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Recent Developments
In November 2003 I issued a paper entitled 'Future of RPGC' in which
I commented on the intended operational changes at the Park and the
likely impact that these changes will have on the Club. Throughout the
last six months there has been a good deal of rumour and speculation
concerning the forthcoming changes, however it is only in the last few
weeks that the position has become clearer and the purpose of this email
is to provide an indication of the intentions of The Royal Parks Agency
[ RPA ] and the consequences of these on RPGC and the other clubs.
This note will have to be somewhat lengthy because we have taken a
number of new members on board and it is only fair to them to bring them
up to speed with the basic plans for the golf courses at the Park.
Background
The RPA is a section of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
Since 1996 or thereabouts the Department has been working on a plan for
the development of a clubhouse in the region of the 7th hole on the
Princes Course. The main objective of this site is to have the golfers
access the courses from the A3 rather than use the Park's inner road.
The RPA aims to issue an 'invitation to tender' [ ITT ] for a long-term
management contract that will require the operator to build the new
clubhouse and driving range etc, to carry out the course alterations,
and to complete whatever alterations are required to the A3 to enable
the flow of traffic to and from the courses. The ITT was first scheduled
for October 2003 and then rescheduled for January 2004, but it is now on
hold for the foreseeable future.
The RPA has received outline approvals for the work inside the Park, but
the main difficulty for the last umpteen years has been the lack of
approval to use the A3. Some progress has been made on this issue but
the necessary consents have not yet been given and approval is not
expected until new plans have been reviewed by the relevant transport
and planning authorities.
GCM has been the course operator since 1983, and for many years the RPA
has granted short-term contract extensions to GCM whilst the main
development contract has been worked on.
A condition placed on the Association's five golf clubs was the
requirement to merge prior to the commencement of the long-term
development contract by the new courses manager.
Actions taken by the RPA
In view of the indefinite time frame for the ITT, the RPA, through its
advisor Humberts Leisure, has advertised for parties with
'pay-as-you-play' experience to register an expression of interest to
enter into a short-term 12 or 24 month contract for the operation of the
golf courses from end September 2004. The RPA is hopeful that the
problems with the consents for the long-term contract will be ironed out
during the period of the short-term contract and that the ITT will be
issued before the expiry of the 12 or 24 month period. Expressions of
interest for the short-term contract had to be lodged before the end of
today.
It remains to be seen if GCM will be the preferred manager, or whether a
new manager will be appointed. The staff at the Park have been living
with the uncertainty of their future employment for many years, however
the recent events must have heightened their concerns so I'm sure that a
degree of sensitivity on our part would be most welcome.
Actions taken by RPGC
The original prospect of the RPA's long-term development contract being
issued for commencement at end September 2004 meant that the clubs had
to plan for amalgamation at the beginning of September 2004. In order to
work around this date the 2004 fixture programme was condensed so as to
squeeze as many of the Club's 'majors' in to the summer season as
possible.
The RPA has agreed that the requirement for amalgamation is not a
necessary condition prior to the commencement of the forthcoming
short-term contract. Not surprisingly, the clubs have agreed to maintain
the status quo and amalgamation is on the back burner for the time
being.
As a consequence of these developments we are now in a position to
revert to something close to our normal fixture programme where our
summer schedule comfortably flows into our winter schedule. The
new fixture list is now available.
There is, however, one important change for the men's schedule to
mention at this stage. As a result of a 'fun run' in the Park in June it
has become necessary to move the men's Club Championship from the normal
slot to the first two weeks of August.
One final word on the fixture list is that I would not be surprised if
we have to make further changes later in the year so please keep an eye
open for changes that will appear on the website etc.
The Pavilion
The Sunday morning arrangements have been a major struggle since the
Pavilion burnt down on 2nd Jan. I am pleased to say that we are about to
see an improvement, and if our plans come together we will have the use
of a portacabin this weekend thanks to the efforts of Geoff Foreman. The
portacabin will be sited 'course side' close to the car park used by the
pro-shop staff. The portacabin will be for the use of the Association
clubs and not just for the exclusive use of RPGC.
As may be expected it will take us a few weeks to get organised in terms
of furniture and notice board facilities, however from this Sunday
booking-in will occur in the portacabin, and by an ironic twist Geoff is
our bookings officer for this Sunday.
With regard to a permanent replacement for the Pavilion the answer is
not good. Until there is more certainty with the long-term golf project
no decisions can be made concerning a new Pavilion building. The reason
behind this is that if the new clubhouse cannot be built in the vicinity
of the A3 it follows that a new building will be required somewhere
close to the Pavilion site, therefore the plans for a replacement
Pavilion are now directly linked to the progress of the long-term golf
contract and this of course means that not much will happen during the
next two years.
Changes on the Committee
Tim Meyer has served us as President through 2003 and into the beginning
of 2004, but as a result of personal commitments Tim has stepped down to
the position of Vice-President. For those who are not yet fully familiar
with the spread of duties amongst the committee members I will mention
that Tim is the editor / compiler / administrator and just about
everything else with regard to the Club's website. The RPGC website
constantly receives praise from third parties and this is largely the
result of Tim's endeavours. I am pleased to say that although Tim's
ability to play with us on Sunday's is not so regular these days he is
nevertheless still able to look after the website on our behalf.
With Tim stepping down I am delighted to report that the Committee
managed to coerce and co-opt Julie Smith on to the Committee to take up
the position of the office of President. If my memory serves me
correctly Julie has been a member of the Club for over 20 years, and
with something in the order of 15 or so years service on the main
Committee we are very fortunate to have Julie back with us in her new
role.
So, that's about all for the moment. If anyone should have any points or
queries to raise please do not hesitate to shout.
Regards
Peter Harrington
Secretary
12thMay 2004
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