ERPM slowly getting back to normal

Businesses worldwide have been badly affected one way or the other by the pandemic, and the ERPM Golf Club is no exception.

With golf the centrepiece of the club’s existence, being its only source of turnover, according to club GM Pieter van der Merwe, times have truly been tough.

Van der Merwe explained: “We’ve had to try and squeeze budgets to try and uplift the condition of the golf club with the clubhouse during lockdown. The entrance we’ve just recently repainted is a stepping stone.

“I am planning on getting the clubhouse repainted, so that should hopefully start happening in the next two-three months. Covid hasn’t really assisted us as far as income is concerned.

“But with eased lockdown regulations which have allowed most businesses to return to functioning and the return of multiple sporting codes, provided under strict rules, things are looking up.

“Alcohol sales in the bar is obviously a stabilising point in your turnover. This has definitely affected all golf courses with regards to feedback from the club manager’s association. Now that it’s opened up, we’re starting to pick up a little bit of momentum again,” said van der Merwe.

Quizzed by the Advertiser on the immediacy of the impact the lifting of the alcohol and cigarette bans have had on the club, the GM continued: “A lot of golf clubs would have to get rid of a lot of expired stock; and not being able to purchase at the time which has left a lot of golf courses under pressure to try and stock up their golf facilities to what they normally would be, or as best as possible to still be able to trade once we reopened. This was experienced here at ERPM.”

There was more positive news coming out of the club.

Van der Merwe explained that as far as golf days during the lockdown are concerned, they have tried to accommodate as best as possible from September/October until the end of their financial year at the end of March.

“We would like to keep them within our financial year obviously, but with the people restrictions of 50, a lot of golf days can’t hold their normal prize-givings or auctions.

“We’ve got the Sunshine Tour from September 21 to 25. That’s a nice event for us and it’s a big stepping stone for ERPM being a Boksburg-based business.”

Van der Merwe has been a member at ERPM for 34 years.

He used to work at ERPM for 10 years in the earlier days and then left for a different venture before returning in December 2018.

He served on the committee and then the opportunity was available to become the club manager, which he has held since January 2019.

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