CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS OF RANCHO PARK GOLF CLUB

 

ARTICLE I- NAME

 

The name of this organization shall be "Rancho Park Golf Club," hereinafter referred to as the "Club."

 

ARTICLE II- PURPOSE

 

The objectives of the Club are:

 

A.  To provide an authoritative body to govern and conduct Club competitions.

B.  To promote and foster among the members a closer bond and fraternity for their joint and mutual benefit.

C.  To maintain a uniform system of handicapping as set forth in the USGA Handicap System and issue SCGA/USGA Handicap Indexes to the members.

 

ARTICLE III- MEMBERSHIP

 

Section 1. Membership application shall be available to anyone over the age of 18. Exceptions can be made on a case by case basis by a majority vote of the Board of Directors ("Board"). Applicant will become a member upon being approved by the Board.

 

Section 2. Unless permitted by the Board, only members in good standing have the right to participate in Club activities.

 

Section 3. Members shall observe all rules of golf, courtesy and safety, as well as the policies of the Club.

 

Section 4. No member shall be deactivated or expelled from the Club except by the Board, and then only for failing to comply with Club’s Constitution or By-Laws or for conduct unbecoming of a Club member, and after considering a report and recommendations from the Grievance Committee, who shall have been charged with holding a full and complete hearing regarding the complaint against said member. Notice shall be given either by delivery of certified mail to the member's address or by electronic mail to the member's e-mail address, at least twenty-five (25) days prior to the meeting of the Board at which deactivation or expulsion will be considered, shall be given to the member involved in such action.

 

ARTICLE IV – BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

 

The Board shall consist of the Officers, the Directors at Large, the immediate Past-President, and the Chairpersons of Standing Committees, and they shall exercise all powers of management of the Club not specifically excepted by this Constitution or the Club's By-Laws.

 

Section 1. The Officers of the Club shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary.

 

Section 2. The Directors at Large shall consist of six (6) members who shall perform Club tasks at the direction of the President.  

 

Section 3. The Board may act only upon the favorable vote of at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the Directors then serving regardless of the number who vote.

 

Section 4. Any vacancy which occurs in the elected Board, other than the President, shall be filled by a person, appointed by the President, subject to approval of the Board. Said person shall fill the position for the remainder of the term.

 

Section 5. When a President of the Club vacates the office prior to the expiration of the term, the Vice-President shall be installed as President for the balance of the term.

 

Section 6. No Officer or Director at Large shall be impeached or removed from office except at a meeting of the General Membership after a full and complete hearing and recommendation by the Board. A two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the membership present at said meeting shall be necessary to impeach or remove said Officers or Directors.

 

Section 7. Submissions to the Board shall be sent to the e-mail or other address used by the President or as otherwise published to the Club membership by the President.

 

Section 8. It shall be the duty of the President to:

 

A.  Call all meetings of the general membership and Board.

B.  Preside at all business meetings of the Club and the Board.

C.  Authorize and define the powers and duties of all committees. Chairs and members of all committees shall be appointed and discharged by the President, and the President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.

 

Section 9. The Vice-President shall act as an assistant to the President, and in the President's absence shall perform the duties of the President, and shall also be an ex-officio member of all committees.

 

Section 10. The Secretary shall record the minutes of all meetings of the Club and include votes on all motions. The Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the Club except as otherwise delegated by the Board or President.

 

Section 11. The Treasurer shall handle all monies for the Club, keep itemized accounts of all financial transactions, and provide an annual report to the general membership. The Treasurer may make expenditures not to exceed three hundred dollars ($300.00) upon the authorization and direction of the President. Any larger expenditure shall require prior approval of the Board of Directors.

 

ARTICLE V – COMMITTEES

 

The following Standing Committees shall be appointed each year, with such other committees as the President may deem necessary or advisable:

 

Section 1. Tournament Committee, whose duties shall be to program and schedule Club tournaments and to manage and conduct tournaments and contests as scheduled.

 

Section 2. Handicap Committee, whose duties shall be to determine the handicap for each playing member of the Club in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Club.

 

Section 3. Membership Committee, whose duties shall be to investigate and act upon all applications for membership and to recommend appropriate action to the Board.

 

Section 4. Rules Committee, whose duties shall be to sponsor membership education in the rules of golf, and to settle all disputes concerning the rules.

 

ARTICLE VI – MEETINGS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

Section 1. The Board shall meet subject to the call of the President, or at the call of no less than one-third (1/3) of the members of the Board, but at least four (4) times per year.

 

Section 2. The Board of Directors shall meet with the membership at the annual General Membership meeting. The General Membership meeting must be announced to all Club members, via email, at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of the meeting. If more than one General Membership meeting is deemed necessary, at least two (2) weeks' notice must be given for each successive meeting.

 

ARTICLE VII – ELECTIONS OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS AT LARGE

 

Section 1. At least five (5) weeks prior to the General Membership meeting the Board shall appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of five (5) Club members. The Board will immediately alert the Club that the Nomination Committee has been formed, and that the candidates will be announced within one week.

