President's Message

Welcome.  The purpose of this update is to keep you abreast of the progress and activities of Golf Management Australia (GMA).  As well as updating you, I would appreciate receiving any input, comments or feedback that you may have at any time, after reading this segment.

The Board of Directors of GMA met in Melbourne on March 18^th for the first time since the conference in Perth.  I would like to thank Peter Stackpole for hosting us at the magnificent Victoria Golf Club.

It was my first meeting as President and it was great to see the enthusiasm each Director had towards achieving the outcomes of the strategic initiatives of GMA.  New directors Andrew Gay (replacing Paul Sutcliffe, SA) and Brad White (replacing Jeff Zadow, WA) were also in attendance.  I would like to thank Paul and Jeff for their contribution to GMA during their time on the Board

The Board received comprehensive feedback and reports on the conference from the conference Chairman and GMA Director, Gordon Hurford and conference organiser EECW in Perth.

There was also deliberation about the conference, looking forward to Melbourne in 2011 and a report on various facets of the conference were tabled by GMV President, Anthony Masters.

There is a lot of work left to do for the 2011 conference however, the conference committee, which will be made up of representatives from the GMA Board, the GMV Board and the conference organisers, have began looking at venues, reviewing dates, considering the duration, determining content, selecting speakers and researching entertainment.  We will report back to you on all facets of the conference as they are resolved.

It is pleasing to report the overwhelming sponsorship response received during the Perth conference, which in turn resulted in the conference obtaining a marginal surplus in its first year being managed by GMA.  We must again thank GMA WA for being such tremendous hosts and assisting us along the way.

As outlined in my presentation at the conference, the Board's mission is "to represent golf club management in Australia and, through state associations, provide professional development and support for members".  This includes initiatives in the areas of strategic planning, communications, education, membership, sponsorship, finance and representation on the AGIC.

The Board is meeting next month with the state Presidents and/or representatives, to identify opportunities and challenges with national sponsorships arrangements.  The GMA Board wants to ensure that all existing sponsorship relationships are preserved and there is no inconvenience to the states and their existing sponsors.  It is envisaged that national sponsorships will result in state associations receiving a component of the national sponsorship revenues.  This and many other issues will be addressed at the May meeting.

On the communications front, the Board has asked the state bodies to review a suggested template outlining various methods of communication (i.e. website, email, direct mail, telephone, and hardcopy) for various types of information.  Again, it is important that GMA is transparent and all state associations are aware of any information going to the individual GMA members.  So, in the future, Club Managers may receive correspondence from both GMA (National) and GMA state(s). There should however be no duplication on any matter or issue.

On the education front, the Board is reviewing various resource libraries which could provide a comprehensive base of information and reference material on various facets of club management.  The objective is to have a list of these resources for members to easily access.  This of course can never replace the impact of networking, one of the most valuable facets of being a member of GMA.

The Board is keenly reviewing the progress of the GMA NSW education initiative in corporate governance.  This six session certificate program in corporate governance is a cooperative initiative between the Chartered Secretaries Association and GMA NSW with course content focusing on providing education in an area that most managers have never been trained in before, even though they are expected to be experts.  Core topics include Governance Essentials; Registered Clubs Act; Not-for-Profit Board Secretary; Duties of Officers and Directors; Meetings, Minutes and Resolutions and Assessing, Analysing and Treating Risks.

Although only three quarters through the year, GMA is pleased to report that it is operating with a financial surplus and expects to continue to do so through to the end of the year.  Although fees from the state bodies account for a large component of the association's revenue, sponsorship and conference income has become a significant contribution and will continue to do so in the future.  Other revenue streams for additional services may be built in the future however, it is imperative that the organisation manages its costs and continues to work on delivering its strategic initiatives.  Further "seed capital" from the states is not expected.

The arrangement with Golf Australia to provide members of GMA and a guest with complimentary tickets to the Australian open was well received with over 100 tickets provided for the event.  We will endeavour to procure the same program with Golf Australia for the Australian Open, to be held at The Lakes Golf Club in December this year.

GMA continues to have a representation on the Australian Golf Industry Council (AGIC) and initiatives from this council are progressing well. In particular, the AGIC is planning its second annual visit with government with a June date planned in Canberra.  One of its core objectives is to have a united golfing front to speak to government to highlight what golf brings to health, the environment, employment and other benefits to the communities.  In return, it is hoped that acknowledgement of this is made and more government support may be given back to the sport on various fronts.  The AGIC are also engaging in providing another summary of industry information, including statistics and economic impact.  This information is paramount if the industry wants to be able to speak intelligently about what impact it really has in Australia.  On that topic, the AGIC have asked that club managers fill in the "rounds data" request forms that you receive from Golf Australia.  I urge you to do so as it is this sort of information that is needed to identify what is happening in the industry. The software has also been tailored to assist clubs in identifying where they stand in relevance to other clubs.  All of this is in confidence and no club can access the information of another club directly.

Preliminary discussions have also taken place to consider a "Golf Industry Conference" in the long  term future.  This would include a conference that combines the Golf Managers Association, the Golf Course Superintendent's Association and the Professional Golf Association.  There are tremendous benefits to this concept however also many challenges. This model has been used in the past in the USA quite successfully. Every facet of such a proposal is to be considered and we will report to you on research outcomes of this proposal.

Finally, I had the opportunity to speak on behalf of GMA at the International Symposium at the Club Managers of American conference in San Diego in February.  During my presentation, I talked about GMA's initiatives, the AGIC, and the golf industry in Australia.  Australia is seen with great respect from other countries around the world.  This is in terms of environmental management  (including water), cost efficiency, course design and player performance.  It is important that GMA continue to be recognised internationally and we will see more of this international alliance in the future. I have written a report on my feedback and findings from the conference - please see this on the GMA website.

I thank you for your continued support of GMA.  I would also like to thank the Board of Directors, David Allen, David Haggett, Max Mason, Andrew Gay, Gordon Hurford and Brad White for their enormous effort on a voluntary basis.

Finally, I wish you all happy golfing for the coming season.

Kind Regards,        

 
David Burton
President GMA Limited