Contribution to Banora Golf – Mike Flanagan

It is with a heavy heart that I write about the significant outcomes achieved during Mike Flanagan’s Men’s Captain years. Mike was a mid to low single figure golf at Ryde Paramatta before moving to the Gold Coast and always a competitive pennant player. Mike was a member of the pre 2011 Men’s Golf Committee and became Men’s Captain a year after the combined Committee formed. He was a dedicated Captain, knew golf, respected the full range of traditional ‘Honour Board’ events and was a strong supporter of our pennant teams.

It was common for Mike to be in the Golf Office late Friday afternoon, making sure of arrangements for Saturday’s competition. Mike gathered a strong team around him that included Chris Von Opplen (dec), Clint Dunn, Mike Mills and Ron White. He offered golfers variety in competition with start-of month stroke medal, followed by Stableford and a team event at end of month. In many ways a forerunner to the well balanced program being offered by current Captain.

Some of Club Banora Golf’s most significant change occurred on Mike’s watch as Captain. At the beginning of his captaincy, Banora Golf administration was predominately manual. The Pro Shop used large ruled paper sheets to record player tee times and golfers were given blank scorecards for competition. They wrote their name and handicap on the card. Mike championed the introduction of printed score cards which was a better player experience and eliminated disqualification from recording an incorrect handicap. He also introduced players inputting their hole-by-holes scores at the computer terminal. He supported the Pro Shop with implementation of on-line tee time booking via the Golf Club website.

Members saw the benefits of Mike’s improvements at Saturday presentations with presentations usually within 20 minutes of the last card being handed in rather than 45 – 60 minutes later. Competition results were simultaneously available on the website. Today’s golf members take this technology for granted. Mike and his team pioneered the transition. He also took the lead with documenting and training use of the ‘new’ computer system. Mike helped the Vets on Mondays, as needed, even though he did not play in the Vets.

In March 2012 Club Banora received its first course rating under the USGA system. The Slope system was being implemented in Australia with course rating change and related course and individual golf handicaps changing. The GolfLink computer performed handicapping based on individual and whole-of-field results. The traditional ‘club handicapper’ was no longer required. Mike worked with the Ladies and Veteran’s Captains to determine how the Golf Australia technical specifications of the Slope system could be best explain to and be used by, Club Banora members. It was a challenging task as the handicapping was hard to understand and also the way handicaps did or did not change after a competition round.

The last few months of 2013 and the first three months of 2014 were the most challenging times for Club Banora golfers. Rain was sparce and the golf course peat base contracted by between 200mm and 400mm. The middle of the course fairways developed large cracks and were dangerous to walk on, especially were the running grace covered the cracks. To allow competitions to be played, temporary greens and tees were constructed on open full or partial fairways so that 16, 17 or 18 holes could be played. Each day Mike would work with the groundsman and the Pro Shop to create a new temporary golf course on the computer that golfer’s rounds could be assessed against and competition reports produced. Mike and the Pro Shop, particularly Barry, put many hours into this activity, most of which was transparent to golf members.

In March 2014, the centre of course was closed and Mike along with the other two Captains were hard at work with Golf NSW arranging a revised Slope Rating for the ‘new’ 9 Hole course. Decisions about tee blocks and green usage was key and also related GolfLink system change to allow reintroduction of handicapping which ceased during the five months of temporary golf course configurations.

Mike was Men’s Captain from 2012 until 2017 with Dan Minogue and Max Jessop also taking on the duties for brief periods during the 5 years. It was a time of unprecedented change and upheaval. Mike gave a substantial amount of his time to Banora Golf during this period, not just in running the day to day competitions but for all the extra outcomes that Mike achieved with improving the administration of Banora Golf competitions, migrating to the Slope System and making golf competitions continue before and after the course closure with as little disruption as possible.

Banora Golfers are indebted to Mike for his dedicated contribution during those years of massive change and the foundations he passed on. Above all he was a good bloke.

Thank you Mike and RIP – Ken Culpitt Past President