Dear Members,
As you are all aware the past number of years have been difficult as we have fought against the tide of austerity and apathy towards golf club membership.
The Committee have had to make some decisions that in some cases were not popular but for the sake of sustainability of the club had to be done.
There have been a lot of negative comments in the community about the sustainability of our club but the Committee and I believe that as a Golf Club we have managed to turn around our fortunes to some degree. In essence the club is on the up, lets get the word out there.
We have been working hard to market our club through social media, Community Advertiser and flyer drops. Up to this point we have gained 36 new members and have plans to continue to generate new members.
I am thankful to you our members for the support you have shown, by sharing our posts and getting the word out there.
The use of our function hire has increased dramatically which helps underpin our finances. We are going to continue offering opportunities for functions as they do provide the club that extra boost we need which ultimately will keep the cost down for our membership.
In regard to our new members we are in the process of planning a meeting and having a small golfing event, more details will follow, but rest assured we are committed to ensuring that our new members get to experience the best of what the club has to offer. To all our current members the request would be to make all our new members as welcome as we possibly can.
For most of you out there playing, it should go without saying that the greenkeepers have been hard at it and the course is looking great. It has been suggested that we are still a few weeks behind in getting the course tip top, however this is weather related rather than lack of action. I would request that you support the greens staff by repairing pitch marks on the greens and replacing divots on the fairways. The team are continually looking at ways for improvement without taking away the natural structure of the course, so any suggestions would be welcome.
Despite all the positives we have still some way to go, and this is where I respectfully ask for your assistance. We are looking ahead and wish to engage with sponsors in order to support the course and work we would like to do with Juniors in the local community. If you could offer any ideas or contacts in order that we could open a discussion that would be appreciated. We are going to continue to utilise social media which will include Facebook, Twitter and whatever means to ensure the word gets out there. All I ask is that you continue doing what your doing, by getting it shared and getting the word out there.
Lastly but certainly not least, on behalf of the Committee I would like to express our thanks to the many volunteers at the club who selflessly give up their valuable time to carry out various jobs around the clubhouse and surrounding area, fundraising, quizzing and karaoke and working on the course assisting the Greenkeeper and his staff. Thank you all.
Scott McKernan
Captain, Vale of Leven Golf Club