Dallington Golf Society - Society Rules

RULES & CONSTITUTION

1.0 Background

The Dallington Golf Society (DGS) was founded in 1979 by members of Dallington Squash Club who were looking to fill their time during the long summer days with an ‘outdoor’ sport that had the same mix of fun and competition. Golf fulfilled that role perfectly.

From modest beginnings the Society has developed a solid membership base of like-minded golfers who share the enjoyment of playing many different courses, and the pleasure of celebrating the results of those endeavours.

2. Membership

2.1 Eligibility

Membership is open to all individuals over the age of 18 who have a recognised golf club handicap or who can demonstrate to the DGS Committee that they have sufficient golfing ability to gain a recognised handicap.

2.2 Application for Membership

Any eligible golfer (see 2.1) may apply for membership by completing the application form (see Attachment 1) and submitting it to the Secretary, together with the appropriate annual membership fee (see 2.4).

2.3 Approval of Membership

All new membership applications will be subject to approval by the Membership Committee.

2.4 Membership Fee

All members of DGS are required to pay an annual subscription of £10. Any new member joining part way through a year will be required to pay the full annual subscription. The level of subscription will be reviewed annually, but the Executive Committee must agree any change.

2.5 Membership Year

Annual membership will commence on 1^st March of each year and run until 28^th/29^th February the following year.

3. Officials

3.1 Honorary Officers

The honorary officers shall consist of President, Captain, Vice Captain and Secretary

3.2 Appointment of Officers

i) President: A founding member of the DGS who has made a substantial contribution to its development and success over many years. Elected by the members for an indefinite period

ii) Captain: An experienced and respected member and immediate past Vice Captain, appointed by the Officers to serve one year

iii) Vice-Captain: An experienced and respected member recommended by the incoming Captain, and appointed by the Executive Committee to serve one year prior to becoming the next Captain

iv) Secretary: A long serving member of DGS appointed to serve for an indefinite period but subject to annual re-election by the Executive Committee

4. Committees

4.1 Executive Committee

This will consist of six members comprising the four Officers plus two past Captains, who will be chosen by invitation of the Officers. Its duties will include the approval of rules, and ensuring their observance, and overseeing the organisation and development of DGS.

4.2 Membership Committee

This will consist of the three Officers: Captain, Vice-Captain and Secretary, who will be responsible for approving new members, and arbitrating on any issues concerning membership.

4.3 Finance Committee

4.4 Quorum

In any matters that require the approval or direction of the Executive Committee, as described in section 4.1, a quorum of at least 4 of 6 Executive Committee members must be present for any decisions made to be valid.

5. Events and Competitions

5.1 Entry to Events

An event is a golf day at a course chosen by the Captain, to which all members are invited, and subject to the payment of an appropriate members fee, as specified by the Captain. Members may also invite guests to events upon payment of a guest fee for each guest. The guest fee will be at the rate of the member’s fee plus a suitable premium, normally £5, (but see section 5.3 for exceptions). Alternatively the guests can be invited to become members in accordance with section 2 and thereby will qualify to participate in the event as a member.

5.2 Entry to Competitions

Competitions concern matches between individuals or a team and normally run through the year. They are only open to members who have paid the current year’s subscription, and entry is conditional on full payment of the designated entry fee at the start of the competition.

5.3 Methods of Payment and Fee Structure

The cost for each event will be determined by the Captain, in consultation with the other members of the Finance Committee and will be set at a cost effective level.

The Society will accept the following forms of payment:

Electronic transfer - Debit/credit card or on-line direct transfer
Cheque
Cash

For reasons of administrative efficiency and improved financial control, direct electronic transfer is the preferred method of payment. At the discretion of the Finance Committee electronic payment methods will be encouraged through the use of discounts for events and other purchases, and the guest fee will be waived for on-line payments.

6. Handicaps

6.1 New Members Handicap

New members are responsible for notifying the Secretary of their current club handicaps. This is their ‘Declared Handicap' which following entry to their first Society event becomes a ‘Society Handicap’ determined as in Section 6.3. In the exceptional cases where members do not possess a club handicap they must provide their three most recent cards for a completed round to the Secretary. These will be used to determine the Society Handicap for the new member using the ‘CONGU’ rules.

6.2 Society Handicap

A member’s Society Handicap must be used in all Society events and competitions. A Society Handicap is determined by the aggregated performance in all Society events and competitions that a member has entered, adjusted in accordance with Section 6.3.

Where deemed appropriate by the Handicapping Committee a member’s Society Handicap may also be adjusted:

· On the basis of general play.

When a member’s club handicap has been changed.

6.3 Adjustment of Society Handicaps

Appendix 1: Calculation of Handicap Adjustments

1. Competition Scratch Score (CSS)

The CSS for any event is the average stableford score achieved by a ‘representative group’ of competitors in the event. For all Dallington Golf Society events the representative group will be all those competitors who are in the top half, (rounded up if there is an odd number field) of the leader board.

2. Handicap Adjustments

A players handicap will be adjusted according to whether he scores more, less or equals the CSS according to the following rules:

i) Scores more than CSS. Handicap adjustment will be determined by the multiplying the number of points greater than the CSS by the adjustment factor in the table below.

Handicap	For every point greater than CSS
5 and below	0.1
6 to 12	0.2
13 to 20	0.3
21 to 28	0.4

Example

If the player having a handicap of 16 scores 39 stableford points and the CSS is calculated as 35, then his handicap is adjusted by (39-35) x 0.3 = 1.2 and his new handicap becomes 14.8.

ii) Scores Less than CSS. Handicap will be increased by 0.1 irrespective of handicap or number of points less than CSS

iii)Score Equals CSS. Handicap remains the same