One in a Hundred
Another “1 in a 100 years” week comes to a close. How often have you heard that in recent times? Floods, pandemic, fires are some of the things we have had to deal with. Imagine what it must be like for Ukrainians right now – my heart goes out to them.
February was a particularly bad month, during which the Club, unsurprisingly, lost money. In my 25-odd years of playing at North Ryde, I cannot remember more than a couple of days when the Course was closed, however many Members do remember 1989 when the Course was closed for 59 days.
Your Board and Management has tried everything to get the Course open including considering all rough as GUR. But unfortunately as the pictures show the Course remains unplayable. Some Staff will be working over the weekend to try and mow the Course (to quicken the drying process) and get it playable more quickly.
Some Members will no doubt feel frustrated by this but please do not take your frustrations out on Staff and particularly your Board who put in countless hours for your benefit.
To the vast majority of Members, thank you for your support and understanding. How good is the Course going to be with having no divots or pitch marks on it. Perhaps it was the Golfing Gods that deigned that North Ryde had done enough for this year. A break was needed after the 90,000 rounds that have been played on it over the past 12 months.
In a few weeks, the new 18th will be playable. We will have an official opening including holding a Draw to choose one male and one female to be amongst the first to play the hole. Details will be announced shortly as to how you can enter the Draw. We will also have a one-off Hole-in-one prize for the first person to “Ace the 18th” during Competition – details soon.
Diggers Day is not far away and we have lined up an excellent day including a Dinner and Show for those that play on Saturday 23 April. Don’t miss the Show – you won’t be disappointed. In addition, planning is underway for a Sports Lunch sometime in September.
Despite the poor February result, I am pleased to let Members know that your Club made a 2022 EBITDA Profit of approximately $500k and a small Net Profit of $70k after Depreciation. These numbers include $250k that was expensed during the year on Special Projects (e.g. 18th Green, Solar Power, etc.). As in 2021, these were expensed in line with the Accounting Standards, so that future years are not encumbered with a Depreciation overhead.
As your Club heads into another year, with a significant waiting list and a strong financial position, your Board and Management look forward to the continued improvement of the Couse and Clubhouse. We plan to share the Plans with Members as soon as they are drafted, including the planned Balcony with sweeping views of the 18th and the Fountain.
I look forward to seeing you on the Course very soon.
Mark Mathieson – President