New Mills Golf Club

Report from General Committee Meeting on 05 May 2011

• Copies of this newsletter will be sent to everyone who has provided the club with their Email address, so if you want it by Email, but haven’t received it, please provide your Email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Buggies:

Agreed that privately owned buggies must be insured by owners, and other users must show evidence of a personalised comprehensive Golf Insurance, which includes the use of motorised vehicles, e.g. Golfplan, before they can be allowed to use them on the course. Next year the cover may be built into the clubs’ own insurance.

Membership:

Making good progress in attracting new playing members to the Club (net increase of two last month) and extending the social membership who wish to take advantage of clubhouse for food and social events.

Lockers:

Initially the installation of lockers was paid for by members paying for 5 years in advance, with some additional lockers in the Gents changing rooms added more recently. Lockers becoming free now will be charged on an annual basis at £25 per year, and as a few of these are available for immediate use, a notice will be posted to ask those interested to contact John White or Margaret Palmer (secretary). The newer lockers will be numbered.

Premises:

The final settlement payment for building work on extension has been made to builder’s administrators, so upgrade work to the outside of the building can finally begin. Although it’s not possible to strip and re-apply rendering of the extension this year due to the cost involved, the worst parts of render will be stripped and rectified in the short term. The outside of the building will then be repainted to ensure the Clubhouse is presented in a way that befits the experience inside, and members are requested to volunteer some time to help repaint the outside once the rendering work is complete – Alec MacKenzie to coordinate the working party. This work should be completed well ahead of our Open Day.

New steward, John Longworth, has enquired about the possibility of erecting a garage on the side of the road (at his cost). Consultation over the practicalities of it will include green staff and approaching HPBC to see if planning permission is needed.

There was a full discussion on resolving the problem presented by the car park entrance being cut up over a short period of time after filling in holes. Although an attractive offer for tarmacking the entrance had been made to the Club, it was considered too expensive at the moment to take up and a robust mid-term solution offered by Tony Coverley who can cover the area with special clay from Staffordshire, which hardens when compacted was decided upon. Alec McKenzie and Colin Osborne will see through costs and make arrangements.

Bar Prices:

The different price structure for members and visitors has proved difficult to manage since the member’s swipe cards were decommissioned – for new and temporary bar staff as there’s no proper way of identifying who is a member and who isn’t. Prices will shortly be standardised to a single price alongside increases required to recent cost increases.

Financials:

There has been a very encouraging increase in visitor fees and consequent trade over the bar and with food. It’s too early to forecast that these increases will be sustained, but a fuller projection of anticipated income will be prepared by Richard Phillipson and Phil Urmston mid-June. Although going in the right direction, financials remain very tight. Costs are being monitored closely, with biggest outlays being wages and seeds and fertiliser for the course. Rising power costs are being reviewed with Npower. The committee were thankful to Margaret Palmer for ensuring the correct status on the rates was achieved and for Richard Phillipson and Phil Urmston for work on developing clear financial information so early in the year and ensuring outstanding subscription payments made. The Ladies section made a very welcome donation of £500 in April from funds they raised.

Greens:

Temporary assistant for work on greens has been appointed and should be a big help to permanent staff. Work to improve the bunkers continues by Bob Palmer and others, with holes 1 to 6 already tidied resulting in a better golfing experience and improved perception of the course. The relatively poor condition of the greens was acknowledged and understood to be largely due to the fusarium infection, but also contributed to by the poor winter weather and unusually dry spring.  Brian Southworth impressed the need to find the funds to ensure the greens are sprayed for fusarium this year so we don’t have the same problem next year. Some new members are not aware of the ruling that retrieving balls from the Tater Field (left hand side of 16th) is not permitted. The previous signage seems to have fallen down so should be re-posted.

