Mike's report also reviewed the impact of the improvements made in the last year. The fact that the Clubhouse, built in 1994, was originally only designed to support the 9-hole course that existed at the time has left a design legacy that is going to involve a complex process to further upgrade the clubhouse. Nonetheless, current plans are to extend the changing facilities and increase the capacity of the restaurant. There are also plans to renovate the Driving Range. At the last AGM, concerns were raised by the members about the increasing frequency of car break-ins. Mike was pleased to announce the positive effect of the new security barriers at the car park entrance, in that so far, there have been no such break-ins in 2002.
A couple of the paths around the course situated on slopes have experienced a loss of gravel that gets washed away after heavy rain. To remedy this situation a couple of concrete drains have recently been put in place to try to improve drainage and this experiment has worked - so the installation of further drains is planned. On the course there are plans to plant many more trees, particularly around greens: the 4th, 9th and 14th holes were specifically mentioned. Some minor green reconstruction is planned and also a couple of the smaller tees will be enlarged.The Annual General Meeting is an opportunity for members to vote in the Committee that will represent their interests, in terms of, amongst other things, competitions and social events in the coming year. The members also get the chance to grill the owner and management on issues that they feel are important, in a question & answer session. There are also reports from the outgoing Captain and 1st Team Captain.
The teams report was given by Russ Fry (1st Team Captain 2002).
The Stragglers team won 7, drew 2 and lost 7 matches and some 52 different players played in the 16 matches. The team was captained by Randolph Jenkins who coordinated the raising of £400 which was donated to Cancer Research.
The Avalon A team (captain Mike Golder) which won promotion in 2001 sadly didn't fare so well in 2002 and dropped back down to the bottom division where they are set to meet our Avalon B team (captain Brian Clutterbuck) who ended the season mid-table. As 2002 was the first year we entered a second team in the Avalon League, mid-table was a satisfactory start. 28 different players played in the A team - the stats aren't available for the B team.
This is the second year we have played in the Bristol & District league and we fared well coming 2nd in the bottom division. 23 players played for the team throughout the season, the most successful of whom were Stuart Nimmo, Rich Gill and Jim Shapcott who played in nearly all the matches.
In his address, Steve Clark (Club Captain) named his Player of the Year as Stuart Nimmo and his Clubman of the Year as Mike Golder who each receive trophies. Steve then handed the 'reins' over to Dale Loughran, who took over as Club Captain until the 2003 AGM. Dale then announced the identity of his Vice Captain for 2003 - Brian Clutterbuck. This is significant in that Brian will succeed Dale as Captain for 2004.
A couple of important amendments to the Club Constitution were passed at the AGM. The first one increased the Committee size from 10 to 11 reflecting the increase in workload since the Committee was formed some 7 years ago. The second added a new rule that gives the Committee authority to set policy on Teams selection to ensure as many members as possible, who are keen to play competitive golf, actually get to play in one of the Club teams.
A number of positions on the Committee come up for grabs at the AGM each year; these are the Treasurer, Handicap/Committee Secretary, Social Secretary and 3 Ordinary Committee Members. The other positions on the Committee are the Captains of the Seniors and Ladies Section who are selected by their respective membership, the Club Captain and his choice for Vice Captain who also takes on the role of Competitions Secretary. So the 2003 Committee is as follows:
