FOLLOWING a lean period, the Vincentia Golf Club looks set to return to all its glory sooner rather than later.
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In April, the club decided the best course of action was to amalgamate with the St Georges Basin Country Club – to ensure the future of the club.
“A few years ago, after much deliberation, our Board of Directors at Vincentia decided to advertise for expressions of interest for registered clubs to amalgamate with Vincentia Golf Club,” golf professional at the Country Club Vincentia Justin Clarke said.
“The end result of this was the St Georges Basin Country Club taking up this opportunity to amalgamate with the merger officially starting in April.
“The reasons of this amalgamation are many - Vincentia over the last 5-10 years has been restricted financially and found it difficult to keep a modern clubhouse losing patronage both inside the club and on the course.
“However with that being said, Vincentia is a fantastic asset to acquire with great views plenty of land and endless potential – overall, it’s exciting times for the new venture.”
Clarke was very passionate when discussing the benefits of the move, especially with an eye on the future generations.
“The benefits of amalgamation are numerous for both sets of members – the members are now members of both clubs however only paying one membership,” he said.
“Both sets of golfers now have two courses to play with club competitions on at different times to attract extra patronage.
“On top of that, I’ve just taken over the role of junior development – something I’m extremely passionate about.
“The ages range from 5-17 and for $6 on Sunday, they play five to nine holes (according to ability) and receive coaching from myself and finish with a drink chocolate bar and some prizes.
“On Thursday afternoons from 3.30pm-4.45pm, I also offer free coaching at either St Georges Basin or Vincentia and am hoping this extra coaching will really improve the kids skill level at a faster rate.”
On Monday, July 3, Vincentia will be holding a free kids open gala day with the view of attracting families to the club and introduce them to golf.
“I can only talk from my own experience with golf, which is why I think it’s important to run programs such as this,” Clarke said.
“I myself started my golfing career at St Georges Basin Country Club learning the game from professional Ken McCarthy when I was 10 years old.
“Golf was not only lots of fun, it also taught us life skills such as patience respecting the course and other players on it, while also playing with people of all ages and abilities, which help later in life.”