Unlike many of our competitor golf clubs we’re not flushed with money and we do rely on the help and support, from our volunteer members, to keep the club running smoothly.
At the top of the list of volunteers are our three trustees, Ian Burrows, Bill Salkeld and Brian Haworth. The trustees are responsible for the day-to-day running of the the club. These tasks include paying the bills, managing the staff, introducing members, house and bar and delegating other tasks to the various sub committees.
The sub-committees are chaired by yet more volunteers, and these are the volunteers that do many of the administration tasks on behalf of the trustees. Ralph Bartlett manages the collection of subscriptions and also looks after our handicaps and competition results. Francis Miller helps Bill to manage the bar and ensures that the clubhouse is cleaned and maintained. Richard Lewis oversees the green-keepers and helps to plan course improvements.
But there are other members, who quietly go about their business, and volunteer their services to enhance the golf club and improve our facilities. Alan Puddephatt and Keith Francis have been working hard on the entrance to the car park. They have replaced the worn out sign and painted the chain-link fence posts. So next time you drive in, make sure to note our smart new entrance sign and spare a thought for Keith and Al.
You might notice the neatly trimmed hedge behind the sign? Well that’s all down to Paul Watkins. Paul doesn’t need any prompting; he see’s a job and get’s down to work. Another Paul, Paul Eames, has been clearing the scrub from beside the 5th fairway. He’s already cleared scrub from the 2nd, 6th and 8th. We need more Paul’s!
You might also notice the fantastic new ball lifters fitted to the flags. These have been added so that you don’t need to touch the holes during the Covid19 restrictions. These devices are available on ebay and would normally cost us about £600, but ours have been hand-made by our very own Ian Francis. Cost to the club? Nothing! Ian kindly donated the materials and the labour.
Another new addition to the club are the four new bench seats that were kindly donated by club member Stuart Brown. There are two seats on the 4th hole, one near the 5th men’s tee and one by the putting green. Dave Taylor has volunteered his services to cement them in place. When you need a rest coming up the 4th hole, take a seat and give Stuart and Dave a thought!
There are many other volunteers – and I’d love to mention them all – but they don’t always tell us what they’re doing! They sometimes ask if they can help, other times just get on with it, and we barely notice they’ve been here. But it’s not about the recognition, it’s about doing something positive that improves the club, and making it a better place for us all to enjoy!