GM Mark a driving force at Warringah Golf Club

WARRINGAH Golf Club was in the news for all the wrong reasons in 2022.

Still, that didn’t faze Mark Stanopoulos and he felt the time was right to put his hand up for the job as general manager of a club that needed some leadership.

Calls to chop the course from 18 holes to nine holes to free up more space for other sports brought howls of derision from right across the northern beaches of Sydney.

After all, this course is one of the busiest in Sydney – every day of the week.

And when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the golf course – any golf course – was where everyone wanted to be.

Enter Stanopoulos.

“We didn’t have a GM for several years and I was on the board, and frankly I thought I could contribute and offer something in the role,” he told Inside Golf.

“I had management experience in my previous role and going through Covid I re-evaluated everything, as many people did, and the opportunity was there.

“I put a case to the board and they liked the idea and were happy to accept it.

“I was ready for a change from where I was working previously and I felt like this was something I was working towards anyway.

“I had an interest in the game and have been a member at Warringah for 20 years. 

“It all seemed right.”

A new 20-year lease put the 18-hole layout back on the right path.

And Stanopoulos was happy to lead discussions with the local council – be it with administrators or elected council members.

“We’re the same as any course, there’s always pressure on open spaces and the need for people to have open spaces to go,” he said.

“The 20-year lease has given us an assurance and means we can progress with plans for a new clubhouse.

“The council has been supportive of our plans for the past three or four years.

“We’re in a joint partnership with them for the new clubhouse, incorporating tennis, squash and local sporting groups and promoting a real community-type atmosphere, which the council wants as well.

“All the plans we’ve submitted are being reviewed and there’s been a community consultation period and council will let us know how that went.”

The new clubhouse means there may be some changes to where the course starts and finishes; where players will cross the road and how many holes will be on each side of Kentwell Rd.

“At the moment we’re operating from the pro shop building in temporary offices. 

“We’ve also built a new buggy storage facility to house the buggies.”

Warringah sold their original clubhouse in September, 2021 and it will become a child-care centre, which is regarded as a win-win for the community.

Rain and storms tore the course apart last year and the club received a $239,000 grant to replace and repair bridges – one was totally washed away and another moved off its foundation.

It also sought to repair four of the paths that needed to be made weatherproof for the future.

“It’s an ongoing process and we’ve earmarked them for this year as part of capital works projects as well as a couple of tees and greens and areas where the surrounds were badly hit by the storms,” said Stanopoulos.

“That grant was fantastic and a great win for the club and very much needed and an opportunity to set those areas up for the next 20-30 years.”

Warringah has more than 1000 members, which includes a large number of social playing members.

“Because we lease the land off the council part of our arrangement is a percentage is to be allocated to members and a percentage to public play … and we stick to that pretty closely,” he said.

“One of the things Warringah is well known for is the Richards family – part of the pro shop for 50 plus years.

“Bob Richards was our resident pro for many years and passed away not long ago while his son Rob has been here more than 20 years while his brother Greg also works in the pro shop.

“The Richards family are synonymous with this golf club.”

Stanopoulos has the right attitude: “Golf is four hours where you can spend solving the world’s problems – one at a time – while catching up with people you enjoy spending time with,” he says.

And there are few golf clubs in the world where it is any different.