Hi Everyone, I wrote an article back in 2022 and I believe it still holds true today – I called it "Risking It All" and looking back one of the statements made was - “An estimation has been made that we would need a turnover of around $4m to give us a return to look after the MGC about $1.5m – this is a little low and doesn’t count for inflation (but was agreed at the time by our GM). This would require an approx. turnover of around +$400K per month over 10 months (removing July, August and January at around 40% down due weather and holidays).”
I am sill asking – How is that possibly achievable? We’ve gone from a mini putt, a 120 seat restaurant, a 200 meter driving range and a chip and putt to the latest First Tee Precinct.
Driving Range:
There has been much talked about but nothing put up as viable option. In the meantime, Golf Warehouse have doubled their capacity so the likelihood of anyone from the city coming to a 120m enclosed driving range at the airport is remote.
The demographics do not support a driving range based on the numbers playing golf in the eastern suburbs and the metrics just don’t stack.
The Eastern Suburbs traffic is in gridlock which is a major deterrent with high customer traffic volumes will only be achieved between 9:30am – 2:30pm and after 6:30 windows. During the weekend it is traffic chaos in the Eastern Suburbs and this will only be exacerbated with the planned expansion of the Wellington Airport Retail Park. This will be a major limitation to the success of any enterprise at MGC - the forecast for this time/window is only predicted to get worse.
We have so much wind at Miramar with 166 days where its gusting over 63 km/hr and 24 days where it gusts over 96 km/hr. Building any sort of external structure will have enormous costly, foundation and safety issues.
The airport has 6 million visitors a year. People are travelling not playing golf there used to be driving range at Auckland Airport – it didn’t work there it certainly won’t work here.
Pitch & Putt 6 Holes Area:
At the expense of losing holes 8 & 9 this is a high-cost folly and is not in the best interest of the majority of members who just have no idea what is happening.
The First Tee Precinct:
Please tell me how this works?
- Are we not going to lose the clubrooms?
- With a 60 knot southerly in the middle of winter, is the club asking us to sit in a lean-to outside, instead of our full featured clubrooms before and after golf?
- Is the board seriously going to close down our Clubrooms so that they can build a facility for casual visitors in exchange for a shed at the end of the carpark?
- Where is the Business plan for any of the above? The standing joke at the moment is how do you make a small fortune into a very small fortune? Answer: Give it to the Miramar Golf Club!
The board have failed in their duty of care to act in the best interest of the club and all the members.
Please do not allow this to continue…
Ian Goodlet
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