Committee – Minutes
Minutes of Monthly Seniors Meeting
14/02/2022
Minutes
PENDING RATIFICATION AT 2023 SENIORS AGM
Ramsdale Park Golf Club – Seniors Section
Minutes of the
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
- Minutes of the last AGM.
The meeting approved the minutes of the February 2020 AGM which had been displayed and circulated. Proposed by and seconded.
- Matters arising from the minutes.
There were no matters arising from the minutes.
- Centre Manager’s report.
Theresa Plimmer, the Centre Manager, gave a detailed report on the developments that had taken place during 2021 and those planned for 2022, her main emphasis being on the golf courses and facilities. A copy of Theresa’s report is attached to these minutes. A few details are shown.
2021 was a tough year – gates closed due to Coronavirus. It has been a rocky road to return to normal.
Work was ongoing during shutdown – bunkers have been replaced, bins have been replaced and are supposed to be crow proof but alas this is not so. The driving range has been totally revamped and computerized.
Tom has taken over the Membership management, is expanding the Ladies and Juniors sections. Membership fees are increasing – 5 day membership up to £730 from £695 and 7 day membership up to £975 from £925.
2022 has started and work has begun on reshaping the 18th hole. The driving range fence is being raised higher along the 18th fairway. A new pond will be made on the 9th tee. 40+ trees are being planted around the course, the 7th tee is being renovated, and some paths are to be re-tarmacked.
- Treasurer’s report on the accounts for 2018.
More online banking happening. We are still banking with Nat West, We will be using contactless payment for future competitions. There would be no changes to the competition fees.
See copy of the Treasurer’s report is attached to the end of the minutes.
- Outgoing Captain’s report.
Malcolm reported on his year in office as follows:
Malcolm started by welcoming all attendee and it was an honour to have been Seniors Captain.
His Captain’s away day at Erewash was a success and the weather played its part to the enjoyment as well. There were some matches cancelled in April due to Coronavirus but we ended up playing 19 matches – lost 8, drew 1 and won 10. We have a new club to play against – Sleaford – which we shared honours with.
Malcom’s player of the year nomination was Garth Hallam, for his consistency and general play.
The Ladies have joined competing with the Seniors more over the past year.
He then handed over the seniors’ captaincy for 2022 to Richard Hone, wishing him an enjoyable and successful year.
- Introduction of 2019 Captain.
Malcom Voce presented Richard Hone with the Captain’s jacket for 2022.
- Captain’s proposals for the coming year and introduction of 2020 Vice-Captain.
Richard took over as Chair of the meeting.
It is a privilege to be asked to be the Senior Captain and I look forward to working with the committee this term. I am well aware I am following some really good captains and I can say that it will get my upmost attention.
Richard invited Terry Crofts as his vice-captain.
Richard’s Captain’s away day with be on the 14th July at Stanton-on-the-Wolds.
- Appointment of committee members for 2022.
Three members are leaving – Patrick McDonough, Keith Hepworth and David Clark.
Reelected members are David Costin, David Dandie, Stuart Murry and Malcolm Voce.
- Consideration of proposals for changes.
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 organizers – David Costin and David Dandie.
Stuart Murry objected to the proposal.
It will be presented to the committee for further consideration.
The proposal was presented to the floor and a vote was taken – pro 8 / against 26
- Any other business.
- 10.1.David Hawkins mentioned the contribution of Brian Bailey as marshal and his experience to assisting golfers.
- 10.2.Again it was mentioned that we would be going to contactless payment for all competitions. It was tried last year for the summer schedule of events for 2022. The great advantage is the administrative process is more transparent. The general consensus is that the contactless payment will be accepted for all future competitions.
- 10.3.Winter Memorial Cup – the names of passed deceased members to be added to the Cup.
The meeting closed at 2:35pm.
AGM Speech
Good evening President, Chairman, Captain, club committee members, ladies and gentleman. Thank you very much for inviting me to attend the Club AGM tonight.
Firstly I want to extend my thanks to the members and in particular the committee members for the unwavering support I have received since taking over as GM. I have been overwhelmed with the response and I am really excited for what 2020 will bring.
You will all be pleased to note that this speech will be at least half the length of Mr. Norton’s!
Ramsdale has had a great year in 2019. Our membership base has grown and the course has had some tremendous feedback. Last year we had 642 members. Dec 2019 we had 705.
Steve the F&B Manager is now settled in and working on the speed issues you may have experienced in the past. Johnny and his team is as strong as its ever been which flushes through to the quality of both courses.
Will has had a fantastic year and has built a superb team in the shop. Wills big project this year will be to grow and progress our junior section.
As a club, we are consistently in the top 10 on most review sites including trip advisor, google reviews, Golf Shake and more recently we won the highest accolade for Golf Course on TRP.
The latter part of the year proved to be a little difficult for the back 9 with the amount of rainfall. Our course was one the very few in this area that remained open for the majority of November and December despite this.
Johnny and his team still managed to use the necessary water allocation – securing the renewal of the license.
Johnny and his team worked tirelessly on both course over 2019.
- 9 bunkers have been fully renovated,
- All the old sleeper area for winter mats on the Lee course have been removed and turfed
- More path work has been completed
- Work on the woodland areas (as per the tree survey) around the green complexes to thin out the copses to allow light and prevent shade issues developing
2020 – What’s happening?
For 2020 we have a lot of exciting projects on the go to improve the course and the customer experience:-
- All bunkers will be completed by March
- There will be greens maintenance W/C3rd Aug. Aeration and scarifying to control organic matter
- Drainage work planned in the autumn around the greens. Starting with 5th and 6th
- Path work will continue. We will be using plastic tread to sustain wear and tear on heavily used areas. Borders will be tidied up
- Tee will be scarified and sanded
- Over £38k will be invested on new machinery to maintain the course to the highest standard
- Deep rough Management will continue
- Over £30k will be invested into the range in 2020
- Some upgrades within the lounge bar including a sound system and new large TV
Membership
In March – the membership prices for new joiners will be £900 – which is £77.50 for a 7 day direct debit.
For existing members, there will be a small inflationary increase of between 2 and 3% for renewal. This will take the current 7 day up to £875 from £850 – if they renew by 22nd May 2020.
Most local clubs are having to do the same with cost increases of NMW and utilities alone hitting 6.5%.
Once again, I would like to thank the committee for their efforts in 2019 – it can at times be thankless job! I look forward to working with you all in 2020.
Branch Manager’s AGM Speech
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
Ramsdale Park Golf Club – Seniors’ Section
Treasurer’s Report for Financial Year 1 November 2020 to 31 October 2021
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 CAPTAINS REPORT AGM 14th February 2022 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 gave 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 1 holes on the par 3 course, followed by 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 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 to raise the total of £16,000. I have a thinking that if you can’t say anything nice don’t say it, only when you are being serious that is!!, that in mind, I would 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 a very good manager, 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…. Richard Hone. Thank You Malcolm Voce Seniors Captain 2021