ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Monday 14th February 2022 at 1300

Present:  

T Plimmer  (Centre Manager), K. Hepworth, D. Dandie, D. Costin, P. McDonough, D. Clark, S. Murry, R. Hone, T Crofts, C West, M Voce, P. Rankin, J. O’Neill, N. Harris, T. Henshaw, W. Jones, B. Stocks, J Evans,  M Gee, J Chadwick, S Duty, M Fisher, A Christ, W Elliott, P Hicking, R Rowell, K Patterson, T Syme, B Aslin, R MacDonald, D Hawkins, D Insley, S Insley, P Jefferson

Apologies:

M Northern, D Hawkins, P Brookes, T Naylor, C Greenwood

  1. Minutes of the last AGM.

The meeting approved the minutes of the February 2020 AGM,The last AGM due to the pandemic, which had been displayed and circulated. Proposed by and seconded.

 

  1. Matters arising from the minutes.

There were no matters arising from the minutes.

  1. Treasurer’s report on the accounts for 2021.
  2. Treasurer’s Report for Financial Year 1 November 2020 to 31 October 2021.
  3. The attached printed sheets are a summary record of all of the transactions made by the Senior Section for the Financial Year 1 November 2020 to 31 October 2021. These have been verified by Hans Bauder, treasurer of the Main Club.
  4. This year has been a little busier for me due to the relaxing of the Covid rules and seeing more matches taking place. Most of the section’s income has come from the Monday Club and Thursday matches. The fact that the Golf Club is not accepting cash in the bar has meant that the funds collected for Home Matches has gone through the accounts so that they could be paid by cheque. This would previously have been paid over the bar on the match day, any surplus being paid into the Seniors’ account. Similarly, the Captain’s Away Day was paid in this way.
  5. A total of £4,540 has been issued in prize vouchers this year and with the value of the outstanding value of vouchers brought forward from last year this meant that here was a total of £5,686 vouchers to be accounted for. After a lot of work on the website David Costin has introduced a system that means that uniquely numbered prize vouchers can be printed off and this makes it easier to keep track of vouchers that have been redeemed.
  6. A total income of £8,748.5 has been recorded with expenditure of £8,937.25 this gives an overspend for the year of £188.75. The committee has in the past made a resolution to reduce the ongoing balance by increasing prize monies. The balance of £5,911.42 was brought forward for 2020/21 and this leaves the

sections balance carried forward to 2021/22 of £5,722.67. The reconciliation page shows the current bank account totals at 31.10.21 with any credits and debits outstanding and how this reconciles with the balance carried forward and the vouchers account.

  1. The Seniors’ section made a donation of £270 to the Main Club for their Charity Day and a cheque of £441 has been given to their Maggie’s Charity donation. This was made up from some members who donated their prize vouchers and the raffle proceeds from the 2019/20 Captain’s Day.

           If you have any questions I will be happy to answer them.

           Christine West, Treasurer Ramsdale Park Golf Club – Senior Section

 

  1. Outgoing Captain’s report.

Welcome Ladies and gentlemen to the Captains Report for season 2021, thanks to you all for your attendance today. It has been an honour and a privilege to serve you and I thank you for your support. My away day at Erewash Valley GC was a great success, it surpassed my expectations by far, the weather was great, the food was very good, and all in all I would say the venue was spot on, so thank you to all that participated. As far as the matches are concerned the season started off with a few games being re-arranged, as you recall we were coming out of lockdown & the social distancing was in force, despite that we played 19 matches, only 1 was cancelled which was vs Southwell at home, so we didn’t get chance to avenge the 8-0 drubbing they gave us at their place, I remember that very wet match!. Out of the 19 games, we lost 8, drew 1, and won 10, we did the double over 4 teams: Ruddington, Retford, Chilwell & The Nottinghamshire. Thank you all for your great efforts and dedication to turn out. A new addition to our fixtures was Sleaford GC, a good side whom we managed to draw with for a 1-1 over a home & away fixture, although we play their “C” team they are by no means seniors in fact some of them are barely out of their teens but they are a great club with a fabulous course so we are pleased that they are willing to play us. Another club which is a possibility for 2023 is Belton Park, sadly there was not enough time this year to get those fixtures on, so hopefully in 2023. My player of the year for this season, as most of you already know was that “I never win anything” member Garth Hallam. Garth is a one off and he well and truly deserves the accolade that I give him, he is a lovely guy and is credit to the seniors.

