Good afternoon, fellow members. A warm welcome to our past captains, past presidents and our life member with us today.<\/p>\n
It is a genuine privilege to serve as Men\u2019s Captain for 2026 and to officially open the season. I\u2019m always mindful of the extraordinary history that has shaped this Club \u2014 and that sense of tradition feels even more significant as we step into our 130th year at BGC.<\/p>\n
Over the past year, we have truly been tested. Our members have endured some shocking weather and significant disruption as we worked through an extensive green resurfacing program \u2014 a program that is now, thankfully, coming to its conclusion.<\/p>\n
I want to sincerely commend the membership for the way you handled it. Your patience, understanding and continued support of the club during that period speaks volumes about the character of this membership.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s hope for a more settled 2026 as we look ahead with optimism. The short-term inconvenience will soon be forgotten, but what will remain is our commitment to delivering putting surfaces worthy of this club\u2019s proud history and its future ambitions.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead to the season, we will once again compete for some of the oldest and most prestigious honour boards in the country. I encourage everyone to keep a close eye on key dates for our major events via the website and app \u2014 particularly for competitions such as the Mocatta Trophy.<\/p>\n
With the later start to the season, match deadlines have been tightened slightly this year. This will allow us to bring Presentation Night back into the same calendar year as the events themselves, with November currently pencilled in for the evening.<\/p>\n
2026 will also see our Div 1 pennant team aim for their 5th<\/sup> Pennant in a row. With the loss a a few players to the pro ranks, it will be a challenging year, but one which we are up for. We will continue to improve our relationships with other golf clubs with various interclub matches through the year. Matches with Sanctuary Cove, Indooroopilly, Southport and Toowoomba have all become popular dates on the golfing calendar. I\u2019m also in the process of agreeing to\u00a0 a new match against the Royal Qld Golf Club, the first of which was played in the early 1920s but fell away in later years. \u00a0Our own J.A. Walsh served as Captain here in 1918\u201319 and later became Royal Queensland\u2019s first Captain in 1920. It is proposed that the trophy between the two clubs bare his name \u2014 a fitting tribute to a man who helped shape both institutions. More details will follow.<\/p>\n The NVP Shootout is back with the biggest cash prize available to amateur golfers on offer. Entries are made at the golf shop. It costs 25 dollars to enter with the final scheduled for November. Plenty of details in the member news or ask the staff in the shop for more info. Thanks to Peter Walker for his ongoing support of the event.<\/p>\n A quick reminder that the BGC Putting Championship will be held on 20 March from 4:30pm. The field is already full and a waiting list is in place \u2014 clearly there\u2019s no shortage of confident putters\u2026 or at least optimistic ones.<\/p>\n Earlier that day, from midday, we\u2019ll gather to celebrate one of our own, Billy Dowling, following his outstanding 2026 Australian Amateur victory. It will be a special lunch in his honour, recognising a remarkable achievement by a terrific young man.<\/p>\n Patty Welsh will host the afternoon, with Billy sharing a few reflections on his journey so far \u2014 and what lies ahead. It\u2019s a wonderful opportunity to show our support, enjoy the company of fellow members, and, of course, savour another magnificent meal from Gillian and her team.<\/p>\n And who knows \u2014 a relaxed lunch and a steadying drink or two might be the perfect preparation before the putter goes under the microscope later that afternoon. Why not make a day of it? Please see Geoff or book via the timesheet.<\/p>\n And of course, today we play for the HW Broad Trophy. The presidents team v The Captains team. Debbie is defending the trophy today, so hopefully that result can be reversed. Special mention to Vice Captain Peter Walker who has chosen to play for the president\u2026. That will be dealt with internally.<\/p>\n In conclusion, I encourage every member to feel comfortable reaching out at any time \u2014 whether it\u2019s a question, a concern, an idea or simply a conversation about how we can do things better. The Club is strongest when communication is open and respectful, and I\u2019m always happy to hear from you.<\/p>\n Today, as we open a new season, we recommit ourselves to the standards, traditions and spirit that define this great club. The Club does not belong to any one of us \u2014 we belong to it. While we honour its proud history, I hope we also look forward to adding our own chapter together.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s to a season of excellent golf and strong camaraderie.<\/p>\n