April 2012

Tuesday 3^rd April FALKLAND GOLF CLUB

Present- R Duncan, E Lindsay, S Wilkinson, T Shields, J McEwan, I Wann, G Dempsey, D Haxton , V Wicks and H Brough

Apologies – T Bettaney, J Campbell,   A Carnall, G Findlay, D Taylor

The minutes of the previous meeting were proposed by E Lindsay and seconded by J McEwan.

Captains report- R Duncan

All is going well at the moment. We have new members joining the club. The Captains prize competition had a good turnout. I will let Ian fill in the details.

Visiting groups have helped to fill our coffers. No doubt Steve will tell us the exact amount. I have contacted the boys with the black stuff and they have promised to fill in the pot holes in our drive for £250. On behalf of the club I told them the price was acceptable. Taking everything into consideration, the coming season should be one of the best as we have a shed full of machinery and a back up for everything. money in the bank and dedicated staff on the course and in the clubhouse. All we need now is the weather.

Treasurers Report –S Wilkinson

 March was a very good month with profit being double the budgeted amount. Turnover is 5% ahead and costs are 3% less than the same time last year meaning that we are almost £2K better off after vat than this time last year and ahead of budget.

The clubhouse loss has now gone below £4K and the gross margin is up to 30% ( 47% for all last year but was 5% for the first 2 months). The main contributor is draught lager which is our lowest %gm product and following price increases from the brewery and chancellor we need to adjust our selling prices.

The accounts at 1830 hrs on March 31st

Clubhouse (HBOS)                 £   23169.12

Cash in hand                           £     2153.49  

Subs Account                          (aprox £700 of 2012 subs)

Total                                        £ 26022.61

Outstanding Debts                  £ 0

The net cash reserves are now over £ 26K which is the highest figure at any time for many years and bearing in mind we have a shed full of equipment, our fixed assets are also higher than ever, quite an achievement.

As from April 1^st we now start using actual subs received rather than an accrued figure.  Most of the subs are now in (£2K more than the same time last year) so as it stands the bottom line is £4K better than at the same time last year. We have had 19 resignations and 23 new members so far. More new members are in the pipeline and 12 folk still left to pay, I expect to exceed the subs budget this year.

The new net based credit card payment system worked, with the recent visiting party from Blackburn, paying their deposit by card over the net, then settling the balance with cash on the day.

The first cash has been received from Groupon direct to our bank as the vouchers have been presented over the bar.

The insurance premium is due in April. Although we are in the final year of our fixed rate, the premium has increased due to the increase in the number of ride on machines we have as well as the employee wage bill  (employer liability is based on this). With Adam here on his work experience and not on full pay until May, I expect April to be another over budget month.

Secretary`s report

The SGU have appointed a development officer to support the club and to have a positive effect on our business.

The following members were admitted to the club-

Ordinary members –Ronnie Blair, Alexander Gordon, Michael Hill, David Campbell, and Kevin Fairbairn.

Ordinary female – Desi van Beusekom

Senior members- George Hunter and Allan Cluckie.

Primary juniors- Cameron Jessiman, Atholl Hamilton, Kieran Mckay, Jody Fairbairn and Lewis Fairbairn.

Greens report –R Duncan

In my opinion and others the course is in good condition. The greens have been treated as per the schedule by Greenmaster, apart from the scarifying as the conditions were not right to do so. We have applied a moss killer instead and will scarify later. The five gang Toro is up and running. It is cutting a bit high at the moment but the cut will be lowered next week to about 10mm. I have not lowered the cut on the greens mower until the weather settles down. I do not want to cut to the summer height and then get hit by a sharp frost. Therefore the height will be lowered gradually.

My thanks to Ladybank Golf Club for the work they did on our spindles ie repair and sharpening. They saved us a lot of money and I think we must show our gratitude somehow..

I have said this before but just to remind members not to engage the greenkeeper on the course to tell him what you would or would not like to be done. He has his schedule, weather permitting, so if any member has any suggestions please go through the proper channels.

House report

Rachel does Sat and Sun mornings. On Wednesday she works 5.30 to 9.30. Danny works from 9.30 am to 5.30 and takes over from Rachel at 9.30 until 10.30 .

