Members of Waroona GC have their gaze fixed firmly on the horizon as they look to safeguard the future of the club.
Approximately 75% of Waroona’s members attended a strategic planning workshop facilitated by GolfWA’s Acting Clubs & Facilities Manager Brett Symons and Chief Executive Arron Minchin.
Like many regional WA golf clubs, Peel-based Waroona is a sand greens course run solely by volunteers, with an ageing membership and limited visibility compared with team sports such as cricket and AFL.
This led members to raise an AGM motion to work with GolfWA to develop a strategic plan outlining their goals for the next five years and the steps needed to achieve them.
The planning workshop provided members with background information about the golfing landscape in Australia and the direction the sport is moving in.
Topics covered included case studies of other successful regional clubs in towns with a similar population to Waroona; the community benefits of golf; how golf is changing; and the boom in golf participation since COVID-19.
Three-quarters of Waroona GC’s members attended the planning workshop
Participants also brainstormed future goals for the club and reviewed the latest GolfWA and Golf Australia strategic plans to identify opportunities to align.
The next steps will see a working party of Waroona GC members and GolfWA staff collate the data and create purpose, vision and value statements for the club to work towards.
Standing out from the crowd
The club has already signalled its intent to raise its visibility locally after announcing a unique format for an upcoming open day in May.
Adopting the Fast4 Golf model, the day will feature a 32-team pairs Stableford competition, where pairs go head-to-head over four holes with only the winners progressing.
Participants are being encouraged to dress as loudly as possible, and there will be prizes for winners and runners-up, as well as for the best/worst-dressed team.
Anyone interested in supporting the event should call John Mason on 0407 546 009 or email johnm@kenso.com.au
Loud fashions are encouraged at Waroona GC’s Fast4 Golf event in May (Pic: Getty Images)
Brett Symons, GolfWA’s Acting Clubs & Facilities Manager, praised Waroona’s members for their enthusiastic support of the planning workshop.
“It was great to see a regional club take the initiative to set in place a strategy to ensure its longevity,” he said.
“The attendance by such a high percentage of members highlights the importance of the club to them and to the wider community. They want to ensure it not only survives, but thrives. This is an excellent first step.”
Regional clubs interested in developing a strategic plan of their own should contact GolfWA’s Brett Symons via email in the first instance.
