Ladies Section Constitution 1. GENERAL a) The section shall be called Hazlemere Golf Club - Ladies Section. b) The Lady Playing members shall elect annually at the Annual General Meeting a Committee which will be empowered to act on behalf of and represent the interests of the Ladies Section. c) The Section shall be affiliated to the English Golf or other such golfing body to enjoy and accrue such rights and benefits that affiliation brings. d) The Section shall be affiliated to the Buckinghamshire County Ladies Golf Association (BCLGA). e) All Members of the Ladies Section are subject to the General Constitution and Rules of the Hazlemere Golf Club. The following Constitution applies only to the organisation of the Ladies Section. f) The Ladies Captain and Vice Captain shall represent the Ladies Section on the Hazlemere Golf Club (HGC) General Committee. g) The Section shall ensure that the Ladies interests are not detrimental to, or in breach of the rules or interests of Hazlemere Golf Club as a whole. 2. RULES OF THE COMMITTEE a) All matters relating to funding and administration connected with the Ladies Section shall be under the control of the Ladies Committee. b) The Ladies Section shall consist of all Lady Playing Members of the Club. (Social Members have no rights.) c) The Vice Captain for the ensuing year shall be nominated by the current Ladies Vice Captain. This nomination shall be posted on the Notice board at least 28 days before the Ladies Annual General Meeting (AGM). If there are no further nominations for Vice Captain, the position will be validated by a show of hands at the Ladies AGM. d) The Vice Captain for the preceding year shall be nominated as Ladies Captain for the ensuing year. This nomination shall be posted on the Notice board at Page 1 Amended version adopted at the Ladies AGM - 16 th November, 2011
least 28 days before the Ladies Annual General Meeting (AGM). If there are no further nominations for Captain, the position will be validated by a show of hands at the Ladies AGM. 3. COMMITTEE a) The Committee shall, unless varied in the Ladies Annual General Meeting (AGM), consist of the Ladies Captain and Vice Captain: The Secretary, Treasurer, Competition Secretary, Handicap Secretary, Vets Representative and 2 General Members (hereinafter called the Officers ). b) The Committee may co-opt new members to the Committee to fill any vacancy. Such co-opted Committee members shall have full voting rights. c) The County Representative and others may be invited to Committee Meetings to give their reports but they shall have no voting rights. d) The Committee may co-opt additional Members to the Committee to meet specific actions/activities etc. These members whilst taking a full part in the discussions at Committee meetings shall have no voting rights. e) The Committee s year of office shall be from the Ladies AGM which is normally held in November each year. f) Every position on the Committee shall be elected at the Ladies AGM. Nominations for these posts must be made prior to the AGM. If there is more than one nomination for any post, Members will be invited to a make a secret vote. For any Ladies unable to attend the meeting, they may submit a postal vote in advance of the meeting. Tellers shall provide a list of the number of votes cast. g) The result of the vote shall be announced. In the event of a tie in the vote for any office on the committee there shall be a re-vote and if there is still no outright winner, the incoming Captain shall have the casting vote. In these circumstances only those present at the meeting will be able to vote. h) With the exception of the position of Ladies Captain or Vice Captain, no Member may serve on the Committee, for more than three consecutive years, unless there are exceptional circumstances. In these cases the Member can be nominated to remain on the Committee for a maximum of one further year. Page 2 Amended version adopted at the Ladies AGM - 16 th November, 2011
i) No Member shall be eligible to stand for election to the Committee unless she has been duly proposed and seconded by a Lady Playing Member and her name has been posted on the Ladies Notice Board at least seven days prior to the day appointed for the Ladies AGM. j) No Member who retires from the Committee having completed her period of service under Rule 3(h) shall be eligible for re-election to the Committee for a period of one year following the date of her retirement. k) The Committee shall ensure that the Ladies Section funds are properly administered for the benefit of the Lady Members. l) The Committee shall cause proper records to be kept of all its proceedings and of the proceedings of Ladies General Meetings. m) The decision of the Committee in all matters shall be final. 4. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS a) The Ladies AGM shall be held in November each year. The Financial Year shall end on the 31 st October. b) Notices of resolutions must be sent in writing to the Secretary at least twenty one days before the Ladies AGM. c) All Members of the Ladies Section are eligible to vote at General Meetings. Postal voting forms shall be available for those unable to attend a General Meeting as soon as nominations for the Committee are closed and any resolutions posted. Notice of the Ladies AGM and Minutes of the previous Ladies AGM shall be available to all Lady Playing Members at least twenty one days before the date of the Meeting. d) The Ladies Captain may instruct the Secretary to call an Extraordinary General Meeting whenever it is considered necessary, or when required to do so by a written request signed by at least fifteen Lady Playing Members. The Meeting will be called within twenty one days of the date of the request and held within a further twenty one days. e) At all General Meetings thirty Lady Playing Members shall form a quorum. f) At all General Meetings a resolution put to the vote of the Meeting shall be decided on a written vote. In the case of an equal number of votes the Page 3 Amended version adopted at the Ladies AGM - 16 th November, 2011
