But it’d definitely be the number one priority.”
Another key item the board will discuss is engaging people who play social golf after work during daylight saving hours to become active members of the club.
Many people have a hit in the afternoons after work or school, but then simply go home.
Green fees are meant to be $20.
However, with an honesty system in place to collect fees and no club representatives around to monitor payments, people do sometimes play for free.
“We are looking at a strategy to engage these people,” Meyers said.
“We’d like to try entice them to become more involved in the club and hopefully become members in some capacity.”
A nine-hole social competition is being considered for every second Friday when the Gilgandra Golf Club bistro is open, so such patrons can then have a drink or meal at the club afterwards.
Also a six-month daylight savings membership option is a possibility, which would provide people the opportunity to play as much social golf as they like once they make an up-front payment.
“We need to keep those people interested,” Meyers said.
“Ideally, we need them to take the next step from being a social golfer, to playing on the weekends in members competition.
“We need to keep their interest and get them moving in the right direction.
“We need to try and give them an incentive to pay the money up-front.
“We are not a charity. We can’t afford to let people use our course for nothing.
“Ideally, social players would pay $20 every time they have played, but ultimately that does not happen (all the time).”
Meyers did admit the Gilgandra Golf Club’s current members are aging and some younger board members with fresh ideas are required to help move the club forward.
Gilgandra Golf Club has been in operation since 1923.
“It was a bit of a wake-up call,” Meyers said.
“People just get complacent and think the people that are doing jobs now will do them forever.
“We’re heading in the right direction … it’s just a matter of building that momentum and keeping it going.
“A few younger ones were at the meeting yesterday (Sunday) … and we have a few on the board.
“I think they realise the days of sitting back and doing nothing are coming to a quick end.”
