[Dion]

Got an email from my golf course...

Golf Course COVID 19 Update

Dear NGC Membership,

I hope this message finds everyone well, and managing well through the pandemic. Judging by indications reported by the provincial officials, it seems as though everyone is doing their part and slowing the spread of the virus. This is hopefully a good sign that restrictions within our society will slowly start to be eased.

I wanted to provide an update with regards to the status of the course in respect to the provincial mandate that golf courses are considered non-essential businesses, and at this point, will not be permitted to operate. The good news is, the weather hadn’t really cooperated to this point, so as much as we would have liked to be open in April, I don’t think it would have been in the cards for this year.

Work around the course has been progressing. The course owes a debt of gratitude to all of the volunteers that have been spending time out on the grounds doing odds and ends to clean up the course. This has allowed us to delay hiring any amount of staff to complete the work that usually goes along with normal course preparations. There is still a lot of things to be done on the course and if you are able, have time that you can spare, and are willing to help with cleaning things up around the course it is much appreciated, and a great way to get out of the house and enjoy some fresh air! There is a job board posted up at the clubhouse which has a few items that the course would be looking to accomplish on any given day, and every bit that folks do to help out now, will aid in us being prepared to open when the government gives us the green light.

With respect to a potential opening date, we are hopeful that there will be some news in the coming weeks. We have been getting regular communication from the Alberta Golf Association highlighting the collective efforts to prove to the government, that Golf Courses have the ability to restrict operations, such that we are able to provide a safe, and enjoyable environment while maintaining social distancing priorities. The AGA has indicated the government has stated golf courses will be among the first outdoor activities allowed to resume once the restrictions start to be lifted. Unfortunately at this point there is no clear indication as to when that will be.

The board and the department heads are continuing to diligently work through this situation to manage our funds effectively, as well as trying to ensure that we will be ready to open. We are also working to secure some of the funding that is available to the course through government programs aimed at keeping businesses and non-profits afloat during these difficult times. To date, we have received an interest free loan through one of the programs and are waiting for the wage subsidy program application link to be provided so we are able to access that.

Many of you are likely wondering why we will be continuing to spend money while the course is closed. We do need to continue to maintain the golf course in order to prevent permanent damage to the playing surfaces. This time of the season is crucial for ensuring that the turf is treated and cared for to ensure that disease and seasonal turf problems do not progress into damaging playing surfaces and eroding the quality of the course. The club is also obviously obligated to pay for machinery, and employ a minimal amount of staff to operate and maintain the machinery as well as maintaining the facilities. The Board of Directors and the management team have taken action by not hiring the normal amount of staff, deferring leases, and minimizing expenses that we can.

With that in mind, we need the golf course to open to start creating revenue. The programs the government are providing, and our limited operating capital are not enough to keep us going for anything long term. The revenue created through annual membership dues is not enough to keep the golf course afloat without our tournament and green fee revenue. This is by design as the Nanton Golf Club is a "non-profit" organization and this is the biggest reason why our dues are among the lowest in the province. We expect that we will see a major decline in our accompanying revenue streams as we will not likely be able to host tournaments well into the summer and will also likely face decreased green fee revenue due to restrictions on the amount of players we can have on the course when we are able to resume operations. As such we have stripped out much of the revenue associated with tournaments and green fees from the budget to provide some forecasting into our expected shortfall for the year. It is clear from the numbers that if we are unable to find some alternate sources of revenue or fundraising for the course we will find ourselves eliminating the gains we have made over the past two years and likely in a worse financial position then we were two seasons ago.

As such, I am reaching out to the membership for help that we could use to create revenue in the short term, and to head off some major financial headwinds. We have been looking at doing different things to create revenue but we have been unable to come up with anything that we feel would make a big impact to help the course. I think once we open, it allows us to be a lot more creative in trying to find ways of additional revenue but more than ever, we need the help, and collective effort of the club to help us succeed through these tremendously challenging times.