Golf Club Captaincy

Whilst it may vary from club to club I guess we all have experience of captains good and bad from our club history.

What do they actually do/have to do?

Burden or honour?

Worth it or expensive?

Your opinion on being a good one?

Recall someone on here mentioning they were queued up to be captain (next year ?) in another thread but I don't think I've seen a separate thread on it so here we go as we wind down the golfing year. The glass half empty portion of me (predominant) screams that being one would be "aargh, stupid idea" but part of me is curious thinking about it and would I want to do it at some point.  Guess given the posters we have there's an array of experiences good and bad amongst us.

Any tales/experiences/pifalls/benefits to share/discuss?

The Captain basically represents the club at official functions both inside and outside the club. This means playing much golf, attending many dinners and generally enjoying the year. The benefits go on much longer if you so wish. Joining County Past Captains' Societies for example, leads to the development of long standing friendships.

I would say it is an honour. Some are glad when their year is over others wish it would never end.

It is both expensive and worth it. How much it costs varies widely from club to club. Some clubs give allowances for example and others do not.

Many clubs waive the subscription for the Captain in his year. Retired people are better suited to being captain because it's generally expected he or she will attend lots of functions and support the club teams. Captains usually sit on boards or committees as well, so even more time taken up.

I don't wish to offend those on here who have been captain, but I don't see the benefit to the club of the captain sitting on boards and committees. It seems that captains often spend their 1 year in charge changing back the things that the previous captain changed. It's all very short term and you can't really do much in one year (2 if you count the year as vice captain). Surely better to have continuity over several years to ensure consistent approach.

I understand the need for a representative at dinners etc... as George says this is well suited to retired people.

Have been asked a couple of times but have never done it myself so don't really feel qualified to comment too much. However, I played recently with the guy who was Captain at our club a couple of years ago. He said that during his year of Captaincy there wasn't one single day (including weekends) when he didn't receive at least one letter, phone call or email on Golf Club business, so I do think that you need to have sufficient time to do the job properly when considering taking it on.
 
If you are in full time work the Captaincy may become a bit of a chore as the year progresses and I agree more suits a retired person. On the plus side our Captain receives an honorarium equivalent to one years subscription and the Essex Captains Golf Society I believe has around 28 meetings per year. A great way to play many different golf courses at a very reasonable cost!

Our club's captain doesn't pay his fees for the year. The current captain recently told me it was going to cost him in the region of £8000 for the year though - putting on the captain's dinner, captain's day etc.

He had known he was in line for the job for a couple of years so he saved for it

I'm sure this differs between different clubs though depending if it is a members' club or owned by someone else

Not a young man's game. Certainly one for the early retiree I would think.

Over the years I can only remember 2 good captains at my place. Both were very wealthy and loved a good party. hence their years were good because they threw some fantastic do's and organised some fantastic events.
Both brought in great initiatives which remain in place today.

Its an Old Mans game, it is also (from my experience) a decidedly average golfers game! Im yet to meet a captain past or present with a single figure handicap

oneorthree wrote:Its an Old Mans game, it is also (from my experience) a decidedly average golfers game! Im yet to meet a captain past or present with a single figure handicap

I've done it twice - first time I was off 7 for most of the year and got down to 6 (for one round) and second time probably around the 8 mark. I was also in full time employment both times. Just had no holiday for two years and Vice and then Captain. Requires a very understanding wife!

Fairly consistent on the old man's game I see!

Topic is a tad loaded as I have been asked to be vice next year and am toying with the idea. Not a big fan of public speaking or "stuffy" dinners etc but it is one of those things that may not come round for some time otherwise and so might be quite good while I can still play a bit. Certainly can't be throwing eight grand around though!

Next year's captain is mid 40's and the youngest we'll have had since I joined about 10 years ago but he and I do seem to work/think quite well together on the committee. I would be younger still if I accepted (and our club demographic is, well somewhat top heavy!) but simply have little idea of the actual ins and outs. Happy with the playing and the opportunities to play other courses though...

Knowing my luck my year would be the year the club would fold or something!

Hi Roller, it's me who's at the front of the queue ready to step up to the plate next year (The drive-in is one my birthday in March next year). I'm quite deep in thought at the moment about planning different aspects of the year but looking forward to it immensely.

What is overshadowing it slightly is that as a muni, we (as a club using the muni's facilities) have to have a good working relationship with the Council owned complex. It goes without saying that at the moment Council budgets are extremely hard pressed and leisure facilities come quite far down the list of priorities. So...the (new) complex management, in a bid to generate more income and reduce costs have made a few faux-pas which would appear to be running rough-shod over the Club to the extent that there are now some sizable groups of very disgruntled members. That in turn means that a big part of my Captaincy will now be devoted to working on and improving the working relationship between the complex management and the Club.

Without doubt I see it as an honour and would never have turned down the chance.

I think it will be worth it although yes I will occur some considerable expense although nothing like some of the figures suggested (the Club do subsidise many events/activities). There is Captains Courtesy although working full time there will be very limited opportunity to make best use of that. Lasting small benefit being membership of England Golf's Past Captains Society.

I think to be a good one you have to be inclusive (consider all sections and all abilities). You have to think about what you would expect from a good Captain. Think about what is is about golf that you love and try and use that as a theme. Make your big days as much fun as possible (Captains Day, Captains Invitational, Captains Farewell)

Oneorthree... I'm currently off 6, previous Captains going from 2013 backwards have been 14, 11, 7, 5, 5, +1, 5

Ahhh - tis JAS, knew I'd seen it somewhere.

