First female lead makes Ballarat Golf Club history

LESA Gray has become the Ballarat Golf Club’s first female president, elected at last month’s annual general meeting.

Moving into the role with experience, Mrs Gray was women’s captain for two years, on the ladies’ committee for four years, and has been on the board for two years.

She is honoured to receive the opportunity, having felt “tremendous” member support, and is ready to fully focus on the role, to be “the president the Ballarat Golf Club deserves.”

“My aim here is to help the board lead the club with steady fiscal management, whilst looking for opportunities to come out the current COVID-19 environment as strong as we possibly can,” Mrs Gray said.

“We pride ourselves at Ballarat with our inclusiveness of all people, and I hope to encourage the growth of our women’s and juniors’ programs, and assist in developing programs for those with disabilities.

“An important step in the evolution of golf clubs will be the introduction of Golf Australia’s Vision 2025 initiative, and I hope to be able to play a part in bringing this to our club as a part of our commitment to gender equity.”

A member of the club for more the 13 years, Mrs Gray felt welcomed and a part of something important as soon as she first walked into the facility.

“To many, it is like a second home,” she said.

“To have the opportunity to be a part of the leadership of the club is something I have been deeply committed to during my time on the board, and in my role as president I hope to work with all of our board members, and staff, to make the club an even better place to spend time.”

The challenging nature of golf keeps Mrs Gray loving the sport, and coming back to play.

“No two days are guaranteed to be the same, whether it be from the conditions on the day, or the pin positions on the greens.

“The beauty of golf is you can play all year round, at any level and at any age, and if you are lucky, you can play golf all around the world,” she said.

“My philosophy on golf, and particularly my own game, is that whatever the day brings, it is always better to be playing golf than not, and I look forward to many more years of walking the fairways.”

During the recent AGM, Paul Foley was elected as vice president, Michael Erbacher as captain and Greg Bennett as finance director.