Meeting opened at 6pm Tuesday 15th October 2024 at Bondhay Golf Club.
Present
Committee
Club Members
Minutes from previous meeting:
The previous year’s AGM minutes were revisited, and all accept two points have been duly completed and communicated back to the membership at the meeting. These are course signage and electronic bar payments.
Firstly, thank you to all who attended the AGM. This is the members meeting and the aim is to be open and honest in respect of Bondhay development and direction going forward.
The committee communicated an outline of “what’s happening” in their area and then the members had the floor to ask any questions they felt appropriate.
The Committee have continued to work closely as one team over the last year, and we believe many initiatives/developments have landed within the club.
The financial backing and investment from the directors have continued and we thank Lisa and the family for the capital outlay.
The Club Committee now consists of Bondhay Directors/Management, Secretary/Treasury, Handicap Secretary, Club Captain, Vice Club Captain, Senior representative, Course Manager, Handicap Secretary and Club Professional. All sections will be invited to the quarterly meetings. As always, we are looking for individuals to join the team from the membership.
In the forthcoming weeks key decisions are required to define the fixture calendar in respect of honours boards events / memorial tournaments / type of comps e.g. doubles / teams etc. Also, how we combine more mix sex competitions in line with England Golf’s strategic direction.
Tree stumps/bunker removal is an issue which is constantly raised by the membership. To help these initiatives we believe a clear robust plan is required by the club which is communicated back to the membership, thus ensuring clear direction and approximate timelines are understood by all.
Captains for the 2024/2025 Season
As a team we have agreed the captains for next year and as always welcome other members to get involved with the committee and hopefully future captains of Bondhay Golf Club.
To conclude the captain’s handover will be Saturday 2nd November (shot gun start) and we will make sure we have some super prizes for the worthy winners and a raffle on the day for the chosen charity.
Financial Report:
To September 2024 the account reads:
Inflation/rising costs have been an issue over the last 12 months in relation to the gents fund. We have managed to stabilise the bank balance with a slight increase on the 2023 numbers but require fresh initiatives to either save money or create additional funds.
Agreed future actions:
Mark Highfield - Treasury and Secretary
A big thank you to all for attending the AGM and for everyone support during my year as Captain. Thank you for the money raised for my chosen charity Ashgate Hospice at the Captains Charity Day. I would also like to wish the incoming Captain Mark Highfield a great year.
Roy Cullis
Travellers
We were visited by a group of travellers in September after being notified that they were at Rother Valley Golf Club in the days prior. We contacted the Police who attended on site. The spokesperson(s) for the group demanded £10,000 to leave the car park and were intimidating and threatening. We were forced to close down the Clubhouse and the Trackman Range to prevent any further unruly behaviour, the safety of our staff, and in order to protect our property.
The Police were powerless to act. They were aware of the demand for money but suggested that it would take them around 28 days to be in a position to move them on. A Bailiff who had been at Rother Valley, attended on site and suggested that we pay them to move on before they caused any damage to our property. After much negotiating, we begrudgingly paid them £6250 to leave the premises. The travellers remained on site for just over 2 hours before leaving.
Our priority is and always will be the safety of our staff and customers. This was at the forefront of our mind when agreeing to pay for them to leave.
Since this event we have tightened up our security measures on site. We will now be closing and padlocking our gates when the last member of staff leaves in an evening. The gates are situated at the top of the drive, the access road to the green shed, and the gate which allows access to the lane off the car park.
A telescopic security bollard has been installed on the driveway leading down to the 9th green and Halfway House. Two telescopic security bollards have been placed in the entrance to the green shed. A height barrier was installed at the top of the driveway. This will prevent larger vehicles and caravans from accessing the premises.
We note that these unexpected outlays will have impacts on our ability to invest in certain things over the winter / off-season and ask our members to bear this in mind. Thank you for your support and understanding.
Course Furniture
We intend to keep pushing on with updating our course signage and furniture as budget permits. This includes hole markers, other signage, bins and benches. I am in discussions currently about the introduction of winter mats across all holes of the Devonshire Course. This will help protect the tee boxes from unwelcome weather and ensure they are in decent condition come the spring.
Sponsorship
Packages are now finalised, and we'll look to roll them out soon. This will hopefully raise some additional revenue for the business and create valuable connections with local and national businesses.
Voucher System
This was due to be done this October but now pushed back due to travellers expenditure. I can do a lot of the preliminary work to speed it up once the money comes available. Also, we are in discussions with our current tee sheet provider as they have POS software that may solve this issue for us more effectively.
