Introduction by Terry Hayward, Chairman
As another season draws to a close and the autumn leaves are falling thick and fast, Cavendish Golf Club continues to go from strength to strength after another strong performance in 2021. I remain honoured and privileged to be a member of the Club and to be able to influence its development in my position as Chairman. We have a wonderful team of employees and volunteers who are all committed to our mission to be the best golf course under six thousand yards in the world.
2020 and 2021 could never be described as ordinary years. Covid-19 remains with us but, we have learned how to cope with it and how to keep our members and visitors as safe as we possibly can. Having a course of 54 ha means that social distancing is far easier than it would be for many sports which is why golf could be played when others could not. This has been welcomed by our members and by the many visitors who have played Cavendish this year.
It is great to be recognised for the efforts that people put in. Over the past 2 years we have through hard work and a focus on improvements seen our rankings in the prestigious Today’s Golfer Top 100s improve significantly. We now rank 61st in all golf clubs in England; 4th in the list of UK/Ireland courses with green fees under £60 and just outside the top 50 (51st) for Fun Courses throughout the UK and Ireland. On behalf of all our members I’d like to thank our greenkeeping team, our clubhouse team and our professional and assistants for being the driving force in achieving these accolades.
This year (despite Covid-19) we have welcomed over 3500 visitors from all over the world. Like any course, some people love it and others never quite get to grips with it. But overwhelmingly we have received 5* reviews both for the quality of the course and the hospitality that Cavendish Golf Club offers and it is perhaps because of that that we have seen a 30% increase in membership and a 20% increase in visitors this year. Most importantly though, we don’t rest on our laurels and this winter we will begin phase 2 of our Centenary Programme to renovate more bunkers, install new paths and drainage and to generally keep improving the course and club. We hope to welcome many more new members and we will continue to provide a warm welcome and a fun, challenging course to all who wish to visit.
As we endure another Buxton winter and the fairways fall quiet for a few months we’ll start to look forward to next season and all it will bring. I have every confidence that we have the foundations in place to develop and improve what remains one of Alister MacKenzie’s most authentic creations. We’ll also bid a hearty farewell to our Captains Pat Campbell and Danielle Banks and a very warm welcome to our 2022 Captains John Cornwell and Rachel Child.
Terry Hayward, Chairman
The Cavendish Board
Terry Hayward, Chairman – Sales & Marketing
Andrew McKinlay – Finance
Michael Williams, Fundraising
Christine Campbell, Membership
Pat Campbell Captain 2021 (ex officio)
Danielle Banks, Lady Captain 2021 (ex officio)
Rachel Child, Membership
John Cornwell, House
Lee Marshall, General Manager & Head Professional
Club Employees
Lee Marshall – General Manager & Head Professional
Warwick Manning – Course Manager & Head Greenkeeper
Hyeran Proudlove – Finance Assistant & Administrator
Liam Hancock – Assistant Professional
Nick O’Meara – Deputy Head Greenkeeper
Anthony Lownds – Senior Greenkeeper
Colin Denny – Greenkeeper
Paul Rushworth – Greenkeeper
Callum Stone – Greenkeeper
Isidore Allen – Proshop Assistant
Volunteers
Like so many golf clubs, we rely on volunteers to help with all aspects of the day-to-day operations but we are especially blessed with a committed group who support our Greens Team on a regular basis. Stuart Robinson, Michael Connolly and Roger Wood are ever-present, keeping the place looking tidy and adding the creative horticultural touches. When it comes to projects, Mike Higgins, a lifelong member, is guaranteed to be alongside the fulltime team.
Golf Matters
Club Golf and competitions are organised by the Match & Handicap Committee team headed by Dr Jeff Haddon for the men and Max Chuwen and Tina Turner for the ladies.
Ladies
The Ladies Committee, led by the Lady Captain, manages ladies golf within the club and competitions with other clubs. The committee raises funds and provides an important support to the whole club.
Club House & Hospitality
Paul Crisp & Ricardo Olivieri lead the hospitality team.
Matt Featherstone is restaurant and bar manger.
Membership Matters
The club must generate sufficient profits from its activities to be able to invest in the course, particularly as we work towards the ambitious plans leading to our centenary in 2025.
Looking after the interests of existing members and finding new members is a crucial task for the club.
An enthusiastic team led by Christine Campbell and Rachel Child provides numerous initiatives to encourage membership satisfaction and grow the membership.
Members and juniors are offered many opportunities to improve through relevant coaching input. Recent voluntary coaching has been provided by Professional Eddie Birchenough, Club Ambassador and Tour Professional George Bloor, Professional Jacob Bashaw and others.
Each event is supported by amazing member volunteers who provide the practical management and organisation essential for success.
Similarly junior coaching helps to encourage the next generation of Cavendish members.
Members provide voluntary support in so many other ways such as building projects, maintenance and repairs, social events, away day competitions, children’s Christmas party, fund raising events, starters and so many more. It’s always dangerous to mention names and projects as there’s a great danger some will be inadvertently missed out.
A big thank you goes up to all our brilliant volunteers and to our committed, creative and hardworking staff who together help create the wonderful team spirit witnessed by so many of our visitors.