Captains Report

Fellow Members

Summer has definitely gone.

We had extreme heat for a long period but we can all see now that the nights are drawing in, temperatures are dropping and the rain has arrived.

I believe that the course not only has held up well with some torrential rain but improved. Having visited several other clubs and seeing the damage the rain or the heat has caused to their greens I must praise what Dave Willis and staff do to protect our greatest selling point. As members we also have a responsibility to protect our greens by repairing your own pitch marks and not taking your ball out the hole with your putter.

Derek Thomas has also been working hard with Dave Willis to set up a winter programme which includes the ground under repair next to the 10^th green. The 11^th green fringe surrounding the drainage covers. ground under repair in front of the 12^th green bunker .Tee box repairs to various mens’ and ladies tees and the clubhouse surroundings.

An update on our junior members. We currently have 26 boys and 4 girls so Dennise will be organising to get their own board put up and reserving certain weekend tee times to encourage their continued participation in this club, please encourage them yourselves.

A random draw was made for the presidents prize and hearing everyone’s views, the committee have agreed that next year comps 1-6 will be random divisional draws and all club majors including pairs will be completely random.

Congratulations in comp day 5 winners

Danny Mcevoy 64,Tom Manneh 65,Johnny Jones 65

Congratulations go to comp 6 winners

 Peter Miles  43 points,Ian Smallman  39 points,Colin Turner 39 points

I would like to say a personal congratulations to the Presidents prize winner John Parke 40 points. A true gentleman and favourite of most members including mine. Hard year but someone’s looking down on you my friend.

Mitcham hosted the return fixture of North Downs and trailing 3.5 to 0.5 it was an uphill task but Keith Lewis who took my captaincy for the day and rallied his troops to a 4-1 victory and retaining the trophy.

Mitcham also hosted the return fixture of Farleigh court and taking a lead of 4.5 to 1.5 into this fixture we had great hopes. We didn’t disappoint and although the result was 3-3 we won overall and can proudly keep a new trophy for this year at least.

Ladies results included Mitcham taking a draw at home against Tilgate. Richmond Park unfortunately beat Mitcham at home and Addington Court was a draw at their course.

Congratulations to Judith Grigg on winning the Presidents prize with 41 points.

A note of importance. All golfers should abide by the dress code on the course but occasionally that lapses. Being rude to members or guests about this is not acceptable but making them aware is important, so if there are concerns please let the pro know or a member of the committee.

Jim Lawrence has sadly resigned from his position of Chairman and committee member. Since taking on this role Jim’s work has been commendable so wish him well in concentrating on just playing golf with no hassle. A replacement will not be chosen until the right candidate with equally great attributes has been found with the position open to all applicants.

Your Captain

Greens Report

To the Mitcham Golf Club members

Greens winter programme

The following winter course works have now been discussed and agreed by the Committee and Trustees:

A) GUR area next to 10^th green

Dig out the whole area, line base creating new shallow bunker and lay new turfs to damaged surrounds.

B) 11^th green fringe- top

Build up the damaged fringe area surrounding the drainage covers with                     soil and new turfs.

C) GUR area in front of 12^th green bunker

Dig out stones, lay new drainage for sprinkler, new base soil and re-turf the whole area. Carry out repair work to back of bunker.

D) Tee box repairs

Extensive rest and repair to various men’s & ladies tee boxes.

E) Clubhouse and surrounding areas

Carry out repairs to path from 18^th tee to green. Lay paving to new trolley entrance to course. Double seal manhole cover to cesspit tank outside ladies entrance.

We hope to undertake all of the above works, subject to weather, and would appreciate your patience during this time. I’ll always be happy to discuss any issues you may have with the above or additional work you think may benefit the course.

Derek Thomas

Captains Report

Fellow members

It’s hard to believe that we’re well past the half-way point in my Captain’s year, and I’ve discovered that along with the responsibilities it entails, it also encourages the rapid growth of grey hair! I hope to enjoy the remainder of this year as much as the beginning.

Many Club matches have been played, and it’s been nice to see new faces as well as the hardened regulars representing the Club.  Playing for your Club is an honour, and playing alongside my team-mates has made me feel very proud.  Please continue to put down your names for future matches no matter who you are or what your handicap is.

I’ve tried to play in most swindles this year, and apart from the real early birds I’ll continue to put myself about. If any member would like to play with the Captain, just ask the Pro or secretary and they will arrange it for you.

I must give big congratulations to Ian Seymour who became Club Champion once again with one of the greatest playoffs ever seen at Mitcham. Having to sink that 2 on the 18^th to extend the playoff took real bottle, and it took a further two holes, eight in all, to seal his victory over one of Mitcham’s true gentlemen, Derek Thomas. Derek’s consolation was the Handicap Plate.

Another big congratulation goes to the Senior’s Club Champion for the second year running, Martin Clark. This year saw many more entries than previous with Len Turner winning their handicap plate.

Our Ladies Champion, Evie Simpson defended her title successfully for the third time – can anyone out there dislodge her?!  Judith Grigg was runner up, and Anne West won the Handicap Plate.