Environmental health inspected the premises and found that earlier improvements  suggested had been carried out. No major faults were found. Danny was advised not to make ice cubes in the same area where pies are kept.

Bar prices and profit margins were discussed. Lager is our biggest seller and following brewery and government increases it was decided to increase the price of a pint of lager from £2.70 to £2.80.

Apparently there is a shortage of change on a Saturday when so many people hand over notes to pay. The solution is to provide more of the float in silver,

Match and Handicap- I Wann

Draws for the summer match play competitions are up on the notice boards. Numbers for all 3 competitions have increased from last year.

In the club competitions the entry numbers are very reasonable for this time of year but I am confident the number will increase in the coming weeks. The first Wednesday medal will be played on the 18^th and I take the opportunity to remind members that it is one of the competitions counting towards MY GOLF RANKING with a further four to be plated on Wednesdays during the summer months.

AOCB

• A bulb is required in the portacabin.
• The lady (Lesley Moffat) who is playing 30 courses in Fife in 30 days to raise funds for Down`s Syndrome Scotland on Thursday 5<sup>th</sup> April will be given lunch.
• A new lock has been put on the greenkeepers shed and the portacabin door. The key holder list is revised .
• The invoice from Ladybank was for parts only giving us a massive saving.The decision was taken to reward Ladybank by offering free golf to Ladybank members when their course is closed due to adverse weather conditions.
• The practice net will be removed and replaced at another location.
• A new member, Lawrence Lennie, is to see if he can find us a bargain carpet for the lounge.
• We need more gravel on the car park to save the new carpet when it is laid.
• Adam can have overtime if he wants it during the busy months. If required he can have extra help. Once he becomes a full time employee, his position on the committee will go. He should not be voting on decisions which affect his employment.
• Friday functions are to be arranged.
• Following Rachel`s accident it is noted that we need an accident book. One exists already but needs to be found to satisfy Health and Safety regulations.
• Preferred lies are still on and will be so until end of April or the weather improves, whichever comes first.                                                                                                                                        

 The meeting closed at 9.20.

The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 1^st May. Please remember to wash your face in early morning dew for the occasion.

March 2012

6^th March 2012 FALKLAND GOLF CLUB

Present- R Duncan, E Lindsay, I Wann, J McEwan, A Carnall, T Bettany, G Dempsey, V Wicks, H Brough

Apologies – J Campbell, G Findlay, D Taylor, T Shields, S Wilkinson

The minutes of the last meeting were proposed by T Bettaney and seconded by J McEwan.

Matters arising – H Brough is delighted to note that her concerns re the legality of our license were unfounded.

Captains report-R Duncan

It is with regret that we note the death of a past captain, John Bell.

It has been an uneventful week with regard to problems (apart from the road into the club) and long may it continue. I have contacted a company that resurfaces roads and he has promised to come along and look at ours asap.

The season starts on Saturday and hopefully we will have a good turnout if the weather is kind to us. As from 10^th March, the clubhouse will be open 7 days per week and I would like to ask members to keep Danny, our steward, as busy as possible

Since the last season has finished and a new one about to start, I will take this opportunity to thank all the people who have given their valuable time to enable the club to prosper.

Treasurers report. S Wilkinson.

We made a profit in February but not as much as expected due to high costs so we are still behind budget.

The main costs were : Golf Union fees, course rent and a double Bookers invoice ( we pay every 28 days so every so often we get 2 invoices in one month. Were it not for this the clubhouse loss would have gone below £4K for the year.

The ongoing position is exactly the same as it was this time last year, with higher income this year balanced out by the higher costs. We still use budgeted subs at this time of the year, however the actual subs received are almost £3K better than the same period last year.

The accounts at 1700 hrs on Feb 29^th ( I had to write this in advance as I`m not at the meeting)

Clubhouse (HBOS) £ 21448.50

Cash in hand £ 873.75

Subs Account (aprox £500 of 2012 subs)

Total £ 22822.25

Outstanding Debts £ 0

The net cash reserves are now a healthy £ 22822.25.

Almost 80% of the subs are in (much better than this time last year). We have had 14 resignations and 12 new members so far. More new members are in the pipeline and I expect to hit the subs budget this year.

