1.  Deceased Members  

Members observed a minute’s silence as a mark of respect for Dave Caddick and Geoff Vaughan who had passed away since the last annual general meeting after many years loyal service to the Club.

2.  Apologies for Absence  

Apologies for absence were submitted in writing to the Club Secretary from;

3.  Minutes of the Annual General Meeting 2009  

Members noted that the minutes for the Annual General Meeting held on 16th February 2009 had been posted on the notice board immediately after their approval at the next following Council meeting; and resolved unanimously that they be accepted as a true record of proceedings without discussion.

4.  Club Secretary’s Report (Peter Davies)  

The Club Secretary reported on plans for the organisation of competitions and events for the new season and, in addition to setting out the major dates in the Club calendar, he addressed a number of key areas of concern:  

a)    The membership had reduced significantly in recent years and the Club needed to recruit more members in order to ensure it remained vibrant: every member could play his part in encouraging a friend to join.  

b)    The usual focus would be on the Club’s use of the tee times granted to it and if thirty to forty places remained unused each week there could be no justification for retaining them.  

c)   The Club had been successful very often in recent Municipal Championships but there had been problems with fielding a full team. The rules insisted that qualifiers who did not play could not be replaced so it was important that members who attempted in April to qualify were in fact available to play on Sunday, 6th June at Sherdley Park.  

The Club Secretary was happy to make the following announcements:  

a)    The Annual Dinner was to return to the Royal Liverpool Golf Club on 5th November and, if the demand for tee times during the day could not be accommodated, priority would be given to members supporting most Club competitions during the summer season.  

b)   An agreement between all the county associations, with the exception of Lancashire and Yorkshire, would mean that henceforward holders of a Cheshire Union card could receive similar half price discount when playing in other areas.  

c)    Hoylake was to host the West Wirral Open Championship this year and for the first time there would be no restriction on handicap.  

d)    The Winter League presentation would take place on 20th April after the first Tuesday evening competition and it was hoped that there would be a good attendance.  

e)    Members who wished to play in open competitions under the overall jurisdiction of the English Golf Union would need to have an ‘active’ handicap. This would be obtained automatically by completing three competition rounds but nil returns would not count for this purpose.  

The Club Secretary thanked Billy Rogers for the support he had given during the season as acting Competitions Secretary and the members applauded him for his sterling efforts.

5. Captain of Captains  

The Club Secretary was pleased to announce that the honour of serving as Captain of the Association of Merseyside Municipal Golf Club Captains for 2010 was to be enjoyed by Frank Gilmore. The membership congratulated Frank on his appointment.

6. Treasurer’s Report (Dave Ryan)  

A copy of the Annual Financial Statement for the year ending 31st December 2009, prepared by the Treasurer and duly certified by the Club’s appointed auditors, was made available to members at the meeting. 

The Treasurer reported that the statement of account showed a deficit of £1,496 largely as a result of certain major factors: the purchase of necessary computer equipment at £600; a reduction in subscription income of £500; and the absence of a dividend from the West Wirral Open Championship that in recent years had stood at £400. 

The Council would continue the small subsidy for the Club Day Out and the hire of a coach for participating members. The Club’s reserves remained in a healthy position with a balance of £7,322. The Treasurer thanked Keith Bryan and George Edwards for auditing the accounts. It was moved by Mick Down, seconded by Geoff Hicks and duly resolved that the statement be approved.

7. Proposed Increase in Precept to “98 Club”  

The Treasurer referred to the consideration that would be given at the annual general meeting of the “98 Club” on Wednesday, 24th February, to an increase from £10 to £15 on the precept levied on each member of constituent clubs to support the maintenance and improvement of the club rooms and their furniture, fittings and equipment. 

Members were informed that should the proposal be accepted the Council would not seek to alter the subscription for 2010 but would consider changes to the rate and possibly the construction of the subscription framework for 2011. Members noted that the level of subscription, despite several rises in the English Golf Union fee, had remained unaltered for ten years.

8. Retirement of the Treasurer  

The Captain referred to the retirement of the Treasurer and spoke of the contribution Dave Ryan had made during many years of service on the Club Council, the last ten of which had been as Club Treasurer. 

It was during his prudent custody of the Club’s finances that the balance had grown and the annual subscription had not increased. The membership applauded his loyal and significant contribution to the Club.

9.  Captain’s Report (Dave Denton)  

The Captain was very happy to report that he had enjoyed a fantastic year and in great part that was due to the tremendous support he had received from members. He wished to thank all members for the part they had played in making his year as Captain such a memorable one. 

