The Simpson County Country Club Capital Member met for the annual meeting recently. New board members were elected, and the membership updated on various aspects of the club and the golf course.
Serving on the board of directors for the 2020-2021 term are Tommy Blair, Brien Hubbard, Gaye Magee-Sullivan, Dylan Sanford, Kannan Stubbs, Bridget Walker, and Stephen Yelverton.
Officers for the board are Gaye Magee-Sullivan, President; Stephen Yelverton, Vice President, Brien Hubbard, Treasurer and Bridget Walker, Secretary.
Toney May was introduced as the new Club Manager. He took over in mid-May and has hit the ground running. He manages the day to day operations of the club and is working hard to ensure that everyone has a great experience at Simpson County Country Club.
The board for the next term consists of people with great ideas on how to move the club to the next level as well as the dedication to get the job done. I heard someone say the new board was certainly well equipped to lead the club with members whose day jobs are being a local business owner, insurance professional, attorney, chief financial officer, marketing/ advertising professional, and military officer. A common trait emerging with this board is a forward-thinking mentality. While we continue to manage current issues and expectations, a substantial about of effort will go into working on what the club can become in the future.
I would be remiss if I do not thank previous boards for keeping things going when the odds were against them. The economic headwinds that hit beginning in 2008 put a financial strain on clubs across the country for several years and many were forced to close. SCCC withstood the challenge and made it through due to the efforts of board members determined to pay the bills and keep the doors open.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has crippled the economy and inflicted damage on our business community, we have been pleasantly surprised in the uptick of people playing golf on our course. SCCC remained open during the state closure by carefully following the guidelines set forth by the governor’s office and the CDC. Fortunately, golf is a natural “social distancing” sport (especially if you play like me and spend a lot of time looking for your lost ball) so it was easy to make a few changes as how to interact with each other during a round of golf to avoid possible virus spread. Being able to get outside and enjoy spring weather created an influx of people wanting to play golf at SCCC. Even with the reopening of businesses and people going back to work, we are still seeing a significant number of golfers on the course throughout the entire week. We are happy to see more women playing golf this year, so we want to grow their participation in our tournaments.
The board is looking at ways to improve the club and attract younger members with families. We hope to give a much-needed update to the clubhouse, pool and grounds surrounding the clubhouse. Our pool is being repainted and we hope to have it back operational in a couple of weeks. Some of the clubhouse work is already underway thanks to the generosity of a few members with their time and talent. Additionally, we want to develop a variety of activities and social events for members of all ages to enjoy. Toney, our new club manager, is busy working on adding an improved pre-packaged food selection along with a consistent supply of cold beverages to help keep golfers fed and well hydrated this summer. He will also increase the number of golf related items that are available for purchase in the clubhouse. The club would also like to host more groups and events, including charity golf tournaments, meetings, banquets, and receptions, bringing in new revenue.
The golf course will continue to improve thanks to a dedicated crew that is on a tractor early in the mornings cutting grass and transforming nearly 36 acres into a beautiful playing area. The club recently purchased a sprayer that is a game changer for us because we can now spray for undesirable grasses and bugs in house as needed versus contracting an outside service to do it only 2-3 times per year. Look for improvements to a few cart path transition areas as well as replacement/repair of a couple of bridges on the course.
To Be Continued Next Week