Chairman (normally the Ladies Captain) of the Meeting shall have a second casting vote. g) The Minutes of the Ladies AGM should be agreed for accuracy at the first meeting of the Committee following the Ladies AGM. These will then be presented to the next Ladies AGM and agreement sought from the Members to adopt the Minutes of the last Ladies AGM. The Ladies Captain will sign the minutes as an official document of the Ladies Section. h) The Constitution and Rules shall be not be altered or amended except at the Ladies AGM or at an Extraordinary Ladies General Meeting convened for that purpose. 5. FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS a) The Treasurer, Ladies Captain and Ladies Vice Captain shall be signatories on the Ladies Section Bank Accounts. Two signatures shall be required for all cheques. b) The Treasurer shall draw up accounts of the Ladies Section which shall be audited prior to presentation to the Ladies AGM. 6. PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMITTEE a) Committee Members shall be notified of all Meetings. Four Members shall form a quorum, this to include the Captain or the Vice Captain in her stead. The Chairman of the Committee shall be the Ladies Captain but in her absence the Ladies Vice Captain shall take her place. b) The Committee shall run the competition program for the ladies within HGC and has the authority to charge entry fees for such competitions, the amount to be reviewed by the Committee from time to time. c) The Committee shall meet at least eight times per annum. d) Decisions arising at any Meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. In the case of an equal number of votes the Chairman shall have a second casting vote. No voting by post or proxy shall be allowed. e) The Ladies Captain shall have power to instruct the Secretary to convene a Committee Meeting at any time, specifying the business to be transacted. Any two Members of the Committee may ask the Secretary to convene a meeting if Page 4 Amended version adopted at the Ladies AGM - 16 th November, 2011
they wish to discuss any issue which must be specified, as a matter of urgency. A Committee member must declare any interest in matters under discussion and cannot vote on such subjects. The Committee Member may participate in the discussion but may not vote. f) The proceedings of the Committee shall be available to the Ladies Section. 7. COMPLAINTS AND DISCIPLINARY ISSUES a) All complaints must be made in writing to the Secretary and must be submitted by her to the Committee. The complainant has the right to appear before the Committee to state her case as made in her letter of complaint. The Committee will then discuss the matter in private. b) The Committee shall be responsible for considering minor disciplinary procedures that relate to matters in connection with the Ladies Section. This may relate to minor breaches in respect of the rules of ladies competitions etc.. c) The Committee shall have the power to admonish and or agree suitable conditions or penalty based on the nature of the disciplinary matter. d) All other complaints which relate to a Member s behaviour or that of his or her guests in the Clubhouse, the golf course or any other part of the Golf Club or when representing Hazlemere Golf Club Ladies Section away from its property shall be dealt with under the HGC Constitution. e) The Club s Constitution contains the Club s Complaints Procedure. 8. ASSETS AND DISSOLUTION a) The Ladies Section has the following assets: All monies in their bank account, or cash held that has been contributed by members, including ring-fenced money such as that held on behalf of the Ladies Captain for her nominated charity. The cups and trophies that have been donated to or purchased by the Ladies Section The competition boards that are for ladies competitions including Captains Boards b) The assets of the HGC and the assets of the HGC Ladies Section are separate and neither has a call on the other s assets. Page 5 Amended version adopted at the Ladies AGM - 16 th November, 2011
c) The HGC Ladies Section can only be disbanded by 75% of its members voting for this to happen at an extraordinary meeting called for this express purpose [as detailed in Section 4 d]. d) If the Ladies Section agrees to disband, the assets of the section; any funds that remain in the bank account or held as cash, after all outstanding debts are paid, will be decided by a vote at the above meeting. In the case of any funds which are ring-fenced, such as the Ladies Captain s Charity or money held on account of a designated recipient these will returned or sent to the nominated recipients. e) The cups, trophies and the trophy boards may be: i. Returned to the individual who donated them or to the surviving family. ii. Distributed in a way in which the Ladies Committee feels appropriate. Page 6 Amended version adopted at the Ladies AGM - 16 th November, 2011