Huyton News 2010/11

C H R I ST M A S N EWS L E T T E R

Dear Members,

Well the golfing season has finally come to an end and while some of us
will be putting our clubs away for a few months, the more fanatical and
hardy amongst us will be carrying on the challenge no matter what the
weather.

I think you will all agree that the past season has been a very successful
one on the golfing front. Our course has been in magnificent condition
throughout the summer and I have received complimentary comments
about it from both visitors and members alike. So well done to our green
staff and greens committee headed by Alan Considine. I am sure that the Inside Articles;
course will be in even better condition next season.

On the golfing front the club has also been very successful this year with House
the scratch team winning the Liverpool and District Scratch League and
our juniors winning the South West Lancashire League.
Finance
Our professional John Fisher and leading amateur Paul Goodman both
achieved new course records this year and both got to final qualifying for
Marketing
The Open Championship.

But now is the time of year for parties and functions and I know our Development
House Committee has put together a number of events over the next few
months to fit everybody’s taste and I hope that as many people as possible
will come along to these functions and support the club. Best wishes for
Handicap & Comps
Christmas and the New Year!
Greens
Your Club Captain, Roy Clamp

Remember the Joys of Spring? Not long now....

 Finance
Dave Thornton

Desperate weather, desperate times financially for our Club. I thought to start this year with ice and
snow was a setback, but to end the year was not in the equation.
The club will make a loss for the year ending 30th November 2010, but all is not doom and gloom as
we ended the year in a positive cash situation. With our 7% increase in the subscriptions for the com-
ing year I hope the membership holds up, as to date we have had thirteen
male members resign, and three females, together with some transfers between categories.
We have taken the step to dispense with the caterers after listening to the many complaints from the
membership. We are dealing with the day to day catering in house with the help of Vera in the main
and others helping out on a piecemeal basis.
Lionel has the situation in hand and we will keep you informed as to the long term strategy.
Terry has been appointed bar manager with no responsibility for catering, and we hope with his expe-
rience and control we can manage the bar more efficiently and show some savings over previous
years. The new Lady Captain's evening was a great success and provided much needed bar income
and I hope we can repeat this event with some themed evenings in the new year.
Our green fees held up well this year and at £40k were £4k in excess of budget. I think a lot of this
was due to the excellent condition of the course. There will not be much new money around for in-
vestment as we will be fire fighting to keep the club and course in the conditions you expect, and
budgets will be set in the new year when the extent or our subscription income in known.
Rest assured I will manage our finances as best I can and look forward to an end to this bad weather
and get back on track again. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Selection
Graham Booth

WINTER MEMBERSHIP OFFER-NO JOINING FEE

Some members have received a nice Christmas Bonus of £50 for

introducing a new member to our club. There will be no better time
than now to encourage your friends and colleagues to join us as the No
Joining Fee Promotion ends at the end of April 2011. Remember sub-
scriptions for new members are pro-rata, therefore anybody joining
end of February will only pay 75% of the full years subs. What a bar-
gain, as the course blossoms for a new season of golf.
 House Matters
Lionel Gornall

As most of you are probably aware there have been will continue to try, do not hesitate to come and
a few changes in the “House Department” in recent talk to myself , any member of “house committee”
weeks, with the catering being taken in house for or any member of council if you have any thought
the time being and outside contractors coming in or suggestion.
on major events. Thanks to the diligent work of Ve-
ronica Caulton using her expertise in commercial Are any of your family or friends planning an
catering and controlling staffing and purchasing we event or function? We have first class facilities
appear to at least be breaking even, plus the food here at the Club House. We are making every effort
supplied by contractors at the St.Andrews Night to improve the facilities and the ambiance of the
and Ladies Captains Night was excellent. We will be clubhouse. We should all be endeavoring to pro-
reviewing the situation in the New Year before de- mote the club in these financially difficult times,
ciding the way forward. Whatever the decision this please recommend the facilities whenever you can,
has been an invaluable learning curve which should we will be more than happy to accommodate any
help us in deciding future policy. requests. Like all Golf Clubs we are feeling the ef-
fects of the financial climate and funds are low.
We had taken a decision this year to merge During the summer months, the Ladies renovated
St.Andrews Night and Christmas Dinner being con- the library. There was an upsurge in club spirit
scious that there was perhaps an overload of activi- from which we are still benefiting. There is a new
ties during December. Unfortunately we have now buzz about the club, the more members join in on
had to cancel New Years Eve due to lack of support these projects the more the camaraderie will im-
which leaves us with just Steak Pie Night Saturday prove. Believe me they are enjoyable nights. More
18th December. The night is booking up reasonably support at these various work-parties will take the
well, please come and make this a crowded room club forward. Your club! My club. The club we en-
creating the atmosphere of a Christmas party. joy and the club others will want to join when they
see the facilities and sense the atmosphere.
The drop off in support for social events is most
disappointing. We are all members of a Golf Club
not a Golf Course and I find
it so sad that we cannot get
back to enjoying the social
side of Golf as well as the
competitive element. Possi-
bly we are not supplying
what members want. Com-
ments have been made
about the standards of
food, we have addressed
this, please come and give
it another try. We have on
occasions listened to what
members have suggested,
tried to co-operate and
have still been let down by
the very people we have
listened to. However we
 DEVELOPMENT
John Lynch

I would love to be telling you all that the Christmas Fairies and Dave Thornton have given me a
budget of £250,000 to sort out all our concerns, and I REFUSED IT so you all could have a
50% reduction on your subscriptions, wouldn’t that be nice, on the other hand I might win the
Lottery. So I am afraid it’s the same story as last year with too many problems chasing after not
enough cash.

