Dear Members,
As part of the series of updates (refer also to Course update 24th January 2023), I would like to keep you informed about the work being undertaken by the Management Committee (the Board), the various sub-committees that report to the Board, and other undertakings by MCC staff. Just a reminder to all members that these updates can be viewed in your membership portal on the website and are also archived for future reference.
Firstly, thank you to all who have renewed their membership for 2023 and welcome to all our new members. At the time of writing, our membership numbers have increased to 1075 (January report), an increase of 122 by comparison with January 2021, a very good result for the club.
I would also like to thank those who volunteered their services this year and welcome to our two new captains, Janice Argaet and Graham Bowen. All the MCC Board and sub-committee representatives are also members of our club who unselfishly volunteer their time and expertise to work in the MCC’s best interests for the benefit of all members.
In addition to their annual roles and responsibilities, there are a number of additional projects for this year that will keep the various committees and staff busy in the coming months. The sub-committee priorities are reported through to the Management committee by way of monthly project status reports detailing progress against agreed timelines, schedules, budget, etc.
For ease of reference, I have outlined some of the designated projects for each of the sub-committees.
Membership Sub-Committee
Marc Crowe (Chair), Gareth Doust; Vanessa Day; Todd Bergersen (MCC Golf Manager), Shareen Thompson (MCC Membership and Office Manager)
An important initiative this year is the development of an Attraction, Induction and Retention strategy. Over the past couple of years key data from various surveys and course usage has been collated and evaluated to ensure we have an evidence based approach to strategy development. The club is now in a good position to design a strategy that will encompass the following key actions as outlined in the MCC Strategic Plan:
- Determine preferred size of membership by category.
- Review categories of membership and develop flexible options for new member target groups.
- Establish a marketing strategy.
- Create a welcoming environment so members, particularly new members feel a sense of belonging.
- Actively support new members.
The past year has seen significant growth in the development of a successful junior program and no doubt members have noted the increasing numbers and success of the program. Much has been achieved by the Junior committee (shout – out to Brad Law and his team) and their efforts have resulted in the selection of the inaugural MCC junior girl’s pennant team in addition to the boy’s pennant team. The juniors had a great season with both teams undefeated until the finals last weekend which saw both teams go down to Gosnells. A frustration for the teams after a great season but a performance they should be proud of. It is terrific to see young people with their parents/grandparents enjoying the game and learning values of honesty, integrity, and respect, both on and off the course.
The Mandurah Country Club has again been successful in gaining sponsorship from the Australian Golf Foundation to conduct a Junior girl Scholarship program for 2023. The program will be conducted by our own Craig Tapp. Craig is doing a great job with the juniors and I’m sure you have seen him out and about with many of our juniors & the local school groups.
The package is designed to encourage more junior girls to take up and enjoy the game of golf while being coached by PGA qualified personnel. There are 135 other locations throughout Australia who will be conducting the program as well as Mandurah Country Club.
Congratulations to the successful applicants, who were presented their shirts and had their 1st Clinic on Saturday 11th February 2023.
To ensure the MCC has a sustainable approach to the junior development program the Junior committee have been tasked with developing a detailed strategy document that captures all the good work they are currently doing. The strategy will set out the goals and objectives along with defined timelines, milestones and targets and track the progress of the various initiatives/programs. The document will form the basis of a recurrent funding business case to ensure a long-term approach is fully supported by the MCC and enables the committee to plan with confidence.
Still on the junior program, an exciting project is the planning of a ‘Pro-Am’ golf tournament scheduled for December 2023. Recently I had the opportunity to play a competition round with MCC professional Jason Scrivener (who came through a junior program at the MCC) who when asked willingly agreed to participate and get involved in the development of a tournament to benefit the juniors. It is early days in the planning process, but we have great hopes for an annual event that could be a golfing highlight for the club.
Social Sub-Committee
Mick Glasson (Chair); Ros Sutton (Ladies social coordinator); Men’s social coordinator (to be appointed)
The full list of major social events and activities have been published in the MCC handbook so please take the time to read the list to check the social events in the book and on our website. A couple of weeks ago we held a very enjoyable ‘Quiz night’ evening that sold out quickly and will be followed up with another similar night in May.
The MCC opening day will be held on the 19th of March followed by the Bledisloe Cup Anzac Day challenge on the 25th of April – full details of both events are on the MCC website so get in early and make a booking.
We will soon be introducing new menus for lunches, Tuesday to Sunday and dinner on Friday nights on those weeks that the restaurant is not operating and there are no functions. It is hoped that a wider selection of light meals will satisfy the many and varied member palates. The bar staff are working hard in preparation for the changeover and have begun training to ensure the quality and consistency of meals.
Additional social activities are currently being planned and will be communicated in coming weeks.
