Page 3 - Newsletter_Mar_2020

Handicap Committee Finance Report
We have just experienced one of Well, we are right into 2020 and,
the wettest Februaries in recent while the weather has been quite
history at Gorge Vale which will poor for golf, both the Finance
require Scott, his crew, and Mother Committee and the Board of
Nature significant time to make the Directors have been busy with a
advances to the course conditioning to make our number of initiatives to meet the 3 year goal of the
handicaps equitable. Players will continue to be Club’s Long-Term Plan to raise revenues by
allowed to lift, clean, and replace the ball in the $600,000.
general area until further notice. To those that are As members review the most recent Board
not clear on the definition of “The General Area” it minutes they will see that the Finance Committee
is the whole area of the course except: a) the teeing recommended, and the Board approved, some
ground and putting green of the hole being played, modest increases to the Green Fee rates. The Club’s
and b) all penalty areas on the course. For the time summer green fee rate was increased by $5 to $95,
being the bunkers will continue to be designated in and the Monday/Tuesday green fee rate was also
the General Area which affords players the right to increased by $5 to $75. In addition, Green Fee
lift, clean and replace their ball within 6 inches of players may now book tee times 6 days in advance
where the ball was – no nearer the hole. The next with no time restrictions on weekdays and after 12
opportunity for the Club to revert to the “Active on weekends and; the Twilight start time for Green
Season” for handicaps will come on 15 March. The Fees moves from 3 pm to 2 pm.
Club Captain and Handicap Committee Chair will The discussions at the Finance Committee and
announce the change with plenty of notice through the Board centred around 2 issues i) the financial
the Club Connect email and in the News section of impact of these changes and, ii) the impact upon
the member’s section of the Club’s website. members access to the tee. First, the revenue
For those wondering why their Winter Handicap increase is rather modest at around $13k however,
is not changing that is because that formula is no this does not include any assumptions that the
longer part of the system. The Winter Handicap you number of green fee players will increase due to the
see is the November 15, 2019 handicap factor you Twilight change, advance booking or ability to play
had prior to the change to the World Handicap anytime on weekdays, so it is a very conservative
System. estimate as is our practice.
Glenn Bell Second, we don’t believe that there will be any
Handicap Committee meaningful impact on member access to the tee.

Some analysis has been done on this so let me throw

Member Notice some figures out which I myself was quite surprised
In October 2019 the Club applied to amend liquor about – in 2017, 2018 and, 2019 only 42%, 48% and
service hours for both Food Primary and Liquor 51% of the available tee times were utilized and of
Primary licenses to better reflect the Club’s hours of this utilization only 3% was Green Fee play. So
operation and provide expanded service for while we do anticipate an increase in the number of
members. The amended hours would see service Green Fee players, it’s not going to have any
from 9am through to midnight each day. This discernible impact upon members access to the
change is particularly relevant for our concession course – there’s an abundance of times available!
service (Window Service). Still concerned, then use your advance booking
The application process requires public privileges and problem solved.
consultation which involves prominently posting a On a different subject - a frequent question I get
4’ x 8’ notice for a period of two weeks. We will be from other members is how we are going to prevent
posting this notice on the cart storage facility a reoccurrence of the member who failed to pay his
adjacent Craigflower Road. Thank you for your debt to the Club. I know that this is a frequent topic
understanding as we complete this public of discussion and both the Board and Finance
consultation. Committee have been working on how to prevent
Patrick Chury this from happening again. We have now approved
General Manager a new policy that limits the credit extended to