It had been an honour and a privilege for him to serve as Captain and he was grateful for the support he had received and the respect that had been shown to him. He had officiated at or attended every event during the year and hoped he had upheld the high traditions of the office. The Captain thanked the Council for the programme of events it had put forward and was happy that he had enjoyed good weather more often than not.  

The Captain was keen to thank members for their excellent support for the Club’s charities, particularly Kids in Need and Distress (KIND), RNLI and St. John’s Hospice. The Captain announced that Graham Handley and Todd Miller had decided to step down from Council and wished to make particular mention of the valuable contribution they had made over many years. Graham would continue to manage the Club’s website. The Captain closed by offering his best wishes to his successor, Paul Davies, and to his Vice-Captain, Billy Rogers. He also wished all members a very happy and successful season.

10. Retirement of President  

The Captain referred to the retirement of the President and spoke of the contribution Derek Cowley had made during many years of service on the Club Council, the last eight of which had been as President of the Men’s and Ladies’ Sections. The membership applauded the President for his exemplary leadership during his period of office and in response the President thanked members for the support they had given him over so many years in a role that he had greatly enjoyed undertaking.

11.  Election of President  

Tom Coleman was unanimously elected to serve as President for the ensuing year and moved a vote of thanks to Derek Cowley. He hoped he would display the same equanimity that Derek and his predecessor, Fred Roberts, had always shown. Derek was calm and impartial and his wise counsel had always been very much appreciated.    

12.  Election of Officers  

The following members were unanimously elected. Peter Davies (Club Secretary); Peter Davies Jnr (Competitions Secretary); Phil Mobbs (Handicap Secretary); Tom McNamara (Council Secretary) and Ian Chantler and Frank Gilmore (Ordinary Members). 

It was noted that in the absence of a nomination for Club Treasurer Dave Denton had agreed to act in an interim capacity as the Council sought to identify a longer term replacement for Dave Ryan. The Council would consider the co-option of members who would like to serve for a minimum period of two years in that capacity.

13.  Welcome to the Captain for 2010 (Paul Davies)  

The new Captain was welcomed in the traditional manner and took the Chair.  He thanked members for their reception and said he was both honoured and delighted by his appointment. The Captain thanked Dave Denton for his excellent leadership during the past year and said that he was looking forward to working with his Vice-Captain, Billy Rogers. 

The Captain had been a member of the Club since 1979 and had served as a Council member since 1998, acting as Competitions Secretary for seven years. He was looking forward to the new season and drew attention to some of the main events. He hoped as many members as possible would attend the Captain’s Drive-In on 27th March to observe the traditional start to the season at 6.40am and again at 9.40am. 

The Club Day Out on 11th June at Eaton Golf Club would offer exceptional value for an all-inclusive fee of £35 for golf and all meals. Captain’s Day would be held on 10th July and President’s Day on 31st July. The Club Championship would be on 14th August and Finals Day on 18th September. 

The Ryder Cup against West Hoyle Golf Club would also be played on Finals Day and Sunday, 19th September. The Doubles Knock Out would again be a Four Ball Better Ball format with the same handicap allowance as last year as this suited the majority of members.  

The Captain was looking forward to making great use of an active handicap and would try to join as many fourballs as possible during the year. He wished all members a very enjoyable and successful season.

.

14.  Rule Amendments  

The meeting noted that during 2009 the Council had suspended Rule 16 so that applications for membership were able to be considered without the need for a 28day publication period. The Council believed that it was necessary to operate in this manner to attract new members and to address the decline in membership and the meeting resolved unanimously to accept the recommendation of the Council that Rule 16 be amended to read: -  

“Applications for membership may be made to the Club Secretary on the official application form or via the Club website. Applicants may be proposed by members although this is not essential. All applicants will be interviewed by the Club Secretary and the Captain who will report their recommendations to the next following meeting of the Council.”

15.  Election of Auditors  

Keith Bryan and George Edwards were unanimously appointed to serve as the Club’s auditors for the ensuing year.

16.  Honoraria for Officers  

Members accepted the Council’s proposal that there should be no change to the existing level of honoraria for Officers.

17.  Discussion Items

The Competitions Secretary asked the meeting for a steer on their preferred approach to the ball sweep and how it should be handled this year. There was an unopposed view that the returns should be aggregated and settled with members at the end of the summer season and end of the winter league respectively.  

Other suggestions concerning a limited period for holding unclaimed prize money and for variation in fourball groupings and tee times received only limited support.