The COVID pandemic continues to significantly impact us all and our club is no exception.
With Metro members unable to attend the course and the ban on competitions, our syllabus for the balance of the year will need to be re-done. We may need to get creative with the timing and format of the board events to get as many played as possible. We will try to give Metro members at least 4 weeks golf before we play the club championships. This may mean they are not held until 2022.

The premier will be announcing his roadmap for the easing of restrictions on Sunday 19^th September. This should give some guidance as to when our Metro members can play again. We will then be able to plan our golf activities for the next few months. We will post articles on the portal when we have had a chance to review the information.

The lockdowns and restrictions continue to affect our financial position. While there has been some level of support from governments, it is not enough to make up for the lost revenue. Year to date we have made a profit of $85k versus a budget profit of $134k. The result for the remainder of the year will vary greatly depending on when everybody can play. At this stage we are forecasting a full year loss of about $40k.

Member numbers have continued to grow in 2021, albeit at a slightly lower pace to 2020. Currently at 605 vs 572 at 31^st December 2020. I’d like to thank all members for sticking with the club during this time. I know it has been difficult for many people to commit to renewing their membership while in lockdown or while the threat of lockdowns hangs over us.
The committee has been in touch with Golf Australia to determine whether other golf clubs are providing any relief to members due to the COVID lockdowns. At this stage no other golf club is planning to provide any relief to members. We will continue to monitor the situation.

Dick Barker has been leading the charge on the Centenary celebrations. We had planned a week of functions (golf and hospitality) in late October to celebrate the event. However, with the ever-changing restrictions and limits on numbers in the club house, we have decided to cancel those celebrations and look to do something in 2022 when we should have more certainty about having all our members able to participate. We will go ahead with the merchandise, which is now available in the Pro shop, and articles in the In-side Golf magazine and the Gisborne Gazette. Your support by purchasing some of the club merchandise would be much appreciated.

The course is in excellent condition as we exit winter and is set to flourish with the warmer weather. Our new superintendent Dylan Knight has hit the ground running and has focused on improving the course presentation, the most obvious of these is the bunkers. They look magnificent when they have been prepared by the staff. It is now up to the golfers to rake the bunkers after use and leave them in this same condition. Dylan is also having a “war on weeds” which has started with the tees and will now progress to the greens as part of the annual greens renovation program.
One again I’d like to thank the volunteers for the time and effort they put into the course. The many hours spent removing the tree debris (among other things) makes a real difference to the presentation of the course.

From a catering perspective, Luke and his team have had the most difficult of starts for a new business. The restrictions and the low numbers of patrons able to attend the venue make it impossible to break even. However, we have been really pleased with the support from our members and the local community when they are open. Prior to the recent restrictions being imposed, Trivia was introduced to Thursday nights. This has stirred the competitive juices of a number of members, to the extent there is a recruiting campaign underway to build a team to challenge the champions. With this and the threat of new teams from those in lockdown, how long can the champions (team Smartinis led by Ben Mansted) remain on top?

The lockdowns have been very tough on the mental health of us all.  If you are suffering, please don’t suffer alone. Reach out to health professionals, your loved ones, friends and golfing mates for support.
The path back to normal life is based on the vaccination rates. I encourage everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible. This is the one thing that we can personally do to help end these lockdowns and COVID restrictions.

I hope to see you all around the club in the not-too-distant future.

Alastair Boustead

President

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