Thanks to our willing volunteers though we have

had a great year on Development. Our Ladies sec-
tion did a great job in refurbishing their Locker
Room. Alan Brown and Tony Dwerryhouse have al-
so made a superb job of the Gents Toilets.
Chris Williams and myself managed to make the
Locker Room safe, Terry O`Hara saved us a huge
chunk of money through his own efforts and con-
tacts in the Trade. Our garden gnomes did a fan-
tastic job in tidying and improving various areas of
the course, we plan to continue next Spring.
And there were inputs from lots of people through-
out the club saving us expenditure and I would like
to thank you all, you know who you are.

So into next year, we need more mineral felt repairs to the roof over the Pro`s Shop as a prior-
ity.
I am looking for volunteers again; the Tractors and Trailers are left out in all weathers in the
Green-shed Yard and are rusting away. I would like to build a roof over the Bay adjacent to
Richard`s cottage. It has three solid walls and requires a roof and doors,
I need someone with building experience to supervise. If we purchase our own materials and
use volunteer Labour we should be able to complete at under a thousand pounds. Please con-
tact me by e-mail john&rose@talktalk.net if you can help.

Best wishes to you all, have a great Christmas and plenty of excellent golf in the New Year.

JOHN LYNCH.
CHAIRMAN OF DEVELOPMENT
 Handicap & Comps
Kev Kenny

Christmas Greetings from all on Handicaps and Competi-

tions.

It's a quiet time of year for us. The Christmas Competi-

tions and Easter Eggs keep us going until March, and I
must mention my appreciation for Les Hefferon who
checks and publishes the results each week .

A personal big thanks to my friend.

Another competition we play at this time of year is called the HOOCH. For the newer
members these are 4 man team competitions which are held once a month on a Sun-
day. It's a good day and a great way for new members to meet the old fossils that
have been inhabiting the club for an eternity. If any new member wishes to participate
let me know and I will guarantee you a game.

It's also the time of year for the annual handicap review. This is where the handicap-
ping system, Club 2000, tells us who has played well and who has played poorly
throughout the year. Thirty-one players were adjusted up or down and they will be no-
tified by March.

A couple of easy quiz questions

1 May a player open a barn door to enable him to play a shot through the barn?

2 Two players on the 15 play their approach shots to the 15th green. They agree to
tee off at the 16th hole and then putt out on the 15th green. This is to avoid walking
back to the 16th tee to save time. What is the ruling (a) match-play (b) stroke-play ?

PS. If you are happy with the handicap you were given this year I drink Guinness, if
your not happy I drink Guinness

Best of luck over the winter months and keep swinging.

Greens
This is a quiet time for Course hardworking unit.
issues. We have been working on a Which brings us on to the usual
few projects, and hope to have the Spring-Worrying disease that
new 10th tee up and running for some of our Members contract
the start of the season. around April. Are we doing
The Captains request for the 1st enough? are we doing the right
cross bunker being reduced a bit, thing? why is my lawn looking
to allow a bail out shot for certain better than the Course? Marketing
types of golfers was agreed at the It’s all part of the Golf Club cul- Marketing has now taken on a more
Greens Committee and again that ture, and we’ll always listen, but it significant role as all Clubs fight for
should be ready for the season. is important to have a plan, have Members & revenue streams.
I hope Members understand the experience, have skilled staff, and
The new Web Page is now up and
need for ropes and restrictions in finally...have patience!
running, and gathering interest.
the Winter to clear the way for I always smile when it’s Masters
another great Summer. We have suspended the Entrance Fee
time on the telly in April. I look at
and are starting Junior initiatives in the
I was frustrated on many other Augusta in it’s pomp, and then
local schools.
projects by lack of funds. When look at our earnest Spring work,
the new budget comes in, my pri- and I thank the Lord he invented But our biggest marketing tool is you!
ority will have to be sand for the alcohol to get me through it! Have you anyone you can sell Mem-
bunkers. That was the one area bership too? Can you take one of our
Let’s hope for another good year,
that disappointed me in an other- glossy Posters and put it on your work-
but I’ll leave you with the one fac-
wise excellent previous year. There place Notice Board, or anywhere you
tor beyond us all.
is an extra dollop of frustration can think of where it may be seen by
involved, when you know the prob- How do you make God laugh? prospective new Members or Visitors.
lem, you know the solution, but Tell him your plans! To be proactive, we would aim to sell
your hands are tied. ourselves to our local municipal golf-
Alan Considine
I would again like to record my ers, do you have contacts in that direc-
thanks and admiration for Richie tion?
and his lads. They are a skilled and

Your Voice
Now you’ve heard how the relevant Committees stand and
what their plans are, what are your thoughts?
You can let us know and get involved in several ways. The
AGM is in March and you can raise issues there. You can
stand for Council, and help directly the way the Club faces
the future.
On a lesser level, you can use the Course Book in the Pro’s
Shop, leave notes in the Secretaries office, write into Coun-
cil, or approach Council Members or our Secretary. On a
more frivolous front, you can even leave comments on our
Facebook page!
So there are lots of ways of making your voice heard, and if Fancy winning one of these next season?.
you have got an idea, or a comment, fire away!