Policies & Procedures
FOON HAY SENIORS GOLF CLUB
FOUNDED 2003
Membership
Membership year coincides with NCGA membership year, January 1 to January 1. Current members shall be reminded of the renewal procedure and given an adequate time to renew. Should a current member wish to not renew or to go on “inactive”, he/she shall notify the President in a timely manner.
Resignation. The resignation of any member from this Club shall be in writing, addressed to the President, Secretary, or Keeper of the Roster, and shall be accepted by the Executive Board provided that all indebtedness of said member to the Club has been paid.
For cause. A member may have his/her membership terminated by a majority vote of the Board for a reason or grounds brought to the attention of the Executive Board and after due consideration by the Board. Unsportsmanlike conduct, refusing to participate in the Club, failing to pay any indebtedness other than annual dues that are due to the Club, and failing to pay annual dues are examples that could lead to a Board vote of termination.
Appeal. Upon a notice of termination, said member may appeal to the general membership through a written request to the Executive Board. A majority vote of the members present at a special meeting called for such purpose, in favor of the member, shall over-rule the decision of the Executive Board.
New Members
An applicant may be admitted to membership as long as an opening in the club exists, he/she meets other requirements and there is no more than one dissenter on the Executive Board. Application for membership shall be considered in the following manner by the Executive Board:Rejoining as a Member
If the prospective member is sponsored by an active member in good standing, he/she must have played as a guest in at least one (1) tournament. If the prospective member is unknown to any Club member prior to their application for membership, as occasionally happens through the Club’s website and link with the Federation of Chinese Golf Clubs website, the prospective member shall be asked to play as a guest in two (2) Club tournaments before being considered for membership, to better check for a mutually satisfactory fit for the prospective member and for the Club.
Any opposition as to the application or applicant may be lodged by a member in good standing and must be made in writing to the Executive Board. In this event, the member making the opposition must appear upon notice before the Executive Board to present the basis or foundation of his or her opposition to the application or applicant.
Once the Club reaches its membership maximum limit, the Membership Committee shall establish and maintain a "wait list". The wait list shall be maintained by the Vice President acting as "Keeper of the Roster" or another designated officer.
New members will be invited into the club from the wait list on a first-come basis as long as they have met the other requirements spelled out above.
If a waiting list exists and a former member seeks to rejoin the Club within twelve months of his or her termination, then he or she will be placed at the top of the wait list and accepted to the first available opening. After twelve months from his/her resignation, former members will be treated like any other new membership applicant.Active Participation
Active participation of all members of the club is necessary to assure the continued success of the club; therefore, it is a mandatory requirement for all members. Active participation is defined as playing in a minimum of 2 of the tournaments during a calendar year (January - December).Duties of OfficersIf 10 to 12 tournaments are played in a given year, each member is required to play at least 3 tournaments to satisfy the active participation requirement.
Failing Active Participation. Members who fail to meet the active participation requirement shall lose their membership status at the end of that year and their membership position will be filled by a person from the waiting list. If the terminated member wishes to rejoin the Club, they shall follow the procedure for new members and be added to the wait list similarly to any other new member applicant – i.e. they will not be granted ‘top of the list’ status, since their active participation requirement had not been met.
Extenuating Circumstances. Members who have failed to meet the active participation requirement because of serious extenuating circumstances such as a lengthy major illness or injury, or family emergency, but wish to remain a member of the club, should contact the President or an Executive Board member and make them aware of their situation. The Executive Board will then make a ruling but will only consider serious issues; travel and vacations will not be considered valid excuses.
President. The President of the Club shall serve as Chairman of the Executive Board and shall preside at all meetings of the Club and to perform such other duties as ordinarily devolve and pertain to the office including, but not limited to, the oversight of activities and responsibilities of all other Board members, the execution of all club By-Laws, appointment of committees, etc.Election of Officers
Vice-President. It shall be the duty of the Vice-President to preside at meetings of the Club in the absence of the President, to act in co-operation with the President at all Club functions and to perform such other duties as ordinarily pertain to the office. In addition thereto, the Vice-President shall also serve as Chair of the Social Committee.The Vice-President shall be responsible for tracking and handling the inventory of club logo items, including the re-order of replacement inventory when necessary and ensuring that all new members receive an appropriate member gift item. The Vice-President may enlist other members to assist him/her with these duties.
