Page 9 - Northbridge Golf Club 85th Annual Report 2021

NORTHBRIDGE GOLF CLUB LIMITED
CAPTAIN’S REPORT
When I wrote last year’s report, I thought that we were through the worst and could look forward to a bright future. Then Covid came roaring back and all our lives changed. Again, we had to continually adapt to the changing rules and regulations while at the same time trying to offer a game of golf in the fresh air, to our members and public alike. This was incredibly stressful for all involved, but even more so for the Pro Shop, our General Manager Marko and his staff, and the Grounds staff who had to navigate through golfers from daylight to dusk.
The course again took a pounding from so many players, particularly our tees and fairways. However, we did manage to make a number of improvements which will get better as time goes on. These include the reshaping of the front of the 6th green and the installation of drainage under the green; renovation of the older bunkers and installation of new drainage so they are in play through wet weather periods; completion of the reshaping and returfing of the 16th and 17th holes; installation of concrete paths in a number of areas including 2nd, 3rd, 16th, 17th and 18th; turfing the various bare patches throughout the course but especially the 7th, 8th 13th and 14th holes.
As we came into spring the Grounds staff have taken advantage of the various new equipment with which they have been provided and the increased budget for fertilisers and various chemicals, to perform a state of the art greens renovation and they are also renovating a number of tees. In addition they are assisting in the installation of upgraded wiring to allow an additional $50,000 water pump to be installed so going forward the whole course can be watered in the most effective and efficient method. Other projects are on the schedule (eg the area left of the 9th green) but these have to be fitted in with the usual maintenance functions that our very small team must carry out.
Competitions had to be changed substantially with our planned fixtures cancelled and stableford events played. Many interclub competitions were shut down to either be cancelled or deferred. One upside of the 10 and then 5 kilometre rules the government brought in, was that Northbridge was visited by many players from the elite private clubs as they were very keen for a game. It was pleasing to have so many compliment the course and express admiration for the various members who gave their time to act as marshals. Unfortunately, a number of our members could not visit Northbridge but we were able to organise some reciprocal play at other clubs.
The heavy visitor numbers highlighted some difficulties with our golf management software the Club has used for a long time. This was one reason we decided to switch to MiClub. The members of the Match Committee, Pro Shop and office staff attended Zoom training and the start up went well. Members can now see some of the benefits of MiClub including electronic scoring on your phone and live scoring. The users in the Pro Shop, Office and match Committee have many more benefits from the system.
As I write we are finishing off the Foursomes Championships and organising a truncated Club Championships. We are also planning towards the full golfing programme in 2022. Hopefully playing in 2s and the many other restrictions, will become distant memories.
In conclusion I would like to thank all those members who volunteered their time to keep the Club going through Covid. Also thanks to Life Member and Handicapper John Firkin for his work behind the scenes, all the Board that had to make many decisions in the face of rapidly changing conditions, and thanks also to the fabulous Pro Shop staff and our Office staff who endured the most stressful of times and handled it all brilliantly.
Phil Peterson Captain
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