Corowa Golf Club President Debra Eason addresses club members on Monday night, with club General Manager Kim Gregg at the head table.
Corowa Golf Club has emerged from the significant impact of COVID-19 and the substantial damage caused by the 2022 floods into a recovery phase with its vision firmly set on the opportunities of the future.
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“The Board is keen to ensure the ongoing sustainability of the club, operationally and financially, and to facilitate this, 2023 has been a year of change,” club president Debra Eason said at the club’s 64-minute-long AGM attended by an estimated 100 members on Monday night.
“The future will continue to provide challenges, the most significant will be to achieve a positive financial result for 2024. Despite due diligence for all financial activity in 2023 the club end of financial year result was a deficit of $80,256.”
The president outlined key strategies the Board and General Manager will be focusing on for the next 12 months: developing a strategic plan, feasibility options for the course’s six remaining holes to return to the 27-hole championship course, robust marketing/sponsorship campaign and further enhancing membership connection and communication.
Ms Eason mentioned achievements during 2022/23 including the appointment of new General Manager Kim Gregg, re-establishing golfing facilities from nine holes to 21, establishing an enhanced practice area, comprehensively reviewing hospitality with a three-year restaurant lease with Marco’s on the Murray and establishing Café 1903 for light snacks, and further upgrade of accommodation rooms.
She expressed the club’s sincere thanks to Club Corowa (Corowa RSL) for their financial support post impact from floods and to the many volunteers who have given tirelessly and continue to support the Course Superintendent and his team with overall course maintenance.
“Finally, I wish to acknowledge and thank Chris Gillard and John Henneman who both retired from the board during the year, also Chris Perks and Richard Sargood who will not be renominating for director positions, the knowledge, expertise, and inquiring thoughts have provided valuable contributions to Board discussions and while we have not always agreed, decisions have been well informed,” Ms Eason said. That leaves two director vacancies.
Finance Committee treasurer Stephen Carrick said the 2022/23 financial year has again been tough for members due to the flooding and rain events, course closures and the need to ban carts at times.
“Thankfully due to the efforts of our course staff, we have been able to resume at least 18 holes fairly quickly and were much better off with access than some other clubs across the border region. Your Board has again been active in focusing on measures to increase our income streams.”
During the year we had a decrease in total income over the previous year, of $349,606. By removing the impact of Grants and JobKeeper, the decrease over last year is $53,131 in total income. The reported result shows a loss of $321,617 compared to last year’s profit of $515,708. This year’s result includes abnormals of $338,633 comprising Grants - $110,859; JobKeeper Income - $26,101, Insurance recovery Income - $213,253, and Poker Machine Tax paid of $11,580.
“These items reduce the reported loss result to a normalised loss of $660,250. This is a reduction of $494,397 over last year’s normalised loss of $165,853 which was obviously severely impacted by COVID closures.
“When results excluding depreciation expense are compared, the club achieved a 2022/23 cash loss of $80,256. Excluding the abnormals of $338,633 this is a normalised cash loss of $418,889 compared to last year’s cash profit of $53,136. This is a reduction of $472,025 on last year.”
Mr Carrick said the Board is encouraged to see the support received from locals visiting the club, with the popularity of the cinema, Friday pizza, Marco’s on the Murray; the ‘Kid’s Room’ has been popular with those with young families.
“Golf Course maintenance expenditure has increased by $66,000 on the previous year due to improved maintenance of equipment and increased costs due to the flood recovery process,” he said.
“We thank our Greens staff for their enormous dedication during our rain events and floods where they have provided their expertise and enormous efforts to ensure the course will be back at its best after enduring these trying times. The recovery efforts on our East 9 holes has been costly to the tune of $180,000 YTD.
“Your Board are developing a plan of attack to reinstate our West 9 to playable condition as quickly and economically as possible.”
Golf club member Darryl Herrod predicted dark times ahead should any amalgamation take place.
Club Captain and Greens Chair Phil Willcoxson expressed his appreciation to course superintendent Brett Skinner and his grounds team for “the outstanding work in giving us not only a visually amazing course but a high quality, all weather course with the 21 holes we have in play”.
While Mr Willcoxson acknowledges divided opinion on the remaining six holes, he urges members to “to pull in the same direction to move forward”.
“We are in the process of forming a working party to commence planning to rebuild in stages,” Mr Willcoxson, who also thanked the Pro Shop staff for their work, said.
Corowa Golf Club General Manager Kim Gregg said there’s a lot of hard work happening to improve the financial performance of the club.
“With many areas of the club performing well throughout the challenges, we look ahead to increased revenues and profits across all business units particularly accommodation, events and entertainment.
“Our strategic planning is due to start in early 2024 and will help drive further improvements to operations, service and how we maximise existing revenue streams. This includes improvements to accommodation and clubhouse interior, more events and entertainment and other opportunities to draw people to the club.
“The exciting part of the planning process will include new opportunities for the future, one full of optimism.”
The General Manager advised that previous club professional James Gordon is returning as club profession, which “hopefully will result in more golfers at the club”. He is to commence next Tuesday, December 19.
Robust general business discussion
Members were shocked to hear of an estimated $600,000 to fix up the remaining six greens and holes and questioned such a large amount of money the club just doesn’t possess.
Ms Gregg advised that the working party, to comprise club members, will begin work in January and submit their findings to the Board for consideration.
The possibility of scrapping the two carts only per playing group policy will be raised at the Board’s January meeting.
But the most robust talk on the night centred around amalgamation talk in the town. Club member of 35 years, Darryl Herrod, predicted a bleak future for Corowa Golf Club should a merger involving Club Corowa and Howlong Country Golf Club proceed.
“There’d be very dark times ahead for us,” he said. Mr Herrod was commenting after the Corowa Golf Club President informed members as to her understanding of the overall situation.
Ms Eason said the club responded to a request by Club Corowa many weeks ago for expressions of interest in amalgamation discussions, advised Club Corowa of an interest but had not heard anything from Club Corowa to date.
Abiding by the AGM agenda, she refused any further discussion on the subject but agreed a separate meeting on the subject amongst members could follow after the AGM.
