President’s Message

Through the newly formed Strategy and Planning Committee (SPC), chaired by Linda Lea, the Board has a renewed focus on the future vision for the Club. We are very appreciative of the members who volunteer their time and expertise to assist the Board to work through the process of thoroughly reviewing and establishing our current position and workshopping future opportunities for the Club. This work has been supported by significant input from the General Manager, Daniel Constable and the Finance Manager, Rod Valdes. To begin this process all Board directors, the General Manager and the Finance Manager attended a Saturday workshop this month facilitated by members Derek Nix and Alan Martin. The next meeting has been scheduled to continue this work.

This year is largely one of consolidation. We have taken a conservative approach on capital spending with expenditure being primarily applied to the Course. Under Brenden Benad’s supervision the transformation of the course continues which is being supported with appropriate funding. The ‘mini’ closure this month allowed staff to undertake work on the greens and areas surrounding some of the waterways. The Green Army has also been hard at work making an impact on the vastly improved appearance of the car park area.

Other significant works to be undertaken include the 8th tee bridge (which is scheduled for commencement end of April after material supply delays) and necessary repairs to the Clubhouse roof. Richard Gobee (Director) has volunteered to complete a full review of our water infrastructure and provide advice and ideas in this regard.

New member intakes during the last few months will bring us close to our agreed capped numbers. At the start of the year member numbers were below our caps and the number of ‘downward’ transfers has resulted in a shortfall of subscription income, which in turn has contributed to the Board’s conservative approach to spending this year. Other areas of the business, including the Pro Shop and F&B, have recently seen positive results.

The trivia night hosted by Alex Hunter was lots of fun and plans are well progressed for the Comedy night and the Autumn Chef’s Table being held in April. Easter will soon be here and details of Anzac Day arrangements will be communicated shortly. The initiative to enable spending of prize money within the lounge area has been well received and is slowly gaining more widespread use.

I look forward to seeing you at the Club. Please do not hesitate to talk to me or any of the Directors if you have a concern you would like to raise at Board level.

Happy Golfing,

Alison Andrews

President

February has been another busy month for the Club. From my perspective the recurring theme this month has been ‘standards’.Each member of the Board is committed to raising standards across all areas of the Club.  This includes the course, the service, the amenity and member conduct.

It is very pleasing to continue to receive positive feedback on the improvements to the condition of the course. Members and visitors alike have been impressed with the definition of the fairways
and bunkers and appreciate the lush lies and open vistas. It is noted that these improvements have come with significant additional spending on water, additives and resources. It is understood that the course is the priority of members. As such the Board has supported this expenditure envisioning a plateauing of outgoings as we move into the cooler months and see the benefits from the work that has been undertaken over summer and from the new bore which is due to soon become fully operational. I am also pleased to confirm that the works to the bridge accessing the 8th tee have been approved and are expected to commence in March.

Hostings this month have included the women’s Champion of Champions event, the Trangie GC visit, the day for Senior Golfers of NSW and their Canadian counterparts, the David Trophy, various Major Pennant teams and Grade teams hosting. The feedback from all of these events has been very complimentary with praise for the course condition, the quality of the food offerings and service and for the warm welcome from members and staff.

On a day to day basis there are always areas for improvement. With Management we are looking at possible ways to further improve service and member experience such as increasing bag storage, improving timesheet booking protocols for visitors and guests and providing a variety of member event offerings. Longer term vision is also essential and the Board is working with experts in this field to clarify our strategic objectives and plan for the future. An additional area of focus includes a complete revision of the Club Foundation.

Disappointingly there have been a number of incidents reporting poor member behaviour. We
value high standards and have a low tolerance for conduct unbecoming of a member. Obviously
safety is our first consideration however appropriate behaviour, observance of rules (including
dress regulations), golf etiquette and good sportsmanship are all a part of being a member of
MGC. Enough said!

Continue to enjoy the warm days and long daylight hours. We wish our representative teams all
the best for their remaining matches.

Please feel free to contact me or any of the Directors should you wish to raise a particular issue with the Board.

I look forward to seeing you at the Club.

Alison Andrews
President

FEBRUARY MESSAGE

Dear Members,

To help keep members informed I plan to provide a monthly update.Please feel free to contact me or the relevant committee Chair (see below) if you have any issues you would like to raise with the Board.

