any body confirm or deny this rumor ipswich golf club is in receivership

Will be a body blow to the ex Karan’s downs players if it is correct, most of them joined after KD closed down.

This is on their website

                                    
Agenda for Special Meeting on

Sunday 18/11/12 at 8.30am

This special meeting has been called to ensure our members are correctly informed of the current financial position of the Club. The Directors are concerned that there is inaccurate rumour and speculation amongst members and it is important that members correctly understand our position and our plans for the future.

Just like a great number of other businesses at the moment, we have found that our finances have become extremely tight recently and with the resignation of our General Manager Brett Holdway, the Board thought this an opportune time to do some serious investigation into our business and possible restructuring with the view to improving efficiencies and profitability.

The Board has consulted with our bank (Bank of Queensland) and the bank has recommended some consulting groups that are able to assist us with a thorough business review and specialised assessment which will include finance, business performance, staff levels and performance, poker machine performance, kitchen performance, golf shop performance and golf course management.

From a shortlist of qualified experts with club and pub experience supplied by the bank, the Board met with and interviewed two groups and has now appointed Andrew Fielding and Roger Postle from BDO to co-ordinate the assessment. Since the Club is without a General Manager at this current time, BDO have recommended and we have engaged Frank Balsary from Jacaranda Advisory to act as an interim General Manager. Frank is also very experienced in running clubs and pubs and will be actively involved in the above reviews of our business.

This process will give us a clear picture of where we are, what our forward options are to grow our Club and also to improve our business efficiencies.

Both Roger Postle & Andrew Fielding will be at the meeting in addition to the Board to explain the process and answer any questions.I also would like to confirm that the AGM has been set for 9am on Sunday 9th December 2012.

Paul Morris

Chairman

Ipswich Golf Club               

Obviously things aren’t good out there. The course is not in a good way. Greens in poor condition (patchy & dry). Fairways fairly dry. Preferred lies.

An insider told me that course staff are half of what’s needed for proper upkeep & the club can’t afford to increase the roster. Also problems with water availability for irrigating the course.

At least this board is proactive and telling the membership how it is. This is all members want to be communicated with so it does stop the rumours. Admittedly your looking at min $70,000 for a GM so I would expect them to earn their keep and improve sponsors and increase cash flow. I know one club has invested 130,000.00 in two managers with no results at all.
A decent board and committee could run the club with decent staff in managerial positions. Road runner, road runner it’s not hard

A bit hard to make a Silk purse out of a Sow’s ear though, I don’t care who you are in the managerial stakes. The rebuilt course is totally inappropriate as a members course for a whole heap of reasons. They have to sell Scoopon type vouchers for ridiculously low prices to get any social/visitor traffic on the course at all. Personally I would want fuel money to even drive there.

It would also appear that very little funds have gone into the clubhouse in recent times and it is not welcoming at all. So little joy on that side of the potential revenue streams either.

This club invested heavily in poker machines several years ago to improve cash flow. Played pennants there when it was given temporary status in the Bribane District Golf Assn. Quite enjoyed the course and the hospitality shown to visitors. It hosted the Qld Open for a few years through sponsor contracts, and made course improvements including increased water storage. I heard they couldn’t afford the pumping equipment to use the increased storage (that was 5 years ago), so their financial issues have been around for awhile. Like the other golf clubs in the SE it would have taken a financial hit during the extreme wet seasons of 2010/11.

Have you played the new course Ray? It only opened 4 years ago (late 2008) I believe.

No Dave, moved over to Wanny about that time and had no reason to visit storm alley.

A bit hard to make a Silk purse out of a Sow’s ear though, I don’t care who you are in the managerial stakes. The rebuilt course is totally inappropriate as a members course for a whole heap of reasons. They have to sell Scoopon type vouchers for ridiculously low prices to get any social/visitor traffic on the course at all. Personally I would want fuel money to even drive there.

