MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE GUW BOARD held at GOLF UNION OF OFFICES TUESDAY NOVEMBER 1st 2016 ------PRESENT: Dr Val Franklin (VF), Chairman, Gareth Davies (GD), Treasurer, Ashton Bradbury (AB), Ashleigh Crowter (AC), Laura Goode (LG), Dr Hannah Mawson (HM), Andrew Minty (AM), Ben Wigley (BW), Richard Dixon (RD) Chief Executive.

VF welcomed everyone to the meeting and advised that she had recently had notification from Kerry Ann Sheppard that she would be resigning from the GUW Board due to her imminent appointment as Chairman of Wales.

ITEM 1 APOLOGIES Lowri Woodier

ITEM 2 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST There were no declarations of interest.

ITEM 3 MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING The minutes of the meeting held on 2nd June 2016 were approved as a true record.

ITEM 4 MATTERS ARISING NOT COVERED BY THE AGENDA None

ITEM 5 TREASURER’S REPORT RD advised that the advert for GD’s successor as Treasurer will be circulated widely later in the week with the closing date for application being 30th November.

5.1 Financial Update GD had circulated a financial update to 30th September 2016. He advised that the 6- month position was as expected in relation to budget. He had included a 5-year forecast for ease of reference when considering the future reserves policy.

GD reported that the latest valuation of the GUW’s investment, managed by Brewin Dolphin, showed a healthy increase of £20,000 to £288,403. The current risk classification is “Cautious with Risk” - GD recommended that the Board approved continuing with this classification. This was approved.

5.2 Ratification of Accounts The GUW Accounts for 2015/16 were formerly approved.

5.3 Approval of Budget The GUW budget for 2016/17 was formerly approved.

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5.4 Future Budgeting Cycle GD and AB had prepared a paper for consideration outlining a suggested Budget cycle for the GUW. Following discussion the paper was approved subject to the agreement of the new Treasurer.

5.5 Use of Reserves Policy GD and AB had prepared a paper for consideration outlining a framework for using GUW reserves. Following discussion the paper was approved subject to the agreement of the new Treasurer.

5.6 Outstanding Club Subscriptions RD informed that St Idloes were the only club which had not paid its 2016 GUW subscription. RD confirmed that the club had been made fully aware of the consequences of non payment and following discussion it was agreed that the process for removing the club as a member should be activated.

5.7 Club subscription rate for 2017/18 Following a lengthy discussion it was agreed to recommend the following subscriptions rates to the GUW Council which was scheduled to meet on 6th November: - • Juniors – remain the same at £4.50 • Adult discounted rate (if paid by Direct Debit or by June 30th) – increase from £12.40 to £12.80 • Adult full non discounted rate – increase from £12.80 to £13.20

With a view to achieving more accurate club subscription returns RD was tasked with drafting rigorous cross referencing procedures. It was noted that the Central Data Base of Handicaps showed significantly more members than those submitted by clubs. Some of the discrepancies will be due to poor database management by clubs but some are undoubtedly due to inaccurate numbers being submitted bu clubs.

ITEM 6 BOARD MATTERS 6.1 Future Strategy The summary notes from the Strategy Review sessions held in August had been circulated.

It was noted that the following decisions agreed by the Board in August had been actioned: - • The GUW Articles had been changed at the GUW AGM in September – this will enable the GUW to challenge clubs more rigorously re subscription returns. • A Reserves Policy and a future Budgeting Cycle had been approved

AB informed that he LG and AM had met recently to consider ways of increasing sponsorship income. The group will continue to liaise and report back in due course.

During discussion it was agreed that the next step was to determine what is understood and meant by “moving to one united brand” and then to instigate the transition accordingly.

A working group consisting of Hannah Mawson, Laura Goode, Hannah Mcallister and Richard Dixon was tasked with making recommendations to the next meeting to progress the move towards one united brand.

6.2 Policies for Review and Approval After discussion the following policies were approved: -

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• Conflict of Interest Policy • Anti Fraud and Corruption Policy • PCI DSS Policy • Non Employee –Disciplinary Policy and Procedures • Risk Management Policy • Grievance Policy and Procedures

It was agreed going forward that policies being reviewed should show any tracked changes.

6.3 Correspondence Welsh Senior Teams future participation in Europe – VF said she had received correspondence from Richard Hendicott the Captain of the Welsh Men’s Senior (over 55’s) Team requesting that the team is entered into the 2017 European Senior Team Championship. He stated that the team’s performance in coming 2nd in the 2016 Senior Home Internationals met the criteria agreed by the GUW a number of years ago. It was noted during discussion that results in senior events did not currently contribute to the performance KPI’s as agreed with . It would therefore be difficult to justify significant expenditure in entering senior teams to compete in Europe. It was agreed that RD should meet with Sport Wales to obtain their view and consequently draft a policy for consideration at the next Board Meeting

6.4 Staff Issues RD confirmed that the new Performance Director Gillian O’Leary will be starting on 1st December 2016.

ITEM 7 ANY OTHER BUSINESS 7.1 One Golf Network Proposal RD had circulated the latest proposal and a draft agreement prior to the meeting.

During discussion RD said that whilst there is potential for an income source for the GUW through a profit share agreement in his opinion one of the most important elements of the project was the golfer registration solution. At the board strategy review session in August the need to grow a data base of golfers, both member and non- member was identified as of significant importance. Following discussion, the benefits of going ahead with the proposal were recognised. It was agreed that RD, AM and BW should meet with Jane Carter before the next Board Meeting with a view to getting a clearer understanding of the technology supporting the project and also around the GUW’s access to golfer’s data.

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