The following notes show the pertinent information from the 17th July Committee Meeting.

Captains Reports

Club Captain
The Club Captain welcomed everyone to the meeting, and reviewed the outstanding actions from the previous meeting as follows:

• Captains Day
The Captain thank everyone for their support to the Captains Day on 29th June. The event was a great success and raised £1739 for the Home Start Blackmore Vale charity.

- Presentation Evening
Secretary Toni reported that a Marquee may be installed adjacent to the restaurant that would be a suitable place for a live band to perform during the evening. An Action was placed to determine the costs and options for a suitable live band.
The marquee will be situated in the same area proposed for the driving nets that were to be installed as part of the bunker sand agreement with the Centre. A poster for the Presentation Night event will be issued shortly.

• Day Away 2025
The Captain suggested that reducing the Day Away to just one 18 hole round would encourage more seniors to attend. It was recognised that the Bowmaker was popular with younger members but 18 holes plus a Bowmaker was likely to be quite expensive in 2025. Costs for two options – with and without a Bowmaker - are to be determined.

• Club Member of the Year
Captain Grant stated that he was creating a new trophy to be awarded to the member who he considered to have done the most for the club and it will be presented at the October Presentation Evening.

Senior Section Report
In the absence of a senior captain Terry Cotton reported that the senior events were being well supported. (Note: Results of the 10 scheduled matches so far: 2 cancelled, 3 won, 2 halved, 3 lost) He suggested that the number of matches in 2025 should be reduced from 22 to something like 8 home/8 away fixtures plus the 3 way event and the Ryder Cup match. An action was placed to hold a seniors poll of preferred venues via WhatsApp to determine the preferred fixtures.

The Captain reported that a proposal had been received from a Senior Member offering to undertake the senior match administration duties in 2025. The match captains would be selected for the names on the Entry Sheet who would then be responsible for the team selection and hosting the opponents on the day. This offer was unanimously accepted by the committee members.

Hardy A Captain
Two recent matches were played away at Meyrick Park and Rushmore. The team lost 6:2 and 8:0 respectively. The next match is Bridport at home on August 3rd.

Hardy B Captain
Nothing to report

Three Counties Captain
The team won against Wheathill A 6:0 and they are top of Division 2 by a considerable margin with 98 points to 36. The next match is home to Wheathill A on July 20th.

H/C Secretary’s Report
Martin Blatchford reported that just four payments for the weekend away were outstanding but that the payments were expected to be received on time. He requested clarification of the selection criteria for the Interclub Foursomes competition. The committee agreed that the places should be offered to the top 2 scratch and top 2 net medal competitors.

Treasurers Report
The Club Treasurer tabled the Financial Report and showing that the account remains quite healthy The main changes this month are related to the Weekend Away. The committee agreed with the treasurer’s request that all future payments should be direct from the treasurer and not via third parties.

Any Other Business
• Trolley Shed
Secretary Toni stated that in spite of recent space allocations the shed was still very chaotic and damage to some trolleys had been reported. She recommended that spaces were marked out and that brackets attached to the walls to increase the available storage space. An action was placed to investigate this issue and determine a suitable solution.

• Club Flag
It was noted that the Club Flag was now worn and torn and the committee agreed to fund a new flag.

• Slope Rating Board
The committee requested Mark Maguire to proceed with the purchase of the Slope Rating board showing the men’s and women’s white and red tee ratings.

Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held at Folke on Wednesday 14th August at 6:30 pm. All members are welcome to attend.