It would also appear that very little funds have gone into the clubhouse in recent times and it is not welcoming at all. So little joy on that side of the potential revenue streams either.

http://www.golflink.com.au/...

http://www.redlandbaygolf.c…

Daves, my point might be explained a bit clearer here. I have been course super at my club for 10 years, in those 10 years, I have been beating my head up the wall to continually improve my course on a minimal budget with course staff levels ranging anywhere from 2 – 4, and like most other clubs we can only deliver certain conditions with the second hand machinery in our shed. As a rule most members are happy with the course presentation on a weekly basis. We have tried scoopons which gives you an upfront lump sum payment, but that is short lived.
We once put a flashing sign up on the road verge with a golf special, ’ 2players and cart for 50.00’, the day we removed that isign, our revenue dropped significantly over the following weeks.

we have recently reduced our rack rates to attract social play, this does nothing in the long term but puts the club further behind in its quest to ’ make a profit’. Now I am just a dumb green keeper, but without decent leadership and direction clubs will fall over. It is a vicious cycle for sure. You need to spend money to make money.
And yes RAZAAR clubs are still struggling from the great wets. I worked out that for every millimetre of rain received between Jan and March of 2011, our club lost $64.00. Total revenue loss was roughly $45,000.

Funny how this club has survived the floods and heaps of Elaborate over the top clubs, have gone under in Southern areas of Australia.Ipswich will bounce back.

Are there any council owned courses in Ipswich?

Funny how this club has survived the floods and heaps of Elaborate over the top clubs, have gone under in Southern areas of Australia.

Lance Bum on a pushbike

You find that funny?

Funny how this club has survived the floods and heaps of Elaborate over the top clubs, have gone under in Southern areas of Australia.

Lance Bum on a pushbike

You find that funny?

When you see where the water levels peaked, and see irrigation pipes 20+ metres up trees along the holes next to the creek, it’s difficult to comprehend how they even bounced back.
Absolute tragedy.

Are there any council owned courses in Ipswich?

There is Sandy Gallop, I think it is a public course.

I was just thinking that there are not many courses in Ipswich. With such a big population, it is hard to believe they would be struggling for players. I guess with the difficulties of the floods cash flow would have been an issue.

Wondering if it is in the council’s interest to assist to ensure the city has a viable golf course.

its tough times for all clubs but ipswich is in real stife 2 million in debt and a course that needs major attention, they should never have sold off their old course

No it is not in receivership, as anyone who knows the golfing industry, things are tight and the Board at IGC has taken the responsible step of having consultants and professionals in to give a very accurate picture of financials and operations of the club.

Avery smart thing to do in this day and age, when the review and the picture is clear the club will make the necessary changes to improve and become better for the future of golf in the area.
Anyone spreading these rubbishing stories needs to look at the whole picture and realise how a responsible business operates when things get tough.

I have to agree with Daves . The improvements made to the course while making the course interesting. also made it a fair bit more different resulting I believe in quite a few members leaving. this never helps when you have invested large sums of cash trying to attract more players to the place.

Not sure where you get your ‘facts’ from but you are way off course and have no idea what you are talking about I am afraid. It would be more prudent to stop spreading stories and untrucths and concentrate on supporting clubs in the area. They are all doing it tough.

Not sure where you get your ‘facts’ from but you are way off course and have no idea what you are talking about I am afraid. It would be more prudent to stop spreading stories and untrucths and concentrate on supporting clubs in the area. They are all doing it tough.

Phantom,

Why do you think Ipswich GC is having financial problems then? It can’t all be put down to “bad luck”.

Who says they are in as bad a condition as people on this forum say. I bet not one of them is a member and if they are shame on them for spreading gossip and lies in this sort of forum.
The Club, like a lot of others and probably your own club, is feeling the effects of the GFC, the floods where 14 of 18 holes were covered by up to 20 mtrs of water for days, an aging population and some poor decisions a few years ago have all added up and the Board has commenced the only prudent business process in co-operation with their Bank and have been making great progress. These are the facts.
Maybe your time would be spent asking your Board how they are going, read your profit and loss (if you can) and worry about your own Club instead of using this forum to spread gossip.