We had a situation where a newish member came into the clubhouse to pay his fees and wanted to use his debit card. As we did not have the facility Danny suggested he went to the cash machine in the village. However he went away and said he would pay later. I`m sure he will but it did illustrate a gap in our facilities, which potentially could lose us business eg if a visiting party of tourists arrive. I have set up a system, which is basically a pay by card over the net system using the club laptop.

Electricity : I have signed us up for another year with Opus Energy via the “make it cheaper” switching site. There is a 10% increase but it will save us £350 compared to the renewal proposals. Whilst prices have come down recently that was on the back of a much larger increase mid last year, and I think it’s a good deal as they are still 39% cheaper than we were paying in June 2008.

I have recently signed a 3 month Marketing deal with Groupon.

Under the deal, on our behalf, they are selling 1 weeks unlimited Golf plus a hot roll and coffee on the first visit for £16. We have sold 30 of these in the first week. The promotion will be run again during the validation period of March to May 2012 inclusive. For each redeemed voucher we get around £8. Groupon keep £8 to cover the marketing costs.

Some committee members expressed concern at the speed with which the Groupon deal was signed without discussion at committee level, and the low price of the offer and lack of profit to the club. It was agreed to hold a special meeting when S Wilkinson returned.

To raise our profile and gain some free advertising, it is to be hoped we can plan something for the day the of the fund raising for Downs Syndrome.

Secretary`s report

The following new members were admitted to the club-

Ordinary members - Pamela Veitch and Lawrence Lennie

Senior members – Diane Parmenter and Michael Atkins

Primary junior – Thomas Philp

Greens report –R Duncan

The greens have been slit tined and treated with moss killer as per the schedule with Greenmaster. We have also given them an early cut and in my opinion they are in good condition for this time of year. The rotary cutting units were taken off the five gang Toro and taken to Ladybank Golf Club and they have kindly refurbished them at a greatly reduced cost. Adam will be refitting the units this week so that we can have a go at the fairways. We are currently testing a back up greens mower that david Manson brought in for us. If it turns out to be OK and the price is right, we will then have a back up for everything.

House report

J Campbell indicated through another committee member that he is concerned about a proposal to allow payment on the internet using the screen in the lounge.

Match and handicap report- I Wann

The official opening of the new season takes place on Sat. 10^th March with the annual captain v vice captains matches.

Entry sheets for the summer matches are posted on the relevant notice boards. Closing date for entries is 28^th March.

A number of changes to the rules apply from 1^st January. It is the players responsibility to know the rules .New rule books for 2012 with highlighted changes are available in changing rooms or behind the bar.

A query was raised re 4ball matches. If a member has a concern then it should be raised in the proper fashion .

The central handicap database needs ID numbers for members. Qualifying competitions on other courses will be automatically returned.

AOCB

The ladies committee have agreed to be self- sufficient financially. The ladies now have a computer and printer of their own so they can close competitions without waiting for use of the club computer. Valda is printing flyers for the various opens but is limiting this to those nearby.

Thanks to Eric and Steve who cleared out the portacabin again

D Haxton offered coaching to interested ladies.

Juniors - S Wilkinson

From virtually disappearing in 2009 (12 members 1 handicap) we have increased numbers to 65 in 2011 of which 20 were paying members. After having no Junior Championship for 3 years , 2011 saw 10 Juniors competing for the title., This is a remarkable success in a short time. Reasons for this are : Free memberships for primary kids ( 50% of who go on to become paying members) After School coaching and clubgolf help Saturday competitions. To maintain this we need a Junior Convenor. I only did the job last year because Derek Haxton left. Traditionally the role has been filled by a parent or grandparent of an existing Junior member Eg John Hurley, Bill Semple, Brian Sharp. Mark Cooke, Danny and Stuart Bell helped me last year but Im sure that Danny and Stuart have other commitments this year. Mark can do the coaching but cannot be around for their competitions and neither can I. I want to make this crystal clear before being bad mouthed in the clubhouse on a Saturday, for having a life.

In conclusion : We want a junior convenor who can do everything. If not Mark can do the coaching. I can do the Junior Handicaps / competition processing and communication, providing someone else can start the Juniors Competitions at 1.30 pm on a Saturday. Disclosures will then need sorting for those involved.

