This article is from page 12 of the 2006-04-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
LAHINCH Golf Club are to invite new members to join, against a backdrop of accounts showing the club recorded a modest operating loss last year.
In his report to members, Captain of the Men’s club, Denis Creedon, said that moves had been made to open up membership.
Describing it as a “thorny issue”, Mr Creedon said that a sensible scheme had been supported by the club’s board of management and council to open up membership, in a limited way, over the next year or two.
Members attending the club’s annual general meeting last Friday were told that an operating loss of €42,767 was recorded, in contrast to the €139,782 operating profit of 2004.
The loss is being attributed to the €177,930 spent on upkeeping its links golf course last year. In 2004, the maintenance bill came to €139,925.
The golf club is one of the top visitor destinations in Clare and is vital to the north Clare economy and, in particular, to Lahinch.
Last year, the total number of visitors to the course was 19,146, compared to the 19,786 in 2004.
The golf club also encountered added catering costs, where it spent €47,353 in 2005.
This was almost triple the €19,309 spent on the same item in 2004.
Green fee income was slightly down on 2004. Last year, €1.515 million was generated, compared to €1.534 million the previous year.
The accounts also show that, last year, the golf club made no contribution to Lahinch Seaworld, whereas in 2004, it provided €15,000.
Total income stood at €2,630,327, which was down slightly on the 2004 income of €2,665,724. There was a slight increase in expenditure with €2.673 million in 2005 against the €2.525 million spent in 2004
However, the overall health of the golf club’s finances remain very good. The operating loss was wiped out by €55,000 in income from “overseas life membership”. The golf club has accumulated income of €4.509 million. The current membership stands at 2,187, which is a slight increase on the 2,142 members in 2004. The golf club is budgeted in 2006 to return to an operating surplus of €103,357, through increasing income by €200,000 in green fees.
But bar gross profit is anticipated to drop from €128,434 last year to €18,088 next year.