 

Section 2. At least four (4) weeks prior to the General Membership meeting, the Nominating Committee shall submit to the Board, who shall then publish via email to the Club membership, a list of nominees for Officers and Directors.

A.  Club members can nominate their own candidate for any open position of Officer or Director, providing, within one week after the publication of the Nominating Committee's list, they submit to the Board the candidate's name, along with signatures in support from the lesser of twenty (20) Club members of good standing or ten percent (10%) of said Club members.

B.  If there are nominees submitted from membership, their names shall also be published via email to the Club membership within one week after submission of the signatures in support of such candidates. If there are no petitioned nominations, the nominees chosen by the Nominating Committee shall be deemed elected.

C.  No member of the nominating committee shall be eligible as a candidate for office.

 

Section 3. If there are nominees timely and properly submitted from the membership, voting shall take place at the General Membership meeting by secret ballot and those names receiving the greatest number of votes cast shall be declared to be elected. The Board shall appoint a committee of three (3) judges, who are not members of the Board or candidates for election, to supervise the election.

 

Section 4. The term of office for the Officers and Directors at Large shall be two (2) years commencing January 1 and ending December 31 of the next calendar year. Each year there shall be three (3) new Directors At Large elected who shall serve for a period of two (2) years.

 

ARTICLE VIII - AMENDMENTS. 

 

This Constitution may be amended by a majority of the members present at any General Membership meeting, provided the amendment or Constitution has been proposed and published in accordance with the Sections of this Article.

 

Section 1. The Board may propose an amendment by vote of seventy-five (75%) of the Directors.

 

Section 2. Amendments may be proposed by the membership, so long as said amendment is presented to the Board within four weeks before the General Membership meeting and accompanied by signatures in support thereof from the lesser of twenty (20) members in good standing or ten percent (10%) of said members.

 

Section 3. Amendments proposed by either the Board or the membership in accordance with foregoing sections shall be published by the Board and President via email to Club members along with a reminder of the date on which it will be voted upon at least two (2) weeks before the General Membership meeting.

 

BY-LAWS

 

SECTION 1 – AMENDMENTS

 

Part 1. These By-Laws may be amended by a vote of seventy-five percent (75%) of the Directors.

 

SECTION 2 – DUES AND FEES

 

Part 1. The annual dues and fees for membership in this Club shall be set by the Board.

 

Part 2. Members of the Board and Life Members shall be forgiven annual dues. Those members who have performed important services for the Club ("Volunteers") and whom the Board has determined to be entitled to be treated as Officers for purposes of dues payment shall likewise be forgiven annual dues.

 

Part 3. Life Members are members of the Club for so long as that member lives, and are entitled to all the privileges of a regular member.  Those who became Life Members prior to the adoption of this Constitution and all past Presidents shall be Life Members. In addition, the President, with approval from the Board, shall have the power to confer Life Membership upon any member who has served as a Volunteer for ten (10) consecutive years.

 

SECTION 3 – RULES OF ORDER

 

Robert's Rules of Order shall be the parliamentary authority for the conduct of the business of the Club, except as otherwise provided in Constitution or these By-Laws.

 

SECTION 4 – BOARD ACTION

The Board may act either at a meeting or by electronic means, voting in accordance with this Section. Unless an adopted Board motion appears on the Club website, the motion shall expire on the last day of the calendar year in which it was adopted. All electronic communications referred to in this Section shall become effective only when sent to each Board member. To pass the motion must receive "ayes" from a majority of the Board. The following provisions apply to a motion set forth via electronic means.

Part 1. The electronic motion shall be sent to the President and presented by the President to the Board within two (2) working days of receipt. Motion shall fail unless seconded within twenty-four (24) hours after it is presented to the Board.

 

Part 2. Discussion of a motion made by electronic means shall take place solely by electronic means but shall not commence until the motion is seconded.

 

Part 3. The President shall declare discussion closed no earlier than twenty-four (24) hours from the time the motion is seconded.

 

Part 4. Voting shall take place only after the President has declared discussion closed and shall take place for the lesser of two (2) working days or until enough positive votes for passage or negative votes for defeat have been given by electronic means.

 

Part 5. Except as otherwise herein stated, Robert's Rules of Order shall apply to electronic motions.

 

SECTION 5 - FINANCES

 

Part 1. The Board shall have no power to authorize, approve, or ratify, nor shall the President or any other representative of the Club have any power to enter any obligation involving payment or expenditure of the funds of the Club more than the cash balance in the Club treasury at the time of action.

 

Part 2. The Club shall bond the Treasurer in an amount not less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00), and may bond the Tournament Chairperson, Membership Chairperson or any other member of the Club in such amount as may be determined by the Board of Directors.

 

Part 3. No member of the Club shall obligate or encumber this organization with respect to contractual agreements or purchases without prior approval of the President or the Board.

 

SECTION 6 – NON-PROFIT

 

The Club is hereby declared to be organized for purposes other than pecuniary profit and does not and shall not contemplate the distribution of gains, profits, or dividends to members or officers.

(Effective Date: 2/5/18)