Constitution (updated 25-11-2022)

To be read in conjunction with latest AGM resolutions (Appendix 2)

Terms used in this document:

Name Ruby’s Golf Society

Member Fully paid-up member of the Society

Event Day A Day of activity including breakfast, golf and dinner as booked by

the Committee

Committee Office Bearers of the Society

AGM Annual General Meeting

EGM Extraordinary General Meeting

Season Golf season from March through to October

Purpose

Ruby’s Golf Society, formed in 1999, is a special interest sport charity to promote friendship through sport, in particular, golf.

Membership:

Membership is open to all; however, the members may agree a maximum number in order to manage the affairs of the Society.

A new member is required to play 3 rounds at Event Days during one season as a guest. The Committee will then be able to confer membership at their discretion and confirm a handicap for the Society based on 3 scorecards being submitted.

Full memberships will be on offer as follows:

Full membership – with all the privileges of the membership

Note: - Seniors over the age of 67 can play with the Society as a guest on payment of the member’s rate.

A member is required to play off the lowest handicap that they play at a Private Members Club, this includes clubs such as OGC / Surrey Golf. In short, if you pay an annual fee, you’re considered a “Club member” or their Ruby’s handicap. The Committee will review handicaps at the end of each year and anyone failing to score 34 points or more during the season (min 4 events), may have their handicap raised by 1. Maximum handicap of 24 remains.

Each member will pay a membership fee as agreed by the members at the previous AGM.

New members will pay a joining fee as agreed by the AGM. However, at the time of joining, if the Committee feels that the Society funds are significantly higher than at the last AGM, than the Committee can request a higher joining fee based on Society funds at point of joining divided by the number of members.

WhatsApp Groups:

The Committee will operate a WhatsApp group for official business, called Ruby’s Golf Biz only. Anyone posting incorrectly on the Group will be fined by £10 for each indiscretion. It’s not a platform for any discussion unless stated by the committee

The committee will also create a WhatsApp group for each event. Once registered for said event, the member will be added to the group.

Registration:

A member will be given notice to register for an Event (Via email) and must register at least 7 days before the Event Day or as advised by the Committee.

All members have 2 weeks (prior to the deadline) to guarantee a spot on the event day. A week before the deadline, guests may apply but members do not have privilege over guests during that week.

Late registration will only be accepted at the discretion of the committee.

Meals:

All members should try to attend the evening meal. If you cannot, member should notify the Comm’s manager when submitting their request and a £10 reduction will be made to their Subs. Any member cancelling the evening meal within 7 days of the event may not be refunded.

Subs for Event days:

All members & guests must pay their subs by the closing date as advised in the invite email.

If a member cancels within 7 days, payment may be lost as it’s dependent on the golf club.

If said golf club agrees not to charge, a credit will be placed on the members account to be used for the next event. If said member doesn’t play the following month, their credit is returned. The Society does not keep credits on account over 30 days.

Payment:

Members payment should be remitted by the deadline as stated on the invite or as advised by the Committee.

Late payment fee will be £10. If a member overpays, then the Treasurer will not refund. If the member underpays, then they will be charged a further £10.

A member must play a minimum of 3 rounds in the year to retain his membership. Any member unable to play the minimum has to apply to the Committee to agree if renewal is approved. Otherwise, he must re-join as a new member.

AGM:

The Officer Bearers will arrange an AGM at the end of each Season to elect new officers, agree budgets and amend rules if required. They will give at least 21 days’ notice for such a meeting.

Members can send email votes where a resolution is proposed in advance.

EGM:

An Extraordinary General Meeting of the members can be called by the Office Bearers if necessary, or by a member provided he has support of at least 30% of the members. A list of said members must be provided to the committee via email.

21 days’ notice needs to be given before a meeting can be held.

Members can send email votes where a resolution is proposed in advance.