Well done to all the winners and losers

Captain’s Prize was a great day for me, made even better by the fact that the winners of the golf trips both invited me to join them – thanks and congratulations to Billy Frost who won the main prize, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast and 2 rounds for 4 at the Belfry, and to Alan Thorpe, who won a 4 ball to Brockett Park, courtesy of Your golf Travel.

As we have all noticed, we have a new patio space, and having spoken to a few guests, they feel a lot more comfortable relaxing in this environment after a round, but please extend a warm welcome inside the clubhouse too.

We are in the process of making wheelchair ramps to encourage less able people to enjoy our facilities, and we are keen to hear from you should you find anything lacking in and around the clubhouse.  Please discuss with any committee member.

We held an Open Day which proved to be a success, with a couple of new members joining as a result.  My thanks to those who worked hard to make it happen.

Charity Day is on September 27^th, and when I last checked with Paul, he said there were only about three spaces left. If you haven’t entered then you’ll miss out on a great day for great causes, with a free fitness assessment by a professional sports physiotherapist.

We have a new Lavender Open Champion, Georgio Coppola from Puttenham, who shot an impressive 70+70=140 in extreme heat – no mean feat!  Well done to local hero, Matt Addy who claimed the prize for the best am score, but unfortunately he wilted in the afternoon sun!

As with all competitions, thorough planning and able staffing from start to finish is needed.  A big thank you goes to Paul Burton, Jim Lawrence, Dave Varren, Frank Cassidy and the Simpson family for all their help.

The list for the Captain and Pro challenge is still up with the matches about to start, so please add your names.  Last year’s play-off for the coveted Claret Jug was won by Evie Simpson & Judith Grigg who saw off the fierce competition with an impressive 43 points.  The first ladies pair to achieve this.  Well done indeed.

The sand in the bunkers improving all the time as it continues to settle, and as requested the grass on the 13^th plateau has been cut down.  This fantastic course is looking really beautiful, albeit somewhat arid! The rough is punishing, but will soon die down, but in the meantime please continue to play provisionals to minimise slow play. We had an unfortunate accident when one our cutting machines leaked hydraulic fluid onto the 6^th green.  Dave Willis has this in hand, but some re-turfing will be required.

You may have read the recent Board report on the MGC blog regarding the Club’s financial performance this year.  I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and thank all those concerned for a job well done.

Your captain

Report from the Board

Dear Member

The Board would like to update you regarding the current financial situation at the club, and share with you plans going forward for the remainder of the financial year.

As we all know we had a tough start to the financial year (Oct 2012), as the weather continued to play a big part in disrupting competitions and general play on the course, putting considerable strain on our resources.  We are very reliant on green fees which effectively subsidise our subscriptions.  This income provides us with a buffer which allows us not only to survive in an increasingly difficult trading environment, but also enables us to make provisions for the future.  Maintaining control of our day-to-day running expenses is key to our continuing success.

We are pleased to announce, that due to the hard work and diligence our staff has put in over the past 6 months, to June 2013, we have managed to recoup some of the afore-mentioned losses.

Here are some highlights:

1, Subscriptions are slightly down on Budget, but we are ahead of last year with many more members joining throughout the year.

2, Greenfees continue to be a challenge, being down against budget, and almost on a par with last year.  Our Director of golf is working very hard to encourage new visitors to the club, and we have seen a substantial increase in green fee payers of the last 3 months.  We are sure that his initiatives will continue to enhance the bottom line.

3, Catering continues to be ahead of Budget, due in no small part to the great work our GM has done over the last six months to market very effectively MGC as a function venue, Patrick’s very high level of expertise and professionalism and Archie’s ability to consistently return good margins.  The recently completed patio project should further enhance this source of revenue, though we are of course at the mercy of the weather in this regard!

4, Spend is a key measure for us, and we’re pleased to report that this is very much under control against last year.

Dennise and Paul will continue to explore new avenues regarding the marketing of the club through sponsorship and other initiatives which will generate further income over the next few months and beyond.

Qtr 4 (July – Sept) will continue to be a challenge but we have a packed golfing & functions diary to look forward to.  Here’s looking forward to sharing more good news stories at the AGM.

The Board.

Mitcham Golf Club

Green Committee News

To all the members at Mitcham GC

I understand from a number of members that the deep rough we are currently

experiencing on the course is becoming a serious issue, not just with the speed of

play but the amount of balls being lost. Whilst the majority of the newer

members may be suffering for the first time, many of us have lived through this

problem for many years previously, unfortunately the inclement summer causes

the rough to grow stronger. Where practical we have increased the width

of the semi rough on several holes, this should at least slow the ball reaching the

thicker stuff, but the club is limited in its ability to thin the deeper stuff until

later in the summer. We have requested, from the conservators, special

dispensation to remove a couple of particular areas as a one off, we are waiting

the o.k. to proceed.

During competitions it’s always advisable play a provisional ball if you’ve a doubt

about your first shot, thus keeping the speed of play running smoothly, and where

necessary please remember to call following groups through.

During my 40 years as a member I can’t ever remember seeing the amount of

grass we have on the course, and our fairways are looking superb, I’m sure many

of you remember the ‘Mitcham bounce’ due to a lack of grass.

Try and enjoy the challenge that the course provides at the moment, it will

become easier later in the summer.

                                                                                                                                                              Derek Thomas