In the annual “inter-section competition” Par 3 Club Challenge played on 17th September, the seniors got a total of 393 points, which was 7 points behind 2nd position (Mens) & 17 points behind the winners (Ladies) the good news is this is the 1st time the seniors have not come last, which the par 3 club managed to do, so well done. The seniors hosted the “Ryder Cup” style event, this was held on 7th October, front 9 holes on the par 3 course, followed by the front 9 holes on the main course. Although dubbed as “just for fun” I think it was a little more competitive than that! , The total scores was: Seniors 7.5 points, Par 3 Club 6.5 points. It’s been noticeable that this season there are more and more Ladies joining in our competitions, so I extend a welcome to them, they are all good company and they certainly, in my case at least, curb some of the poor language that I use whilst on the course, who knows, maybe in the near future we will see the ladies taking part in our club matches?.

I have been involved in the (YOUR) committee for the past couple of years since I was Vice Captain, I can only say that all the seniors activities do not “just happen”, they are planned well in advance to enable most to just turn up & play, there are some great organizers that are involved, David Costin is invaluable in setting these competitions up, also running our web site, it’s a mammoth task, then we have Mr Handicap Master himself, Richard Hone who is a great guy & knows about every aspect of what is what & what goes where, he’s a gem. We also have Christine, (see, Ladies again!!), Chris kindly agreed to be the Senior Section Treasurer, what a great job you do Chris thank you, (flower presentation) also a thank you to Patrick McDonough who is stepping down as secretary today, thank you Patrick for all your hard work, as do all the committee who give up their time gladly to help run the seniors section.

This season Stuart Murry was my Vice-Captain, a little skewed I know but I thought it only right to keep Stuart involved because at the beginning of his captaincy the pandemic struck and for him it was a limited events season, so thank Stuart for all your assistance this past year. This past year the seniors have contributed greatly to the Maggies Charity, in both monetary ways and also providing adjudication personnel for the charity day, for that I thank Trevor Holmes and Neil Harris, so all in all we assisted greatly in helping with great contributions to raise the total of £16,000.

I have a thinking of if you cannot say it whilst sober …don’t say, it that in mind, I would very much like to say a thank our Centre Manager for the help that she has given me throughout my tenure as Captain, she has solved a few of the problems that I have had to deal with, she is an excellent manager and a lovely person, always busy, always talking, she is a bit of a lush really!! but so lovely, a bit like sticky toffee pudding, thank you Theresa (flower presentation). Thank you to all the great staff in the pro shop, always there when needed and on behalf of the seniors thank you to the ground staff for keeping both courses in great condition Thank you to all the catering staff for the meals and making the clubhouse a nice place to sit both pre match & after we come in. That is just about it from me, but before I disappear into oblivion, I would like to perform my last honour of presenting you all to your next Captain for 2022…. Richard Hone.

Thank You

Malcolm Voce (outgoing captain 2021)Malcolm then introduced Richard Hone Seniors Captain 2022 Richard was presented with his Captains Jacket.

  1. Incoming Captains report

It truly is a great honour and a privilege to be here today taking over the Senior Captain’s role and following on from so many excellent Captains from previous years.

Not least of which has been my immediate predecessor, Malcolm himself, and I hope that my year will be as successful as his was. I will certainly do my best to make it so.

Most of you have known me for several years … but for the benefit of those who know me less well … after my early retirement from the Health Service I joined the staff at Ramsdale Park in 2008 … as a part time Course Warden, a position that I held for 10 years before fully retiring in 2018.

In 2009 I took over the role as Chairman of the Par 3 Club … and with the help of an excellent committee team gradually developed it into the popular  and well-respected club it is today.

Also, during those early years, I participated in many of the Seniors matches and events, eventually joining the Seniors Committee. I was Seniors Vice Captain in 2015, supporting the then Seniors Captain, Phil Rankin.

At the end of 2015 my personal circumstances led to me withdrawing from the plan to be Seniors Captain in 2016, and instead David Dandie kindly stepped up to take my place. As many of you will know, David went on to be an excellent and popular Seniors Captain …. And, famously from his match speeches, David earned the reputation for being the worst teller of jokes that we have ever had, which actually turned out to be more entertaining.

