Presidents Newsletter Feb
Posted on: 20 February
President’s February Newsletter
Hello Members,
The unfettered chaos that is golf at the Ocean Grove Golf Club in January is in our rear vision mirror and members can now enjoy the balance of the year’s competitions, camaraderie and quiet enjoyment. Interestingly though, there was a much greater take up of members’ social rounds this year compared to last year with 382 or 27.8% more rounds played by members in January.
On a financial level, January 2025 broke all previous records with revenues up by 7.2% and profits up by 20.1% on last January’s which was our previously highest record-breaking month.
Some interesting golfing statistics for the period are as follows:
Rounds Played January 3,884 Year to Date (YTD) 18,212
Members Rounds January 49.7% Green Fees 50.3%
Members Rounds YTD 70.4% Green Fees YTD 29.4%
Course Usage January 51.8% Year to Date 45.2%
Actual Spend per Golf Round Played $ 14.46
Membership Subscriptions
Membership of the Club continues to grow steadily with members now at 738 of which there are 551 males and 187 females. There are now 565 playing members and 173 social members. The new category for women Introductory-Beginners for women who are “getting into golf” continues to grow with 35 new members joining this financial year.
OGGC Strategic Plan
The Strategic Planning Sub-Committee are close to finalising a draft Strategic Plan that will be presented to members for consideration and comment by Mid-March. There has been a considerable amount of work undertaken on this plan by the Sub-Committee, which we trust will form the blue print for the club’s future direction.
Course Development Sub-Committee
A Sub-Committee has also been formed this month to oversee the continued maintenance and redevelopment of the course and to formalise a long-term master plan for the golf course. This group, which includes the course superintendent, will meet regularly to consider the upgrading of course facilities as and when required and will work on ‘future proofing’ the course in respect of water storage arrangements.
One of the considerations of this Committee is the need to minimise the cost of water which in 2024 cost the club $56,100. The St Leonard’s Golf Club have recently installed a bore and Desal plant on course, which is meeting their current requirements, and the group will explore this and other options to ensure a guaranteed water supply for our course.
Reciprocal Clubs
We are pleased to announce that we have signed a new Reciprocal Agreement with the Geraldton Golf Club in WA. The arrangement is 50% off green fees and our members are welcome to play in their weekly competitions. This takes the number of reciprocal clubs we have agreements with to 6 and as a reminder they are Corowa and Howlong in NSW, Camperdown, Timboon and Portland in Victoria and now Geraldton in WA. Please ensure if you are travelling and would like to play any of these courses it would be appropriate to arrange for a letter of introduction from the office.
Volunteers Appreciation Night
You are all aware that the success of this golf club is closely aligned to the contributions made by our Volunteers, and this year the Volunteer appreciation night is scheduled to be held on Monday March 24th at 5.00pm in the clubhouse. All volunteers are welcome to come along and enjoy some refreshments and nibbles and this will be a small way for the Club to say thank you for your continued support. More details will be provided to volunteers directly.
Friday Night Member’s Draw
The Friday Night Member’s is now back up to $260 and can only be won by those members who are in attendance, so come along on Friday night if you want to be a winner.
Replacement of Irrigation Satellites
The Committee have recently approved the replacement of two very old pieces of equipment that were regularly failing on the course, with two new replacement Lynx satellite controllers to be installed in the coming days. This will enable the course to be automatically irrigated and provides the superintendent with considerable flexibility in respect of programming and remote operation. The cost was not insignificant at $27,000 but will ensure that management of the irrigation system will be functional for many years to come.
Stronger Communities Program Grant
Last week we finalised an application for a grant to replace the DDA ramp at the entrance to the property. It is currently outside of rule and was part of the master plan for the building but was considered an urgent matter. If we are successful however, this grant would represent a major contribution to the cost of a compliant DDA ramp.
Social
Our Social Sub-Committee have arranged for the Stopouts to perform at the club on Sunday 23rd February so please save the date come along and join in the fun. The Family Jam Band have been booked for gigs on some Sundays for the remainder of the year and these dates will be published closer to the days.
Pinot & Picasso is a night of painting and enjoyment at the club that has been booked for Wednesday April 9th at 6.30pm in the clubhouse. The cost is $80 which includes all your art paraphernalia, a couple glasses of pinot (or your choice) and some pizza. Those who have experienced this before all rave about the night, so grab some friends and come along to be part of the activities at your club.
Photographs Wanted
The Beta testing of our new website is almost complete, and we expect to launch it early in March. We are still desperate for some photographs of activities in and around the club with particular reference to the early days of the clubhouse and the course. If you could check your albums and lend us any photos that you may have regarding the development of the course and clubhouse, it would be greatly appreciated. Please advise Russ if you can assist with this request.
Good Golfing to you all.
Sandy Cresswell
President
The Ocean Grove Golf Club is supported by the following generous Corporate Sponsors, please support them whenever possible.