President’s Report – February 2022

It is with great pleasure that I welcome all Members to the 2022 year of golf and social events at The Brisbane Golf Club. I hope that Members enjoyed family and recreation time over Christmas and the New Year.

The past two years have indeed been challenging for all of us personally, as well as our Club. However, I remain extremely optimistic about the overall position of the Club moving forward and our future directions. Golf is booming worldwide, and this presents the Club with increased financial, golf course and investment opportunities. We cannot afford to stand still, and therefore we are constantly looking for ways to build on our current strong position and improve the Member experience at our Club.

Before mentioning a few specific issues, I would like to thank all Members for their patience, understanding and empathy shown during the past 24 months. I am very aware that the COVID pandemic, associated restrictions and the irrigation project have all caused disruptions to Member’s overall enjoyment of golf and the Club. However, the future looks brighter with the pandemic becoming more manageable and hopefully 2022 will be the year where we all enjoy a more normal lifestyle.

2022 Club Committee

After the December AGM, it was an historic occasion for the Club to welcome its new Committee in 2022. The structure now supports all Members under the one banner, with both a Women’s and Men’s Captain being on the Club Executive. Janet Nathanson has been elected as the first Women’s Captain to sit on the Club Committee – a truly historic and wonderful appointment. I also would like to welcome all new members of our 2022 Club Committee.

A new Member Engagement Group is currently being formed and Terms of Reference being developed. While this will replace the Ladies Committee, it is envisaged to continue most of its past functions. This Group will also represent interests of all Members of the Club and directly report to the Member Services Sub-Committee and our Management Team. The major benefit is that all functionality and Member perspectives will truly be united with a sharing of information and ideas at all levels of our governance.

Hospitality Services

As mentioned above, I again wish to thank Members for understanding that hospitality at the Club had reduced services due to the COVID surge over Christmas and New Year. I am pleased to advise that the Member’s Lounge will re-open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays after Opening Day.

Another new initiative that will be launched shortly is a contactless ordering system called “Me&U”. Further information regarding this system will be sent in a separate email to all Members.

 Course and New Course Superintendent

I am pleased to report that the 2021 Irrigation Project has been completed and the Committee is very happy with the quality of the work and that the total costing came in just under budget. Members will also start to notice new distance markers on sprinkler heads throughout the course. This is the finishing touch of this extremely necessary and worthwhile project.

The Committee is also looking forward to our newly appointed Course Superintendent, David Mason, officially joining our Team in early March. Dave has already visited the course a few times in recent months, and he is enthusiastic and excited about beginning his new position. I am sure there will be more updates during the year regarding his team’s work on the course, and I am confident his expertise will be a great asset for The Brisbane Golf Club.

Junior and High Performance Golf

Junior Golf and the development of our Junior Golf Program continues to be a success and major focus for The Brisbane Golf Club. I am proud to report that we currently have 65 Junior golfers participating in our Junior Academy, across 8 different levels of development. We also have 120 Junior Members. This month we started a Junior High Performance Academy  and we anticipate that as well as golf coaching, this will include Exercise Physiology and Psychology learnings.

Another key statistic in Junior Golf is that there are 22 girls participating in the program and two will also participate in the Junior High Performance Program. All Club Members should be very proud of the work performed by Joe Janison, Asha Hargreaves and our Golf Professionals at the Club. This is indeed the real future of golf, and hopefully we will see some of these Junior players become long term Members and possibly stars on the world stage.

On that note, I would also like to pay special mention to the large number of BGC Members who have had some outstanding results in Professional and Amateur events over the past few months. Given the large number I will not single any out in particular, but I know that all Members follow their progress closely and it is great to see the depth of talent developing from our Club. It augurs well for a fantastic Pennant season later in the year.

Golf Rules and Etiquette

Finally, I wish to remind Members about a topic which simply requires reinforcement on a regular basis. Although most golfers do not need to read the Rules of Golf on a regular basis, they do form a wonderful guide to the Members of golf clubs regarding the way we play golf and how we respect the course and other Members.

Thus, I wish to quote directly from Rule 1.2a

“All players are expected to play in the spirit of the game by:

·       Acting with integrity – e.g. by following the Rules, applying all penalties, and being honest in all aspects of play.

·       Showing consideration to others – e.g. by playing at a prompt pace, looking out for the safety of others, and not distracting the play of another player.

·       Taking good care of the course – e.g. by replacing divots, smoothing bunkers, repairing ball-marks, and not causing unnecessary damage to the course.”

This Rule and Etiquette summary should remain in the minds of all our Members every day they come to our Club. Dress code is also very important we ask Members to assist us improve by ensuring their guests follow our guidelines. Maintaining the care of the Course and our Membership should be an essential component of being a Member of this premier golf club.

May I complete this message by again wishing all Members a wonderful 2022, full of great friendships, happy golfing and good health. Thank you all for your ongoing support and membership of this great Club.

Kind regards

Mark Deuble, President