Finance Sub-Committee
Marina Vergone (Treasurer); Mick Glasson; Jack Bayens
The past few years have been very financially rewarding for the MCC and there are positive indications that 2023 will also be successful. The committee will continue to review and maintain departmental, operational and capital expenditure budgets and monitor spending in the various administrative and operational areas.
Key initiatives for this year are endorsed by the committee prior to submission to the Management Committee for approval to ensure we have sufficient funds to cover the expenditure in accordance with the 10 year capital plan.
This year will also see the rebuild of the club’s depreciation schedule to merge with the recently completed electronic asset register along with an evaluation of alternative funding sources, partnerships & income streams.
Building
Mick Glasson (Chair); Vanessa Day; Jenny Fernley; Trevor Glossop
The main project for 2023 is the development of the outdoor undercover area adjacent to the golf shop. The committee has engaged Cachet Homes to produce a number of alternative plans and once in receipt of the various options a concept will be selected for detailed quotes to develop and construct the facility.
This is a much needed addition to the clubhouse and will provide shelter all year round as well as an outdoor entertainment area that services members. It is envisaged the area will incorporate outdoor cooking facilities and other services to continually improve the ambience and efficiency of Clubhouse facilities.
Project work will continue on the carpark project and surrounds albeit this is a very expensive development and will need to be carefully considered in conjunction with other major capital expenditure.
Governance Sub-Committee
Ron Stone (Chair); Radar Luttrell, Gilliam Holland; Kim Williamson
The Governance committee are well advanced in their review of the MCC Constitution and are targeting a midyear Special General Meeting to propose the review recommendations. This is a significant undertaking and in addition to those on the Governance committee I’d also like to thank Jenny Fernley and Dani Hunt who voluntarily give their time as part of the working group.
The Governance committee will also undertake a review of the Strategic Plan to track progress and ensure the documented goals and actions remain relevant and contemporary.
Greens Sub-Committee
Dean Stewart (Chair); Janice Argaet; Graham Bowen; Neil Graham (Course Superintendent).
Please refer to the Course update (published 24th January 2023 and available on the MCC website). As highlighted in the update, the committee is focused on the implementation of the course Master Plan and the projects to be undertaken this year have been approved by the Management Committee. As members would be aware, the first of these projects has already commenced and is well advanced with the modification and improvement to the 12th green bunkers and the 13th tee box.
Please take the time to read the course update so you are fully informed of current and future works that are scheduled for this year.
In coming weeks, you will also see the upgrading of various items of course hardware (already commenced with the rubbish bins), however like always, progress is determined by the resource availability and the prioritisation of works.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the imminent departure of course Superintendent Neil Graham. Neil is an outstanding Superintendent and has made a terrific difference to our course over his time at the club, he will be greatly missed, and we wish him all the best in the future. The good news is that Neil is very keen to continue to have a presence at our club and will be doing so on a consultancy basis during the recruitment process to appoint a new Superintendent. It is also likely that Neil will continue to have role in ongoing mentoring/handover processes to ensure his expertise and in-depth knowledge of our course and operations is not lost to the club.
It’s always good to receive external feedback about our course and on Monday our Greens Chair Dean Stewart had the opportunity to chat with Mostyn Farmer (Chair of PGA WA) whilst the trainee professionals were playing. Mostyn complimented the condition of the course and remarked that the fairways were as good as any in WA – great feedback and praise to Neil and his team.
Men’s Match
Graham Bowen (Captain); John Barden (Vice); Richard Page; Morgan Deveraux; Ian Tanian (Vet’s coordinator); Dean Stewart
Ladies Match
Janice Argaet (Captain); Catherine Piggot (Vice); Anne Bryant; Bev Bryne; Cassie Edman; Eleni Fitzpatrick; Ros Sutton (Social Co-ordinator); Joan Tingley
In addition to their ongoing responsibilities the respective match committees will be contributing to the Attraction, Induction and Retention strategy being undertaken by the Membership committee. Key components of this are particularly relevant to the Match committees, including:
- Encouraging members to play with a diversity of members.
- Actively supporting new members.
- Creating a supportive environment.
As always, there are a number of key golfing competitions and events throughout the year that will keep the respective committees fully occupied.
Conclusion
In closing, thank you for taking the time to read the update, as outlined, the workload is significant, and all of these projects are in addition to the day-to-day business requirements of the various committees and MCC staff.
There are several other projects, not mentioned, that will also be completed this year and as in previous years, continuous improvement and positioning for the future is the key focus for the Board and associated sub-committees.
I again thank all those who willingly volunteer their time on various committees, event planning, course and equipment maintenance and assist staff in general daily activities. We are also fortunate to have such excellent staff who take great pride in the club and the work they do.
Enjoy the 2023 golf season.
Kind Regards
Ian Johnson, President
