Dear Member,

I am writing on behalf of the Board of Cooma Golf Club and will begin by thanking you for being a valued member at our club.

The board has considered that membership fees will need to be increased for the 2025-2026 playing year due to immediate inflationary pressures that have made their way to our normal operating costs and the ability to fund the course improvement projects. It is important to understand that the Club does not shop at the supermarket, our major costs are fuel, chemicals, electricity and wages where the increases are above the published CPI data that is based on a very different basket of goods. Be assured, the Board is constantly seeking ways to develop efficiencies and discover smarter ways of doing things.

It is also important to understand that as we develop and improve the golf course at Cooma that to maintain it to a reasonable standard will also mean increased cost. Capital expenditure to improve generally means increased spending to maintain and preserve. As a regional small town club we rely on membership fees, volunteerism and sponsorships to support the activity it takes to manage and maintain this asset for the members and the community.

Subscriptions are set according to the needs and priorities of our Club; they are not set relative to fees at other Clubs. However, it is sensible to check that we are not pricing in relation to what the market is charging and the following provides a comparison of Full Playing categories.

Coolamatong Full playing member $470

It is worth noting that Coolamatong have substantially less overheads with no full time greenskeeper and are subsidised heavily by the Berridale Town Club. Comparison of membership options other than Full Playing are difficult due to substantial variation in playing rights, however they are all relative to the Full Playing fee.

We have therefore increased our fees for 2025 -2026 by $20 for the full adult annual fee. The new rate for membership will be set $650 per year for a full playing member, this is a 3.1%, in relation to CPI which has increased 2.6% since January 24, This additional fee will support the challenges of increased operational costs we are experiencing across all elements of the operations. Country, Introductory and Intermediate rates will also increase by $10 to $375 per year.

If anyone feels with the increased pricing that this will affect your ability to participate as a member I ask you reach out to a committee member and have a confidential chat.

Membership invoices will follow this letter; I trust it puts the fees and the fee setting process in perspective. Good luck with your golf.

Kind regards,

Lyndon Taylor
President
Cooma Golf Club