Secretary. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to record the minutes and attendance at all meetings of the Club and meetings of the Executive Board; send out notices of all meetings of the Club, Executive Board and Committees; preserve the minutes of all meetings and correspondence of the Club; act as historian for the club by maintaining an album of the club activities; and perform such other duties as ordinarily pertain to this office. The Secretary is empowered to enlist an assistant out of the general membership to assist in the proper performance of the duties described herein.
Treasurer. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to have charge of all funds of the Club, accounting for the same to the Club annually, and at any and all times upon demand by the Executive Board upon due notice. All funds of the Club shall be kept in a depository authorized by the Executive Board under the Club's name. The Treasurer shall turn over all funds to the successor which include books or accounts or any other Club property in possession. In any event, there shall be a proper closing and auditing of the books and accounts annually. The Treasurer is authorized to disburse funds of the Club only upon approval by the Executive Board, President, or general Membership as hereinafter provided.
Tournament Chair(s). The Tournament Chair(s) shall be responsible for the management and conduct of all Club tournaments and may appoint committees of members to aid in the management of such tournaments as needed. Subject to the provisions of the Constitution and By-Laws, the Tournament Chair's decision in all matters pertaining to tournaments shall be final and not subject to appeal.
Webmaster. The Webmaster shall be responsible for posting of club information on the Internet in a timely manner. He/she shall maintain an email list for effective communication between the Club and the members. The Webmaster shall also maintain the club roster of active members in cooperation with the Vice President and make it available to the members and officers on a regular basis. The Webmaster shall also be the handicap contact between NCGA and the Club in order to aid in the assignment/determination of proper handicap indexes of club members.
Directors. Directors shall be elected to assist the other elected officers in carrying out their duties. As such, specific tasks may be delegated to the directors such as committee chairmanships or participation and special projects.
Past President. The immediate Past President shall be entitled to be a Director at Large of the Club and sit as a voting member on the Executive Board. The Past President shall be asked to continue their service in this capacity during the election process and may decline the honor in which case an additional position shall be made available for other members of the club.
Nominating Committee. Nomination of candidates for the various offices shall be made by an Nominating Committee selected by the President consisting of at least 3 members in good standing who should also be current or past Board members. The committee shall begin its work on or before May 1. The slate of nominees selected shall be communicated to the Board and then the membership on or before September 1, and a deadline announced for additional nominations.Committees
Election Process. The Nominating Committee shall determine the form of ballot, date of mailing, and all other details relating to the conduct of the election. Voting may be by ballots posted to the club web site and the ballots may be submitted electronically by the members. For members who do not have access to the Internet, a paper ballot shall be mailed with a deadline the same as for electronic ballots.
Election. The candidate polling the highest vote shall be elected to each respective office. In case of a tie, there shall be a run-off election for such office by ballot.
Terms of Office. For terms beginning in even-numbered years, offices to be filled shall include President, Secretary, Tournament Chair(s), and Director(s) at Large. For terms beginning in odd-numbered years, offices to be filled shall include Vice President, Treasurer, Tournament Chair(s) and Director(s) at Large.
Transition of Officers and Directors. The newly elected officers and directors of the Club shall meet with the outgoing officers and directors at an annual Officer meeting following the election for transfer of records and responsibility. See Record Retention Policy that follows.
Record Retention Policy. The officers shall retain records pertinent to their role. In general, records shall be retained for a minimum of three years, and “handed off” to incoming officers during the officer transition meeting. Records can be retained in either paper or electronic form, except that duplicate paper checks shall be retained for all disbursements for three years. Financial reports, meeting minutes, tournament results and financial summaries of tournaments, records of annual dinner menu selections, locations, and vendors chosen for awards, prizes, raffle awards, are all examples of records that should be retained either in paper or electronic form. In the case of electronic records, a ‘memory stick’ should be created in order to effect the ‘handover’ to succeeding officers at the transition meeting.
Committees. Committees needed for ongoing operation of the club shall be Membership, Handicap, Election, and Annual Dinner. To the degree possible, at least one member of each committee shall be a current Board member. Their charges are as follows:Meetings
Membership Committee shall oversee applications for membership and recommend acceptance of new members when opening(s) exist. The committee shall work directly with the Webmaster and if needed shall report to the Board. The principal Role for the committee is to maintain membership levels at the club limitation, maintaining a wait list in order to timely fill any resignations as they occur.Appointment. The President shall, in consultation with and subject to the approval of the Executive Board, appoint any committees.
Handicap Committee shall work with the Webmaster to oversee handicap indexes of club members. The committee shall make recommendations for placing limitations on individual handicap indexes in the case of Very Low Scores.
