AGM – 15 November 2023
Attendees:
Wayne Davey
Nick Millar
Matt Owen
Duncan Fraser
Ali Clarke
Tom Sutton
Jack Goolden
Paul Larkin (Chair)
Leigh Williams
Ben March
Al Sweetman
Garry Webb
Rohan Panesar
Tim Tomkinson
Evan Allen
Apologies:
Dan Green
Paul Waite
Freddie Ferrari
Jude
Alex L
Agenda Item
Introductions
Jack welcomed everyone to the meeting and invited Paul to provide a brief review of the recent activities of BDGC.
Summary of BDGC activities – Paul
• BDGC was initially formed following the proposal of BCC to close the course at Ashton Court. Thankfully, following further discussion and negotiation, not only is the course now more secure, we have been able to make improvements to the existing course and extend into Smyth Meadow.
• We have an agreement with BCC that BDGC pays £1,000 per year to contribute to the upkeep of Ashton Court.
• Thank you to everyone how supported the efforts to save the course including the press articles, petition and the very successful fundraiser that raised over £2,800 and enabled the purchase of new baskets and improved tee pads.
• The organised events over the year have been well attended and thank you to everyone who has made these possible. Any future help to run more events in the future is very welcome.
• In the future BDGC is looking to develop a youth focused course and is also investigating the opportunity to instal a new course in North Bristol, possibly at Stoke Park.
Financial updates – Wayne
• Current membership
28 Standard members
27 Gold members
• The current balance on the account is £1,744 which means that we already have funds available to pay for the 2024 contribution to BCC
• Year End – Although membership and AC Green Fees are paid annually by members the clubs financial year runs to 31 March. It was proposed that the financial reporting year is changed to be 1 January – 31 December to reflect membership payment cycles. This was agreed by all in attendance.
• New membership rates and Ashton Court green fees.
Proposal that membership increases from £1 to £5 was approved by all
Ashton Court green fees to remain at £25 for Standard and £50 for Gold.
• Benefits of Gold membership. It is great to have so many members willing to support the higher tier of green fees and this much appreciated. Details on the benefits of the Gold membership are still in development but will hopefully include; early access to event sign up, bag tags and BDGC disc drops and more….
Course updates – Jack
• The aim of BDGC is to encourage people to play disc golf and membership fees or green fees should not be a barrier to playing.
• There are likely to be people playing that are not aware of BDGC, the green fees or the other activities that take place. To help raise awareness QR codes are to be put on the baskets to direct people to the website for more information. Hopefully this will encourage more people to get involved.
• We’re aiming to swap out two or three of the old baskets and replace them with new baskets each year.
Appointment of the BDGC committee
• In line with constitution the three executive roles of the committee are required to be re-elected at the AGM. Paul Larkin – Chair; Wayne Davey – Treasurer and Al Sweetman – Secretary, were all nominated and voted into their roles.
• The other members of the BDGC committee; Duncan Fraser, Jack Goolden, Paul Waite, Ben March and Dan Green were all approved by the members in attendance.
Open discussion with members
The formal proceedings were concluded and an informal discussion took place. The following are key points raised for discussion.
• Ali Clarke offered to organise a spring league!
• Tom Sutton is arranging an Ace Run day in late November of December (depending on preferences from the membership).
• Tom also fed back that he had sold all of the BDGC discs through tomahawkdiscs.co.uk, apart from 6 Buzzzes which are still available. The total profit from the sales was £19.50 but the purpose was not to make profit.
• Lost discs – The ‘trough’ at AC is no longer safe for stashing found discs and a lot appear to have been taken in recent months. There was discussion regarding the possibility of a combination box at AC for putting discs. For now, please hold on to found discs and try to contact the owner if inked.
There was also a suggestion regarding the option for auctioning or selling unclaimed discs after a set period so that they are not piling up.
• More events and activity suggestions included:
Coaching sessions. Are there members that could provide coaching or can we invite someone to deliver a workshop for members?
Winter putting league
Other organised DG days – e.g. rolling league night.
• Tee Pads – Although they are much better than they were before and most holes now have tee pads some are still very boggy in the winter. Jack agreed to discuss the possibility of improving the tee pads with improved drainage. This would be of low impact to AC and would reduce the damage caused by the tees.
• Yeti or BDGC – There was discussion regarding the continuation of the name Yeti DG as this was originally focused more on Mendips. However, BDGC could be considered to be to Bristol focused and may disenfranchise those outside the area.
No decision was made but this considered and any further thoughts are welcomed.
• Communications – The main channel of communication is now the WhatsApp group but this is not available to new comers to the course. There are still enquiries received via the Facebook page from those visiting the course.
It was suggested that a newsletter is created, possibly quarterly, with updates from the club and upcoming events and meetings etc. This would be great but will require someone to take the lead on this.
A sign up link to the newsletter could be include on the website and accessed via basket QR codes.
Closing remarks
Everyone was thanked for attending the meeting and the meeting was called to a close followed by social discussions between members in attendance.