Board Update
The Board held its monthly meeting on Wednesday 24th June, 2020.
Here are some key discussion topics from the meeting and other activities this week:
New Members and Course Congestion
The Board discussed the situation over the last several months regarding course congestion, and what actions should be taken regarding the intake of new members.
The last several months have seen a resurgence in golfing numbers at all clubs, not just Avondale. The inability to participate in so many other activities (international / domestic travel, community sport, gyms, school sport etc) has led many people to try the sport – or play more frequently. In addition, golf is a sport almost tailor made to work with social distancing. This increased activity may change the nature of golf participation for the future. We simply do not know, at this stage, at what rate other activities will recommence. There is already some evidence of easing of demand on the course – although the Board is very aware that there are still peak times where members are not able to play when they would like.
At this point in time, the Board has decided we will not introduce waiting lists for new members. The Board is of the view that the current situation is presenting a unique opportunity for us to attract new members to golf. We believe if we were to introduce waiting lists, we may lose the chance to capitalise on the current situation – potential members may go elsewhere and we would lose the chance to have them join Avondale. We are also of the view that the number of new Intermediate members joining the club is a very important step towards building the club for the future – and the membership categories around these age groups were very deliberately built to encourage this.
This decision does not mean the Board is ruling out the need for waiting lists at some point. We will be continuing to monitor playing patterns and discussing the situation on a monthly basis, as the situation continues to evolve.
In addition, the Match Committee will be meeting this Saturday to discuss a range of options to manage course congestion, and Mark will be sending out an update early next week.
Membership Category Changes – Implementation:
Tim and the staff team are continuing the implementation process for the new membership categories approved at the November 2019 AGM. The implementation is proceeding as per the model published last year – the full detail is attached again <here> (The Executive Summary is quite helpful). Members who will be required to change from their existing category to a new category are being contacted directly over the next couple of weeks. In most cases, members will be transferred to the new category which aligns most directly with their current category. E.g. 7 Day Playing Members will be moved to the new “Full 5” category. Members should contact Tim or Roz in the office if you have any questions at all about this process.
Subscription notices will be coming out in early to mid July, and will refer to the new category name. There will be a note from Warren outlining the Board’s decisions around subscriptions for this year. In summary, the increases will be exactly as per the membership category model published last year.
Strategic Plan Review
The Board had a separate meeting last week to review the strategic plan which was prepared last year. The plan has 6 pillars : Golf Course, Membership, Golf Operations, Clubhouse & Hospitality, Finance & Administration and Governance. In summary, we have made some very solid progress across most areas, despite the challenges of the last several months. The plan remains largely current, and we will make some minor changes as an outcome of the meeting. A key area of focus for the next 12 months will be around Clubhouse and Hospitality. We have not made the progress we had hoped for in this area – with some challenges thrown our way this year. The current plan can be found on the website and also <here>.
Changes to Golf Operations and Clubhouse Restrictions from July 1st
There will be a range of changes announced next week around the functioning of the clubhouse, in response to further relaxation of COVID restrictions from 1st July. Please look out for further information on these changes from Tim.
Trivia Night
There was a buzz around the clubhouse last night at the Trivia Night. This was the first function we have held at the club since the COVID restrictions began, and it was fantastic to have a small crowd back at the club. The winners were Les Quizerables, fighting off some stiff competition – congratulations! We also took the opportunity to say a big thank you to Tim Shorter and Sharon Thompson. Tim has been running our online trivia evenings over the last several months, which have connected so many members during these challenging times. And Sharon has been the driving force behind the creation of Virtual Avondale – organising the trivia nights, and also creating online movie clubs, book clubs and setting up online bridge which has been very popular for many people. Thanks again to Tim and Sharon for all your hard work in support of the club.
The next Trivia Night will be held on Thursday 30th July.
See you all around the club and on the course soon,
Kerry Skellern
President
Filed under: App News