Nominating Committee is detailed in this document.
Annual Dinner Committee shall work with the Vice President to plan and carry out the club's annual Awards and Installation Dinner.
General and Special Meetings. General or special meetings of the Club may be called by the President at any time. Members of the Executive Board or the general membership may request meetings for variety of reasons for the general good of the club.Tournament Policies
Meeting Notices. Due notice of all meetings shall be given by the Secretary and/or the Webmaster, and such notice shall state the purpose and objectives of the meeting. Such notices shall be communicated in a timely manner, but no less than 1 week prior to the meeting.
Quorum. For all meetings, general or special, 40% of the total membership shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of business. A quorum for a meeting of the Executive Board shall be a majority of the members of the board.
Majority Vote. A majority vote of the members present is required for the passage or adoption of all questions and resolutions.
Conduct of Meetings. In the absence of rules in the Constitution and By-Laws of this Club, the proceedings of any and all meetings of the Club, whether of the Executive Board or of the general membership, shall be conducted in accordance with established parliamentary procedure, and for that purpose shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order.
Playing Rules. The Tournament Chair shall determine the method of play and the rules for each tournament.Amendments
Club Special Rules. The Tournament Chair shall establish any special club rules deemed reasonable for the smooth and efficient conduct of tournaments. Such rules shall conform as closely to the official USGA rules as possible. Club special rules shall be posted on the website and changes announced to the membership.
Rules Questions & Disputes. In the case of questions and disputes related to playing rules, the Tournament Chair shall consult with the local PGA professional and at least one other elected officer, acting as a Rules Committee, to resolve the issue. The decision of this ad hoc Rules Committee shall be final.
Inclement Weather. If during the course of tournament, the weather becomes inclement, it shall be the Tournament Chair's duty to determine whether play should be continued. In his absence, this duty shall be passed to the Tournament Co-Chair or to an Assistant Tournament Chair, the President, or the starters, in successive order.
Ties. If a tie or ties should occur for any of the awards, the Tournament Chair shall determine how the play-off will be conducted.
Handicap Index. Foon Hay golfers shall play in club tournaments using a handicap index calculated by the club Handicap Chair using the same procedure as GHIN/NCGA. Handicap index is a value given a player based on his/her playing experience in recent rounds, and is a measure of the player's potential scoring ability. It is important that the index used to calculate handicaps be accurate so that one player does not have an unfair advantage over other players. The club handicap index shall be based on scores earned during the three (3) best rounds out of the five (5) most recent Foon Hay tournaments.
Very Low Scores. If a player posts a net score that is more than 6 strokes below par during a tournament, the likelihood of attaining that score is very low. The Handicap Committee shall notify the player that their handicap index is under review. A subsequent low net score shall result in one of the following remedies:
1) The player's handicap index shall be restricted at a level commensurate with the recent tournament scores. The restriction shall be removed only if subsequent net scores are judged to be in line with the NCGA/GHIN value.
2) The players handicap index shall be calculated based solely on the best 50% of net scores earned during club tournaments in the past 12 months. This calculation shall continue until net scores using GHIN/NCGA handicap index are determined to be reasonable.
1) Until the deadline date for a given tournament, the number of slots reserved at the course will be reserved for members. Members are welcome to sign up guests during this time and they will be placed on a priority waiting list.
2) If openings exist at the deadline date or if additional tee times are available, guests and late members will be added to the tournament in the order in which they submitted their entry forms with checks.
During a calendar year, an individual may be guest of the club a maximum of three (3) times. If they have made application to become a member, additional guest rounds will be considered by the Board. The Tournament Chair may exceed this limit should additional entries be needed to fill a tournament field.
During tournaments that feature individual scoring, guests shall not be eligible to win prizes except Closest to Pin and Skins. During tournaments that feature team play (2 best balls, scramble, Cha Cha Cha, etc.), guests on a winning team shall be eligible to win a share of the winning team's prize.
Uncollected Prizes. If someone wins a prize and is not at the course to collect it following a round, the prize will be turned over to the Treasurer who will try to connect the golfer with his/her prize at future tournaments or other club events. If this isn’t successful by the end of the calendar year, leftover prizes will be deposited into the general fund for use by the club in subsequent years.
Amendments to these Policies and Procedures may be made by majority vote of the Executive Board. Once a change is enacted, the change shall be communicated to the membership.
Last amended by vote of the Executive Board in 2018.