Quorum for an AGM or an EGM is 30% of members being physically present. All votes will be carried by a straight majority. Votes will include those sent in by proxy which will be published to members prior to the AGM meeting.

Insurance:

All members and guests, at their own expense, are required to have an insurance policy against any liability arising from their actions at a Society event. The Society will NOT be held responsible for any loss or damage to property or personal injury however this may arise.

Office Bearers:

The Society will have the following Office Bearers: Chairman, Captain, Vice-Captain, Treasurer, Course Manager, Handicap Secretary, Website Manager and Communications Secretary. Office Bearers will stand for election/re-election at the AGM. Office bearers’ positions may be reduced with the agreement of the members.

If during the season, a position becomes vacant, the committee can appoint a replacement.

The Committee shall meet as required to plan and conduct the affairs of the Society.

Roles and responsibilities of Office Bearers:

Chairman – to Chair each Committee meeting and set the agenda for the meeting

Captain – to act as CEO of the Society, adjudicate on issues on an Event Day.

Vice-Captain – to support the Captain, act in his place when Captain is not available.

Handicap Secretary – manage the members’ handicaps

Communications Secretary – communicate with the members and external parties

Course Manager – book the Event Days, manage the relationship with the Clubs in the run up and on the day

Treasurer – manage the Society’s funds.

Website Manager – Keep the website up to date

Madbrooks – This is a voluntary post and all proceedings (profit and loss) the society will cover.

If any Office Bearer resigns through the season, then the Committee may co-opt a member to act in his place, except for the captain, where the Vice Captain will act as a Captain until the AGM.

Committee Members will get an allowance of £20 per meeting attended as a thank you from the Members for their time and effort. Guests may apply to attend a meeting (at the request of the committee) but will not claim the £20

Committee Members have to attend at least 50% of Committee meetings during the year. The remaining members of the Committee could vote to remove him/them from the post if the person failed to attend the committee meetings.

Bank and Accounts:

The Committee will maintain Bank accounts for the Society’s funds. Signatories of the account will be the Treasurer and Chairman. The Committee may open as many accounts as needed to conduct the affairs of the Society. If both positions are held by one person, a second committee member will need to be appointed as a cross-check.

The Treasurer will maintain all accounting records.

Competitions:

Rules of golf according to the R&A of St Andrews will apply to all events except for:

Where Local Club rules apply.

Or rules that have been agreed by members of Ruby’s Golf Society.

Property of the Society:

All assets will remain the property of the Society at all times and no member or guest shall accrue any rights thereto or have any claim to the same. All benefits any member or Committee member will accrue shall be declared to the members of the Society. No member is entitled to any asset or part thereof on leaving the Society whether it is own their own violation or (in extreme cases) by expulsion.

Scorecards:

The following must be marked on the scorecard, or 1 point deducted from their final points.

A) Players Name and his handicap.

B) Markers name

C) Start & end times

D) Stableford score

E) Signatures of player and marker

F) Any corrections must be initialled by both player and marker

Discipline:

Society members should remember that we are guests at all golf clubs and as such are subject to their rules and regulations. Golfing etiquette must be adhered at all times.

Should the Society receive any complaints, from any source, regarding the conduct of its member(s), the Committee will act as follows:

The Member(s) will be notified in writing of the nature of the complaint. [Where the issue is amongst the members, they should try and resolve the issue amongst the 4-ball]. If they cannot agree, then all 4 should attend a committee meeting to discuss].

Making a complaint against a fellow member:

Member making the complaint must do so in writing including any witnesses.

The Member(s) must respond within 10 days to the complaint.

Both parties must attend the meeting, which will be set up by the committee. The Committee will provide their findings, in writing, to all parties concerned.

The Committee, if it agrees with the complaint, may make a formal warning on future conduct or in serious cases may suspend/expel the member(s).

The committee will put the best interests of the Society first in all decision making and all decisions reached will be final unless an EGM is called by members to discuss further.

Appendix 1

Competitions of Ruby’s Golf Society