After a period of time addressing my personal issues I gradually returned to regular golfing, and accepted an opportunity to join the Main Club Committee … a position that I still retain.

In 2019 I was Vice Captain of the Main Club. My year as Vice Captain was very busy and I learned a lot from the experience. Sadly, also during that year my brother, Alec, suffered a major stroke and passed away. It was Alec that got me into playing golf many years ago.

Then came 2020 ….. I obviously chose the wrong year to be Club Captain, as did Stuart Murry with his Seniors Captain role.

Actually I did still get quite a lot out of my captaincy, playing in the weekend competitions at different tee times and thus meeting up with many different members, several of them new to me. I managed to have my Captains Away Day, which was held at my brother’s home club of Spalding and was combined as a tribute day to Alec. I was also very fortunate with my Captains Away Weekend, although under fairly severe restrictions, but with glorious weather conditions.

During my time on the Main Club Committee I have truly come to appreciate the very real need to always try and recognise Ramdale Park Golf Club as one club. I am sure you will all agree with that sentiment, but it is a little bit harder to actually achieve in practice. Nevertheless, I do believe that a lot of progress has been made over the past few years, and with continued collaboration from all parties I am confident this progress will continue.

The Seniors Section has done a lot to encourage integration and collaboration with other sections within the club. It has a long history of association with the ladies section and more recently has collaborated with the Par 3 Club, for example with the Ryder Cup event that Steve Duty initially promoted in 2018. Currently it is 2 wins each … this year I will be faced with a conflict of interest situation (Seniors or Par 3 Club?).

The same applies to the annual Par 3 Charity Challenge event, which will hold its 10th year in 2022. In this event there are 12 players from the Seniors, Ladies, Mens and Par 3 Club and it is an Aggregate Stableford, and therefore the team total, that determines the trophy winner. Each participant donates £5 towards the Club Charity, thus raising a total of £240 for the Charity. The Seniors are the only section that have not yet won the trophy for this event … I will definitely be looking to rectify that this year!

The Seniors Section is well supported, well organised and enjoys an excellent spirit of play amongst its regular members. As new members join us they are always warmly welcomed and supported.

The last two years have of course been greatly affected by the pandemic, and in the process of adapting to the ever changing situation we have all come to learn to do certain things differently. For example on-line booking into tee times, entering scores on-line, paying for most things contactlessly.

Golf Clubs have seen a surge in the number of members, and tee times in competitions … especially at the weekends … are quickly taken up.

Last year the Monday Club changed to “Seniors Only” and the Seniors events that were traditionally held on the last Thursday of the month have mostly moved to Mondays.

The number of members playing in the Monday Club has steadily increased and extra tee slots have been added to counter this demand. However, members are still reporting some difficulty in booking tee times and the committee are keen to address this issue.

I am looking forward to all the inter-club matches that are scheduled for this year and I am pleased to see that members have registered their interest and availability via the Seniors website.

The current number of members registered is very encouraging and I will be looking to pick teams at least 3 weeks in advance. I will then ask those selected to confirm their availability at least 2 weeks in advance.

I will also set up a WhatsApp group specifically for this year’s matches and I anticipate most members will be happy with this. Those that are unable to join the WhatsApp group will be kept updated as best I can.

Finally it gives me great pleasure to announce that the Seniors Vice Captain for this year will be Terry Crofts.

I have known Terry for several years and I know that he has a lot of experience in organising and running golfing events.

Terry will undoubtedly put a lot of enthusiasm and effort into his role, and I look forward to working with him.

Thank you

  1. Appointment of committee members for 2022.
    1. Three members are leaving – Patrick McDonough, Keith Hepworth and David Clark.
    2. Re-elected members are David Costin, David Dandie Stuart Murry and Malcolm Voce.
    3. Malcolm Voce was elected Secretary of the Seniors Section.

 

  1. Consideration of proposals for changes.
  2. Terry Henshaw proposed pre-booked places for the Monday Club.A discussion followed – how many would be pre-booked? At the moment there are two for the organisers – David Costin and David Dandie .Stuart Murry seconded to the proposal.The proposal was presented to the floor and a vote was taken – for 8 / against 26.
  3. It was proposed that the seniors section move to make all competition entry fees/payments contactless in line with the Centre’s cashless policy. This was discussed and it was agreed.

 

  1. Centre Managers Report

Thank you very much for inviting me to attend the Club AGM today.

