Golf Society was pleased to welcome 60 members and their geusts to dinner at Royal Melbourne Golf Club on August the 26th for a very enjoyable evenings entertainment, and delighted to have Mr Stephen Pitt, CEO of Golf Australia as our guest speaker.
GSA President, Mr Geoff Vincent, welcomed all members, guests and our guest speaker, and made special welcome to John Snell, his wife Donna, Bruce Langford-Jones, Michael Clayton, and RMGC General Manager, Paul Rak. He also took advantage of the occasion, after a short speech detailing Ian Rennicks’ numerous efforts on behalf of the GSA, to present Ian with his framed Life Membership Certificate. Ian responded with a typically light hearted and humorous acceptance speech, and thanking his wife Helen, for her forbearance.
The dinner itself , was once again superbly organized by Paul Rak, Andrea Watson and their team, which was duly acknowledged by the President.
Our guest speaker, Stephen Pitt, in a wide ranging and very entertaining address, spoke initially about amateur golf in Australia. He found a number of positives to present, including the latest increase in the number of rounds played on Australian courses, the increasing participation rate, the success of My Golf, Golf Australias’ national junior programme, and the excellent performances of our elite amateurs, both men and women, on the world stage.
On the negative side of Australian golf, Stephen mentioned the problem of falling membership of private golf clubs which has resulted in many Clubs facing financial pressure and looking to amalgamate. Other problems include the high cost of club membership, especially for younger golfers, and the lengthy time away from family at weekends to play 18 holes of golf.
Stephen concluded his talk with an overview of the current objectives of the Golf Australia Board, which included expanding Golf Link, growing the game in Australia, club viability and planning for future Australian Opens.
We thank Stephen for his most entertaining and informative address.
Tony McLean