It seems hard to believe the Spring, Summer and Autumn golfing calendar has come and gone and we are now starting the Winter season.

It is made all the harder with us getting mid summer weather this week to remind us of the long playing nights. In saying that the weather has been anything but kind to us this year. Record snow falls, rain levels and wind speeds have played havoc with our calendar.

As the main golfing season comes to an end it is a good time for reflection, catch our breath and think ahead to the future.

This year we have had so much we can take pride in.

Our course for example, for another season has been outstanding. The conditions measuring up to any course in the Lothians. Members and visitors alike have had nothing but praise. Our Opens have often been oversubscribed and many visitors have booked their place for next year.

On the course(s), our Ladies and Senior teams showed the way winning their respective leagues. We have also seen individual and pairings do well in both our own and invitational Opens.

Congratulations to all our winners!

The junior ranks have been swelling with more juniors than ever coming through the Clubgolf and Blues programme. All bodes well for the future.

We have managed to retain a strong membership, improving our finances at a time when so many other clubs struggle. This was also achieved with a reduction in the number of visitors to the course.

This means less strain on the course, increase in member's tee off times while improving the coffers.

On the clubhouse side we seem to have stability on the catering side and with a cordon blue chief in charge, again the future looks good.

The infrastructure will always be an ongoing challenge; however we have managed to make a number of improvements. The IT system is state of the art and we have a website which builds with our needs. We have introduce WIFI to the lounge area.

The entrance changes and generous donation of the display cabinets start the process of updating the appearance.

Much for me, in my first six, seven months as Captain to be proud of.

I would like to thank the Council Members and Volunteers who have given up their free time and often at their own expense to make all these things happen.

…….And so to the future, the first things to consider are; could we as a club do better? What shape are we in going forward? What should we do more of and what should we stop?

At the AGM I said I wanted to focus on the 3 themes of;

1. Efficiency & Effectiveness
2. Communities
3. Communications & Promotion

We have started or in fact made some differences, to be honest probably to a lesser extent than I had hoped.

The two biggest and hardest lessons I have learnt? Change comes slower than expected and we rely too much on a small faithful band of volunteers. I accept to a degree these are lesson I had to learn due to my inexperience.

If I had a wish though, I'd like every member to think how they could pro-actively contribute to the club. Do you have specialist skill which would help?

You cannot think of the future without trying to assess the impact of the financial down turn. It is hurting so many other clubs, why not Harburn?

Yes, we have a great product, we also have a tight handle on our finances and we are improving our efficiency.

The basics are in place however to stress the point, we are limited by resources.

Over the winter the Council and various interest groups will be looking at how we get in shape and looking to check are we fit for the future.

Next year a number of key Council members and staff come to the end of their period of office. This is being viewed as an opportunity for further change.

Lastly, the social side of the club both surprises and worries me. Collectively we have a very sociable membership however we struggle to hold events. This isn't my area of expertise, if you can think how to turn this around please let me know. Having an enjoyable evening while helping the club has to be good and I'm sure many like me remember past events with fondness.

I have enjoyed my brief period as Captain and look forward to the future with optimism and one eye on where the curved ball may come from. Please think about what you can offer the club and enjoy the rest of the golfing season.

Best in Sport

Gordon