We are similar but we are a private members club renting the course from the commissioners so we have to pay for all the course and facilitiy maintenance and pay them rent for the privilage of having to do so. Against a back drop of falling membership (as with all clubs) it's a tough time alright.

Think I might suggest next year's captain pen a schedule of what is expected to act as a kind of template for future captains (whether it's me or not!) as I think all of the recent ones have said they didn't know what they'd have to do and effectively started "blind".

Cheers all, good feedback.

We used to have a sheet that outlined the Captain's duties. Never saw it myself, you basically learned the job from your predecessor by being joined at the hip!

raycastleunited wrote:I don't wish to offend those on here who have been captain, but I don't see the benefit to the club of the captain sitting on boards and committees. It seems that captains often spend their 1 year in charge changing back the things that the previous captain changed. It's all very short term and you can't really do much in one year (2 if you count the year as vice captain). Surely better to have continuity over several years to ensure consistent approach.

There isn't much benefit to the club, except maybe to get the Captain's opinion on the social programme for the year. It is central to his year of being captain, after all.

As far as the captain is concerned, it's one of the benefits of being captain that you can lobby to have bunkers moved, or trees planted. I agree with you though - in any well run club, there should be strategies in place which define what's going to happen over the next few years, and just because Captain Joe Bloggs wants something done, is not a reason to change direction and do it. If it fits with a longer term plan, then that's all well and good.

Speaking for our club, the Captain has normally served his time on the Committee before he gets the job (although some have come straight from the general membership) and they do not have a huge amount of influence over the general running of the club. They mainly serve on House Committee since the social side is what they are most interested in. They are entitled to attend Greens if they so wish

Isn't it usual to do a couple of years as Vice before your two years as Captain?

Ours is one as vice, one as captain and then one where you are invited to attend as immediate past captain. The incumbent doesn't have to come from committee, but makes sense so they have at least some kind of grounding in the running of the club (although the year as vice includes attendance at committee meetings, to give some sense of continuity if selected from the wider membership, but I'm not sure if attendance is as a member or a guest).

Captain is ostensibly a figurehead position as the committee are chosen by the membership to run it on their behalf, but he does chair all the meetings and choose who to retain in the key positions/serve on sub committees (subject to agreement by the people involved and where required approval at AGM - unless there's an alternative proposed in which case a vote).

A few years ago my club changed the way that the captain had influence. Previously he would be able to move bunkers and so on so each year there were changes that were made for one man.

Now, although the captain is on committees and has to have served time on them to get the job, he no longer has that power. The course now has a general plan and the detail of which is done by the greens committee.

From what I have seen I have no idea how you would be captain and have a full time job but then maybe the reason that the captains have done so much is because they are retired and this isn't obligatory.

The sad thing with this is that it highlights that the management of the committee is generally older and while they are probably right in the middle of the age profile of the club, there is still a big chunk who are much younger. But then I'm not sticking my hand up so really shouldn't moan.

Just made myself giggle that there aren't many places now where as a 40 year old I am still considered a youngster!

Ours is one year as Vice followed by a year as Captain, generally the immediate past Captain stays on the committee for a further year. The Captain has NO influence on course changes (other than picking the Pin positions for his events) and is indeed ostensibly a figurehead, there to do speeches at events, present prizes, pick teams for friendly matches etc etc.

Roller_Coaster wrote:

Topic is a tad loaded as I have been asked to be vice next year and am toying with the idea. Not a big fan of public speaking or "stuffy" dinners etc but it is one of those things that may not come round for some time otherwise and so might be quite good while I can still play a bit. Certainly can't be throwing eight grand around though!

Do it Roller! Just think of the perks...

1. Golf just about every day
2. People come up to you whenever you are at the club to moan about the pin position on the 3rd / the draw for the club championship / the standard of rakes in the bunkers / the poor quality brown sauce in their bacon sandwich / the rough is too long / the rough is too short
3. Loads of dinners with geriatric members who basically live at the golf club
4. You also basically have to live at the club
5. You have an excuse to avoid your family and non-golfing friends for a whole year, if you're lucky you may even get a divorce
6. You suddenly become an expert in the club's accounting / finance / planning / legal matters and expect to lead negotiations with local council, landlord, planning permission etc.
7. You get to organise loads of events for everyone else, and donate prizes
8. But best of all, and this makes it all worth while.. your very own parking spot!

raycastle

You seem to be a fan of club captains?

A number of the guys I play with at my club have been asked but have run a mile. I just think that although it is perceived as an honour it is a really thankless task, unless you have no other commitments and A LOT of spare time.

Maybe I'm just jealous because I have a demanding wife and kids, and a busy job which frequently takes me away (currently in Norway), so almost no time for me to even go to the driving range for half an hour let alone organise captain's charity away days.

MAC - you seem to have loads of spare time, maybe you are perfect captain material? Obviously an all round hero like Maverick would be the ideal candidate but you could step into the breach.

I hereby nominate Mac for Captain of the 606 golf club.

Ray - brilliant (I know at least 20 people for whom the rough is too short when they have a fairway hitting day whilst being too long whilst carving every driver into the mangoes - the actual length of the rough remaining fairly constant. Critically though, the brown sauce is of a low standard and may well present the perfect opportunity for the only legacy I would be likely to provide).

365 days of sh*t but somewhere to park while receiving it.

Just about sealed it. I'm in. Move over everyone, that's my space...

Oh and I second the nomination for Mac as 606v2 Golf Board Captain. Any objections?

Mr Captain, the brown sauce on my sandwich is sh*t and the rough is too penal. Can you get it sorted please?