Fellow members,

At this time of the year membership fees are always up for discussion among members and when there is an increase there is always speculation as to how much and why, to date you have been notified of the how much but now I'd like to take time to explain the reasoning behind the changes.

Why a 5% increase in the base membership amount?

Inflation in Western Australia has been running above the national average for the last 12 months, the national average being 5.2%, and realistically sits at a point closer to 7%. The main reason for this figure has been our isolation as a state due to Covid and our border control forcing up all household prices. Whilst we don't want to add to peoples cost of living the above scenario has affected our costs of running a golf club. The temptation for some clubs will be to raise their fees by more than 5% to cover the cost increases that each club is feeling, we have chosen to cap it at 5%.;

But is it REALLY only 5%?

There are a number of ways we could have approached this years membership fees and all came with ramifications and possible complications, so we were conscious not to affect the base rate of membership more than the 5%. The reason for this is that all future calculations are based on this final figure, if this was raised any more than 5% it would compound in future years as fees inevitably increase. A conscious decision was made to shift the focus as to the $300 levy and how it is used to benefit the club and all members. The last thing that we wanted to do was to allow the commercial reality of the increased costs force us into imposing a "special Levy" halfway through the membership year on top of a fee increase and a house levy still in place. There is absolutely no doubt that wages will rise and the costs of running the business are going to increase and we are trying to get ahead of the game rather than playing catch up during the year. The cost of membership for the year has risen by 5%, the $300 levy hasn't changed except for how it is being used and the benefits each member gets for it.

Why a $300 Levy for the year?

The Board and Management have identified some areas of the club that need to be acted on now rather than in 6 months' time. Capital expenditure and house have been looked at and analysed for the next 12 months and the needs are immediate. Rather than impose both a $300 House levy and a $300 Capital/House Levy we have opted to switch the house levy to be split between the two areas in most need. I have known of clubs who present their members with a fee structure to start the financial year and then impose a levy when the members have all rejoined and not expecting it. We have taken a different view and whilst you are still paying an upfront levy, we are not trying to add levies but instead trying to reposition how the current levy is used.

Further to this point we have invested over the last 12 months in some of the course equipment we require and have been able to either purchase some items outright or put in place very low interest rate loans to purchase over a 4 year period helping to protect us against rising interest rate costs, in the case of John Deere course machinery, the effective rate is 0.15% over 4 years.

I could use my House levy for drinks and meals but now I don't get anything for it?

You as a club member are still getting something for it just in a different way. True, you wont be able to take advantage of it over the bar or in the dining room but Covid has presented us with staffing challenges in our bar and kitchen and will probably do so for some time, whilst we can work around this, it has certainly effected our hospitality and function side of the business. This levy will help us shore up this side of the business so that when we get past the Covid impact we are ready to launch back into our hospitality. So, in short, the levy will help improve the course and facilities that we all get to enjoy (some more than others) which goes back to each members satisfaction with what they are paying for. We are trying to be upfront in what we see as challenges ahead of us and plan for them in advance rather than being reactive.

That all sounds good but how does this help me as a member?

Like every member the club is taking stock of what is ahead of us as a business and how the commercial trends will impact our business and you as a member. By trying to stay ahead of current market trends we are looking to protect the financial base of the club which has strengthened our Balance Sheet in terms of club assets. It has also helped us to try and be predictive of the future in our budgeting which in the next 12 months will present challenges to most clubs and individuals. We would further like to ensure that the course you play on and the facilities that you utilize after the game are not affected by unpredictable rising costs which would only lead to services being disrupted or dropped. As a club we have worked too hard since our humble beginnings 76 years ago and particularly in recent years to build what we have today. Maintaining it as a club and a member will only succeed if we work together and accept the challenges ahead.

In my last update, I called to the membership for volunteers to join our restructured match committee and it was our intention to ensure that we hear and receive interest from new faces and a wider cross of our memberships' interest. The response was amazing. It is with my pleasure and gratitude to announce our new match committee:

Ms Grace Cheetham, Mrs Ros Mclver, Mr Glen Tueno, Mr Russell Redpath, Mr Mark Watts, Mr Chris Pearson, Mrs Lyn Harling and Mr John Cameron.

The committee will be supported by our general manager and head professional.

The vice captaincy position, which serves to support the Captain and the golf operations of the Club was selected from within the match committee. This ensures that this person is fully aware of the numerous duties involved and is key personnel in my absence. It is my pleasure to announce Ms Grace Cheetham as your new vice captain.

INDEXING

We reviewed the course index again shortly after our implementation a few months ago. When it was implemented, we allocated shots based on data collected over a period of time and whilst there is nothing wrong with this method, it created an imbalance of shots given in each nine in comparison to one another. This provided an unfair advantage based on which nine was played for handicapping.

Thanks to the collective work of Chris Pearson and Ros McIver in the match committee, the new indexing have been together based on a recommended method by R&A.

MENS COURSE                                           LADIES COURSE

BOOKINGS

A kind reminder to our members that should you wish to bring a guest during competition times, you may do so but only if they have a current golf link number. Blocked competition times are meant for competition play, not social play.

As timesheets limitations occur during winter (less tee time spots due to daylight), we gently remind members to not block out time slots if you are aware that your playing partner is not playing with you. Honesty is an integral part of our golf and this extends to booking privileges.

SPONSORS

We would love to have more members sponsoring our daily/weekly competitions. You will be acknowledged accordingly in our publications and presentations on the day. All forms of sponsorship is encouraged.

9 HOLE GOLF

The Match Committee is currently discussing and reviewing the possibility of developing another 9 hole morning competition (apart from the regularly held Friday Twilight comps). The discussions are in early stages and we encourage feedback from all membership (particularly if you have a keen interest in 9 hole competitions).

COURSE CARE

With wetter months upon us, please ensure that you:

REPAIR PITCH MARKS ON GREENS, KNOCK IN DIVOTS ON FAIRWAYS AND RAKE BUNKERS

The course conditioning and maintenance is the responsibility of all of us, not just our greens staff. With your attention and care, we will all benefit together.

Paul Cooper

Club Captain

Fiza Errington

General Manager