Well how time flies! I am already through the first 3 months of my year as Captain yet it only seems a few weeks ago that we were standing on the 18^th green watching Ray make his final putt as 2015 Captain and then wandering to the first to watch my first drive as the new Captain. I would like to report that I hit a glorious shot straight down the middle of the fairway but in reality was a hook into the lake on the left! Not to worry it was a great event with over 80 players participating and an excellent score by Arthur Greenwood and Hannelore McMahon won the day. There was also a “book” on the length of my drive organised by the Marja and Pippa the proceeds of which gave a good start to my Captain’s Charity.

Captain’s Charity

For those that are not aware the chosen charity for 2016 is CRACEP (Cooperativa de Reeducação e Apoio à Criança Excecional de Portimão). This is Portimão based organisation which provides re-education and support to mentally handicapped young adults in addition they run a social canteen for the poor. Whilst they get much of their basic funding from the State they also receive support from the Rotary Club and local businesses. Even with this additional financial support they still struggle to purchase the things they would like to improve their service to the community. We have identified the need for computers in the re-education department as an area we can help and the fund raising so far this year means we are almost in a position to purchase our first desk top system for the organisation.

Remember you can support the charity by purchasing SdM Golf Club car stickers and/or a season ticket for the charity bunker. In addition Judi Murphy has also been busy making marmalade and lemon curd and the proceeds from sales of these also go to the fund. You can also take part in the Captain/President Challenge – details are on the website.

Annual General Meeting

The AGM was well attended and thanks must go to Stuart and Kath Deans along with Jim Rose for the efficient way the meeting was run. I am pleased that my nomination for Club Captain 2017, Warren Tennant, was unanimously supported.

Membership

Our membership continues to grow and we currently stand at around 170 and we are seen very much as the club of choice for people signing up with Pestana. It is great to see new faces and I know you will join me in welcoming them to our club. I also encourage established members to arrange a game with the newcomers to help get to know them.

However a growing club has its challenges, as a large proportion of our members live in Portugal for significant periods of the year it has put considerable pressure on available tee-times for club competitions. I can assure you that the Management Committee and I are working with Pestana to increase our allocation. We have been told that once the Spring peak period is over we should receive additional tee times as required.

Competitions

I believe we have a good balance in the type of competitions we run and this is reflected in the high participation levels we achieve. As well as our normal qualifying and social games it is good to see the occasional special event e.g. St. Valentine’s Day, the recent St. Patrick’s Day comp and Easter Eggs. There are more to come with St. George’s Day and Dutch Day in April alone. Thanks to all those people who get involved and particularly those who sponsor food, drinks, prizes, etc. 

You will have seen recently that a decision has been for future qualifying competitions, providing there are more than 18 players, the ladies section will be split into a gold and silver division based on handicap. The MC believes this will provide fairer competition for all.