Finance: Iain Spittal (Treasurer)

Women’s Golf: Linda Lea (Women’s President)

January has been a busy month.

This month we held our first new Member induction event for the year. New members together with their proposers and seconders were hosted by Daniel Constable (GM), Philip Baird (Director of Golf) and the Membership Committee to an informal introduction to the Club. We are very pleased to welcome our new members into the MGC community. Should you know anyone who is looking to join the Club, please be aware that the waitlist is currently open to all categories of membership.

Recently, I met some of the golfers on the tee in the Wednesday field. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many members and putting some faces and names together.

‘Meet the Board’ was re-scheduled to 31 January due to the earlier course closure. Thank you to those who were able to join the Board and the General Manager for this casual gathering. It was a lovely opportunity to chat about the Club, the course and future plans.

Friday ‘Happy Hour’, the Australia Day golf and BBQ and the Spanish themed twilight night have been very popular. Member and external events have been busy throughout the month. The Club has received very positive feedback regarding the quality of our food offerings and the high level of service for functions.

The Chair of each sub-committee has organised initial meetings, prioritising member service whilst being conscious of budget responsibilities.

This year Financial reporting and detailed cost centre analysis continue to be an important focus. It is some time since pricing policies have been reviewed and some adjustments will be necessary in the coming months. The Board continues to focus on additional opportunities to generate revenue and on ideas to increase member services. As communicated last year, member levies have been applied to reduce debt.

The Board is keenly aware of budgetary constraints but has made a conscious decision to support additional expenditure on the course. Our newly appointed Course Superintendent, Brenden Benad and his team, have worked with stakeholders to transform the course. This is a wonderful start and we are excited to see what is to yet to come.

The Board is reviewing our current asset position and identifying a strategic future plan via the newly created Strategy, Planning and Capital works Committee (SPC) chaired by Linda Lea. Prioritising asset replacement together with planning future improvement projects will require a viable funding strategy. We aim to create a master plan to benefit all with a short, medium and long term outlook.

One key project approved to progress at the January Board meeting is the essential repair works to the bridge between the 7th & 8th. A more detailed report on the works will be posted to the Members website, we all look forward to seeing the works completed.

There is much to be done but we have the team in place to meet the challenge.

I look forward to seeing you at the Club.

Alison Andrews
PRESIDENT

JANUARY MESSAGE

Over the festive season the Board met to start planningfor the year ahead. The sub-committees for 2025 are a little different this year and are detailed below.

Match and Greens are being combined into the Golf Committee. The Golf Committee will be chaired by our Captain, Alex Hunter. Mike McKinlay, also sitting on the Golf Committee, will continue to be the primary Director for contact for Greens related matters in his capacity as Director of Greens.

Our Treasurer, Iain Spittal will continue to chair the Finance Committee.

The Membership Committee will be chaired by Gary Lord. The Committee will continue to focus on all matters regarding member numbers. This year the scope of the Membership Committee will be expanded to include member services including social offerings and front of house services (which were covered by the former House Committee).

Linda Lea is chairing our newly formed Strategy, Planning and Capital (SPC) Committee. The Committee will reconstruct the strategic plan including provisioning for future works. This Committee is being formed to ensure that the Board has a strategic focus with medium and long term plans in place. By planning for the future the Committee will provide a solid framework for the Foundation and for major works.

The Sub-committees are as follows:-

Golf Committee –

• Chair Alex Hunter
• Chris Connolly
• Mike McKinlay (Director of Greens)
• Gemma Amate
• (Superintendent and Director of Golf)

Finance Committee –

• Chair Iain Spittal
• Richard Gobee
• Michael Cook
• (Finance Manager)

Strategy, Planning and Capital Committee –

• Chair Linda Lea
• Michael Cook
• Gary Lord
• Chris Connolly

Membership Committee –

• Chair Gary Lord
• Richard Gobee
• Linda Lea
• (Membership Co-ordinator)

The General Manager and the President will sit across all sub-committees.

We would like to invite all members to ‘Meet the Board’ gathering to be held on Friday 17 January 2025, 5.15pm – 6.15pm. Members of the Board and the General Manager will be available to ‘say hello’ and to discuss any suggestions or questions you may like to raise in an informal setting.

With best wishes for the New Year. We look forward to all that lies ahead in 2025 and to a wonderful year of golf and camaraderie.

Alison Andrews
PRESIDENT