No one volunteered as junior convenor. Ian Wann agreed to start off the junior competitions with help from Graeme Nicholson when he is available since Mark Cooke is available for coaching. Competitions will be over 18 holes where appropriate.

The meeting closed at 8.15 pm.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday 3^rd April at 7pm.

Special meeting on Monday 12^th March 2012

Present – R Duncan, S Wilkinson, J Campbell, I Wann, J McEwan, V Wicks, D Haxton and H Brough.

Apologies – A Carnall, Tom Bettaney and G Dempsey.

(S Wilkinson explained the rationale behind the Groupon deal.)

The haste was to get the deal on line at the beginning of the season to attract potential new members.

Comments have been made that this is “too cheap”.

I would like to make the following points.

1 The winter ticket gives 4 months golf for £50 that works out at £3 a week

2 The “taster” promotion of 6 weeks for £50 works out at £8 per week

3 Membership for a senior of £200 is £4 per week.

We pay £100 to advertise the winter ticket and taster promotions as well, and these were both approved by committees.

For 1 week in February 120,000 people in Fife, Tayside, Perth and Kinross, Stirlingshire and Clackmananshire woke up to find Falkland Golf Club advertised in their email inbox. The Falkland Golf Club deal is searchable by Groupon’s 140 million members. What other sort of advertising can you get where you only pay for it if it works? .To comment that this is “too cheap” is ill informed and simply wrong.

Each Groupon sale is a potential new member when they see the value of this place and most customers will purchase items from the clubhouse generating more revenue.

To accommodate this and to improve the general internet visitor booking experience, I have introduced an online tee availability system where anyone can see when the tee is booked/available. For members who do not have the net it is constantly posted on the screen by the bar. Phone bookings will be added by Danny. Competition times for Gents / Ladies are covered by block net bookings and the existing paper sheets in the corridor will continue to be used for individual competition entries. The total booking system is also important for Adam as he can, simply by looking at his phone, judge when the course is likely to be busy and figure the best time to do various tasks.

( Groupon only advertise when the discount is approximately 60% of the true cost.

A weekly ticket costs £40 and a filled roll and a coffee £2.30 bringing the total to £42.30. The selling price is therefore £16 for a weeks golf, of which we receive £8 and Groupon get the other £8. Currently about 30 coupons have been sold. The offer is closed but will run again before the end of the 3 month period. All coupons must be used by the end of May.)

(With regard to the payment by card using the computer, the following explanation was given.)

Essentially Danny sends the customer an invoice (to the clubhouse email) and he/she fills in their card details using the keyboard/ screen at the side of the bar. Its quite messy but it works at a price of 3.4% and 20p per transaction and is better than losing the sale. However we would always encourage cash. The alternative is a chip and pin machine which would cost us £13 per month with 20p for debit transactions and 1.5% plus 20p for credit transactions. Based on debit card transactions we would need to turnover £4.5K by this method before it became worthwhile. So I suggest that we operate the new net system when we have to, and also use it for net collection eg a recent party booking over the net, the guy (from S Edinburgh) wants to pay a deposit so card is the ideal method.

Those present accepted the explanations.

February 2012

7^th February 2012 FALKLAND GOLF CLUB

Present- R Duncan, E Lindsay, S Wilkinson, I Wann, J McEwan, J Campbell, A Carnall, D Haxton, G Dempsey, V Wicks, H Brough

Apologies- T Bettaney, G Findlay, D Taylor

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved by D Haxton and seconded by J Campbell.

There were no matters arising.

Captains report –R Duncan

We have had a good month with regard to the weather apart from the fund raising day on Saturday 4^th. Unfortunately sods law kicked in along with foul weather. Some brave souls completed the course and were rewarded with a hot meal from danny with a helping hand from Yvonne Imrie. Many thanks.

My thanks to Steve for organising the event, and to Dave Haxton for his nearest the bottle contribution. The club did very well although the golf was limited. It is events like this that help to pay the bills.

We now have a tidt refuse area courtesy of Martin Imrie and his labourer Steve Wilkinson. Many thanks to you both….

My congratulations to the winners of the winter league. Apparently it was a close finish. Ian will furnish us with the details ,no doubt.

