After serving as vice captain under Paul Holmes over the past two years (extended a year due to COVID-19), Mark Rogerson has assumed the role of club captain for 2022. He recently chatted with member Dan Miller about his plans going forward.
DAN: Thanks for the opportunity to talk. As I would guess it is true for many members, we’ve met at the club and have even played a round of golf together. But I can’t say that I really know you. Hopefully this will help me and others get better acquainted.
MARK: Happy to do it. As I see it, one of my most important tasks as club captain is to serve as the face of the club. So being a bit more front and center is all part of the job.
DAN: I definitely want to ask you about what you hope to accomplish as captain. But I’d like to begin at the beginning. When did you first start playing golf?MARK: Well, I had some clubs as a kid growing up in Belford but never played seriously. Mostly just whacking a ball around a field. My grandfather on my mum’s side was a very avid player and was one of the founding members of Wooler Golf Club. And all three of my brothers played as well.DAN: When did that change for you?
MARK: I used to do a lot of fishing which often took me away from home from Friday night to Sunday night. My wife Julie wasn’t very happy about that. So about 15 years ago, when I was 40, she bought me a set of golf clubs, thinking if I took up golf I’d be home more on the weekends. I’m not sure it’s quite worked out the way she’d planned!DAN: So I take it you caught the golf bug?MARK: Yeah, I got hooked on it pretty much straight away. I started at Magdalene Fields. But then the manager of my wife’s business, Tommy Henry, suggested I try Goswick. He was a member there and said it was a far better course. So I went to Goswick.
DAN: How did that go?
MARK: I found the club to be very welcoming. I was invited to join a group that played midday on Saturdays and Sundays. At that time there were as many as 24 players that showed up at lunch time. It was good fun and a great way to meet a lot of the members. Now I generally play my golf with a smaller group with a wide variety of handicaps, from 6 or 7 all the way up to 30. There are four former captains and even a former chairman among us.
DAN: How often do you play?
MARK: On average I’d say twice a week. During the summer I like to take advantage of the late evenings during the week and then play in the mornings on the weekends, so I often get in four rounds a week. Right now I only play once a week. But that will change as soon as the clocks change to daylight savings time. I live in Scremerston, some I’m just five minutes away.
DAN: Has your game continued to improve over the years?
MARK: Not exactly. My handicap came down rather dramatically when I first started. I got it down to a 12 and then everything kind of went pear shaped. My index has now bounced all the way back up to 19.7.
DAN: That’s got to be frustrating. What keeps you going?
MARK: Well, if you’re talking about the golf, it’s the challenge to improve. You’re basically pitting yourself against the course and nature. It’s really not about trying to beat anyone else. So it’s like fishing in a lot of ways. But beyond that, golf for me is about enjoying myself and having fun. And it’s about the camaraderie with the other members, on the course but even more so in the clubhouse after the game.
DAN: Is that what you hope to promote as club captain?
MARK: Yes, very much so. I’d like to see us organise a few more pairs competitions. And it would be great if we had more mixed competitions. Something that’s more about having fun, to balance out the more serious competitions — like the club championship.It’s important to remember that golf is a game that’s meant to be enjoyed. There’s no point in leaving the house with great expectations and then beating yourself up if you have a couple of bad holes.
DAN: Sounds like a healthy perspective. What else do you hope to accomplish as captain?
MARK: Mostly I want to work with the Board, the staff and the ladies captain to help move the club forward. I’ve been a long-time member of the Captains Committee, so I’m familiar with a lot of the issues.Goswick is excellent value for money. It is the top course in the area, no holds barred. The members, as well as the staff, are very friendly. It’s a welcoming place to play golf. As the face of the club, I want to do what I can to make sure more people know just how special Goswick is and how fortunate we are to be members.
DAN: I think we can all agree with that. All the best to you this year, Mark. Thanks for your willingness to serve as club captain.
MARK: Thank you. It’s a tremendous honour.