Discounted Green Fees
Some comments have been passed to us of late suggesting that the membership is watered down because the management have put out discounted green fees on occasion. This is entirely unfounded. Offers on green fees are only ever put out if we find ourselves in a position where large gaps open up due the cancellation of an event or society. Such an example is a memorial trophy that was postponed at short notice due to the potential for bad weather. To try and ensure the day wasn't a 'wash out', we put out an offer to encourage visitors to play and the Club could rescue some revenue for the day.
Bondhay is not member owned and therefore pays VAT among other costs, so the importance of retaining revenue is important. It goes without saying that additional revenues go into improving the courses and facilities for members, and more.
Green Fees & Memberships
Unfortunately, due to rising costs and pressures, green fees will increase slightly for the 2025/26 season. It is likely that certain memberships may need to be reviewed, but this will be agreed and communicated prior to the New Year.
Course Quality
Pitch marks, divots and bunker raking continues to be a problem. We’ll look to increase signage around this and put out more communications about it.
Safety
Everyone must report to the pro shop before play in the interests of safety and course management. Private buggies to report in. Please observe daily rules.
Renovation of Bar
Work will continue on the renovation of the bar now I’m making a return to work following paternity leave. This includes continuing the painting of 'Bondhay Blue' around the restaurant area and panelling. We intent to purchase and put in new furniture.
Josh Clarke
The senior section has continued to grow in numbers this year and we are meeting every Tuesday and Thursday re majors and competitions. The seniors have had an enjoyable season playing competitive golf both home and away. I would like to thank the club for their support and great food and service. As always, we are looking for new senior members to bolster our ranks.
Mick Register - Senior Representative
Love them or hate them, it's no secret that Bondhay's Devonshire Course is known for its tree-lined fairways. Trees inevitably have exploratory roots that head out in search of water, nutrients and anchorage. Further to that, the greenkeepers have been working hard on thinning out some of the wooded areas of the course to improve playability and better develop each hole's microclimate with greater airflow and daylight. This sometimes means that tree stumps interfere with play until they are able to be removed.
These roots and stumps can prove an annoyance to golfers of all abilities, not to mention the risk of injury if having to play shots close to these obstructions. Stumps have generally been treated as Ground Under Repair (GUR) and roots have sat without a firm ruling until now.
Following general agreement within the Bondhay Committee and with approval from England Golf, the following rules are now in play on the Devonshire Course with immediate effect:
New Local Rule
All tree stumps are now classed as Abnormal Course Conditions / No Play Zone. Players must:
Relief From Tree Roots In Or Close To Fairway
Model Local Rule F-9
If a player's ball lies in the general area and there is interference from exposed tree roots that are in a part of the general area cut to fairway height or less or in the rough within 4 club-lengths from the edge of the area cut to fairway height or less, the tree roots are treated as ground under repair (GUR).
The player may take free relief under Rule 16.1b.
Relief is NOT allowed if the tree roots only interfere with the player's stanc
Rule 16.1b - Relief for Ball in General Area
If a player’s ball is in the general area and there is interference by an abnormal course condition on the course, the player may take free relief by dropping the original ball or another ball in this relief area (see Rule 14.3):
Work will continue to remove as many tree stumps as possible, whilst continuing to assess and remove additional trees where necessary. If you require any assistance or advice around the Local Rules we have at Bondhay Golf Club, speak to a member of our Pro-Shop team who will gladly assist. For more information around the rules of golf, visit the R&A's site.
The Committee
The Christmas Dinner and Dance will be on Friday 6th December. The meal will be a Christmas dinner and mince pies followed by the disco. To keep the price as low as possible the gents section will pay for the disco. The cost of each ticket will be £13 each. It would be fantastic to get a big attendance so please support and bring your family and friends. ATN
A fixture meeting representing all sections will be held Wednesday 13th November. ATN
Members requested that all visitors check in to the pro-shop, instructed to carry a pitch repairer and are at the 1st tee 10 minutes before play. AT
Members have requested a bunker/stump removal strategy for the forthcoming winter. EW
To improve flexibility to the membership the management is finalising a system where monies accumulated through competition success can be utilised in the bar and pro-shop. ATN
Junior Section-Position still vacant. ATN
The Captains Charities will be Rain Rescue and Thornberry Animal Rescue. Both organisations work tirelessly in local areas to rescue and rehome animals into loving families. ATN
The Committee was asked to look at members of teams paying towards their meals. The committee decided to fund the bill for the next season. ATN
Winter maps were discussed, and this is a project which will be run by Josh and Ellis. ATN
The new Bondhay corporate colour is now navy blue. Mark/Josh will investigate the costs of new Druid polos/ tops with Bondhay logo for team members and pro shop merchandise. MH/JC
On behalf of all of the Committee and Management, thank you to all the members who attended and participated. This year has been another step forward re the development and improvement at our Club.