Treasurers report- S Wilkinson

January was by far the most profitable month of the year so far and we are back on track against budget.

Not having to pay a green keeper over the winter has kept costs down and thanks go to Adam for all his work. Bar sales are way ahead of where we were at the end of February last year, with 3 weeks still to go in the month.

As we are now 5 months in I have carried out a cost comparison with the same period last year.

Course maintenance is down £1400 -10%

Bar Wages up £1000 +22%

Bar and catering purchases up £3000 +87% Sales up £2300 +41%

Telephone up £100 +22%

Power down £600 – 54% Hot water now football club

Stationary postage up £90 from 0

Misc up £500 +70% electrition , plumber , water heaters etc

The accounts at 1700 hrs today were

Clubhouse (HBOS) £ 18937.44

Cash in hand £ 753.50

Subs Account (aprox £250 of 2012 subs)

Total £ 19690.94

Outstanding Debts £ 0

The net cash reserves are now a healthy £ 19690.94.

Almost 75% of the subs are in (much better than this time last year). We have had 12 resignations and 9 new members so far. More new members are in the pipeline and I expect to hit the subs budget this year.

I have paid the Golf Union subs (£1700) and all the outstanding the course rent so February will be a tougher month, however with all major regular bills paid and a good fund raising day I don’t expect to be far from budget at the end of the month.

I apologise for forgetting to mention my 1 year instalment proposal until after the last meeting had closed, but I was able to contact most of the committee members all of whom agreed, as the initiative couldn’t wait until the next meeting.

Steve proposed that the ladies be responsible for their own finances and prizes. Valda will discuss with the others on ladies committee.

Secretary`s report

The following new members were admitted to the club-

Ordinary members – Kenneth Mc Guire, David Ferguson, Ross Morgan, Greg Brooksbank and Gillian Ferguson.

The raffle prizes which were outstanding from the presentation evening in November have been located and distributed to the winners.

I am not sure if we are legal in terms of the license. We have a member who has the relevant qualification but it needs to be registered with Fife Council to comply with current legislation.

Greens report- R Duncan

The greens have been slit tined as per the schedule with Greenmaster.

The cutting heads have been removed from the five gang Toro and we will take them to Ladybank Golf Club on Friday to let Colin, the head greenkeeper, see if it is possible for him to sharpen them.

I have a meeting with Dave Manson (Greenmaster) tomorrow. We will be inspecting the greens (if they are frost free) so that we can determine the best treatment for the future.

New marker posts will be positioned all round the course prior to the start of the season. My thanks to David Sinclair for that.

Logs are now for sale.

New flags are needed. Suggestions included chequered and embroidered. The final choice will be governed by cost. We also need new ball washers. Prices found so far are 3 for £100 and 5for £170 with a logo.

Sprinklers are ready to go in and volunteers are required.

House report- J Campbell

Danny is doing well and the ladies applauded the best ever effort for catering for the winter alliance.

We hope to get a new carpet for the lounge if a suitable deal can be arranged.

Rachel will be doing Danny`s relief and will begin on 17^th March. Rachel and Danny have agreed a new timetable which suits both of them.

Match and handicap- I Wann

Congratulations to the winners of the various competitions which took place on the fund raising day in spite of the weather. Hopefully a good time was had by all.

A very close and exciting league ended on Sunday past with a win for the pairing of A Carnall and J Mather.

Four weeks on Sat we have the start of the new season with the Captain v Vice-Captain matches.

Central handicap database will have all our results and handicaps similar to how did I do. There will be a change to ladies CSS for smaller clubs with 10 and under ladies competing. The last years system was not working well.

AOCB

The road desperately needs attention. When the frost has gone the holes can be filled in but that is only a temporary measure

The portacabin needs tidied again A working party is needed for Friday afternoon for this.

Adam reported that someone is going into the shed. The glass in the Toro has been broken New locks and a limited number of keys available are needed. Eric volunteered to speak to A Turnbull about new locks.

Jack Glenn is now an intermediate and has applied for permission to play with the men. Eric Lindsay proposed agreement and Dave Haxton seconded it. There were no objections so Jack will play with the men. His handicap at the moment is 25 and he is aware he will play off 24.

The meeting closed at 9.45.

The next meeting will be on 6^th March at 7pm.