To say it’s been a very trying time since I took over at the beginning of 2020 is an understatement!

I think we weathered the storm pretty well and have come out of the other end in a much stronger position.

I have said many times in newsletters and communications that the support received from the vast majority of members has really blown me away and helped the club reach the success it has.

     In 2019 we ended the year on 705 members. We now have 932 which include              Juniors and Flexible memberships. We have capped new 7 day joiners and have a healthy waiting list.

The success and the general new warm atmosphere is not only down to the members.  The Management team at Ramsdale have proven to be one of the best management teams I have worked with.

Feedback

As a club we remain 1st on the leader board for positive feedback trending ahead of the other 9 BGL sites and we are 37% above the national golf average.  Golf shake and other review sites remain high and the general consensus is strong and positive. Ramsdale recently won the much coveted member engagement award.

I always have and will continue to value the feedback received from members. When I am informed of ideas / issues I will try and find the solution and improve. Many things have been pushed through down to your feedback – so please keeping giving to me.

The Driving range has been such a huge success and has added another dimension to our facility.

I will continue with the ‘member free events’ and hope the members will continue to come along to those and other events that Tom and Aprille will put on throughout 2022.

Summary of work – plans:-

Johnny and his team have certainly had their hands full since 2020 and I hope you can see the effort that has gone into both courses.

Summary 2021

  • All bins replaced on the high course
  • 11 bunkers rebuilt and or sand replaced
  • Hedges planted along the entrance wooden fence
  • Trees and hedgerow planted back of the 12th
  • Car park relined and new fresh signage leading up to the clubhouse

2022 – what’s happening?

For 2022 we have a lot of exciting projects on the go to improve the course and the customer experience:-

  • Pond 9th– the rumours are true and work will start in the first week of March. Both sides will be lined and a new bridge and water feature installed. The gaping hole of 25 years will be gone!
  • Driving range fence will be increased in height to prevent balls on the 18th
  • Reshaping the 18th and removing the shrubs to expose the well established trees on the right
  • Plan to plant 30+ trees on the left hand side of the 18th
  • New tee on 7th, irrigation work to be done early February and the tee should be finished early March
  • More bunker work factored in for the 7th and 8th bunkers
  • Repairing the path leading up to the 10th hole Seely course
  • Path repair scheduled for March for the path from the back of 9th to the 10th on the Lee course
  • Johnny will be looking to improve grass species in greens
  • Looking at relevelling and turfing tees and improving general drainage in selected areas
  • Plans are being looked at to install steps up to the 6th tee on the Seely
  • Increased the amount of buggies we have to help demand and we now have a brand new fleet of 18.

 Costs

As with everywhere, and even in your own utilities, we are facing a big increase in cost this year. I will always keep the costs competitive, but we will be forced to increase prices and some products.

Membership

The increase in Membership prices will be as always in June. A full 7 day membership will be £975 which is still below some of our surrounding club prices. A direct debit is likely to cost £84.50 per month.

5 Day memberships will not increase at the same rate. I feel we need to encourage more weekday members and seniors to the club. Currently a 5 day membership is £695 which will increase to £730. So an increase of £35 over the year.

Renewal should be a much easier process this year and you will not have to fill out a new direct debit form. This has always been a painful and messy process and now will just roll over! You will still need to pay your union fee at the shop before 1st June 2022, or pay via your Elite Live App.

Other News – England Golf

To finish off I am delighted to announce that Ramsdale Park has been chosen to host the English Women’s Par 3 Championship in 2022 and 2023.

10th August will see 99 of the best lady amateurs in the Country playing on our Lee Course.

Finally our Par 3 course is be given the credit it deserves.

 

I would like to thank all of our members for their overwhelming support and appreciate the patience and kindness from all.

I have enjoyed working with Malcolm this year and thank him for his efforts.

I have worked with Richard previously as an employee of the centre, and the club captain and know he will do a terrific job.

I am looking forward to 2022 and look forward to what it will bring.

 

Theresa Plimmer

General Manager

 

  1. Any other business
  2. Winston Jones asked the centre manager if there was any possibility of the buggy and trailer being re-instated to take members up the hill from the 9th to the 10th ?. The centre manager explained in great detail as to why this was not likely either now or the distant future.
  3. Date of next AGM Monday 20th February 2023