House:

It was noted that there has been a notable increase in usage of the Clubhouse by playing and social members, providing an improved experience for all, including occasional visitors and prospective members. Alec MacKenzie asked for any suggestions, comments and requests for events or activities to be made to him directly or at least via the General Committee members. The possibility of re-introducing a large TV to capitalise on big screen events e.g. Football and Royal wedding is being looked at, possibly through sponsorship.

Bookings for private functions like weddings and birthdays, by social members, are quite buoyant and additional weekend social events will be organised only where there are openings in the diary. Use of the Clubhouse by members, alongside private functions, should usually be possible with the use of partitions.

Marketing:

The website is looking quite rounded with the Ladies and Seniors sections been filled out, leaving the Gents section wanting more articles to flesh it out. Articles on Gents winter weekend and invitation from Ladies day will be written to give some initial substance but other articles required and offerings welcomed. Advertising in the Advertiser and Courier regularly changed to focus on different offering every few weeks. Traffic to the website is growing nicely which will additionally benefit tee sponsors as well and Club activity. Focus this month will be on the Rules Night with Simon Higginbottom, Daffodil Masters (fully booked) and Classic Cars visit organised by John Longworth.

As well as the Committee Report being posted on the notice board in the Clubhouse, it is now being sent by Email to 100 members we have the Email addresses for and will progressively capture new Email addresses to send out to.

The major advertising initiative is to be the Club’s first Open Day on Sunday 19 June, which looks to reach out to golfers, those thinking of taking up golf, and those interested in joining the Club as a social member. A write-up of plans for the Open Day developed with Tom James, Carl Cross and Simon Belt was discussed and refined for publication on the website, to be used for publicity. Members are being asked to help out on the day and publicise to friends, colleagues and neighbours. Only the back nine will be open for members to play on, though priority will be given to visitors booking in advance for a complimentary nine holes or those turning up on the day to slot in where they can. Members are asked to be available to play WITH visitors wanting accompanying and guiding round the course.

Graham Hadfield reported on the success of attracting some Corporate Days were progressing – the 3 booked to date are on 17 June, 01 July and 02 July. If anyone knows of anyone else looking for a Corporate Day, please contact Graham Hadfield. An advertising banner will be prepared for use on these days incorporating the club telephone number and web address so that such visitors knew how to contact the club for any future visits.

Competitions:

As there are so many activities in June, and interest in mixed competitions is greater than Quad AMs it was decided to cancel the June Quad AM and redirect interest to the September Quad AM. Those looking to play in an Open in June will be asked to consider playing in the Mixed Open instead. John White was thanked by Mr Captain, Colin Banks, for his work on preparing the prizes for presentation at the winter weekend away even though he was unable to attend. It was confirmed that the Saturday Quad AM of the Open weekend will be a drawn competition.

It was agreed that the Ladies would have the slightly later reserved tee time of 13.00 –14.30 for the Wilson Bowl Competition on the day of the Gents Medal No 3. Due to a bigger demand for pm tee slots on a Saturday for Gents competitions, it was suggested that the ladies tee be reserved between 14.00-14.30. Buxton & High Peak requested to have courtesy of the course on the 14 August as they are hosting a Derbyshire Union Golf Club Comp.  They will return the compliment when we host an event, and agreed that they could have access from 14.00hrs, as the Captain/Pro match should have finished by then.

Juniors:

Advised that Nigel Furness was attending New Mills on 31 May to discuss development of the Junior section and the membership in general, in anticipation of achieving the Golfmark.

Any other business:

Agreed that Life and Honorary members should be asked to pay for their membership of Derbyshire Golf Union (£12 per person per year at present), as the Club has to pay this on their behalf, even if they no longer play. Mr Captain’s thanking of everyone who helped in the Clubhouse during transition from old to new steward was appreciated by all concerned. Shoe cleaner between the 9th and 10th holes will be looked at by John Read to see if it can be repaired as currently not working and doesn’t portray a good image of the club. Tom James is too busy with marketing work so Anne-Marie McGibbon stepped in to prepare minutes of meeting with a view to taking on permanently.