Article I – Name
The name of this organization shall be Belle Meade Country Club Men’s Golf Association (BMMGA or “The Association”).
Article II – Object
The object of The Association is the following: (1) To promote organized golf for the members of Belle Meade Country Club by giving each member who joins The Association an opportunity to participate in organized play; (2) to provide golfing competitions designed to encompass all levels of handicaps; (3) to recognize the established Rules of Golf as set forth in the USGA Rule of Golf; and (4) to foster good fellowship among our members.
The Association also gives its membership the opportunity for input and recommendations to Club management and to organize and operate its own programs and events. The Association has no responsibility for the Club’s policies, actions, procedures, finances, or control of the club personnel.
Article III – Authority and Limitations
The Association is organized under and will operate in full compliance with the bylaws and the Rules and Regulations of Belle Meade Country Club.
Article IV – Meetings
Section I – Scheduled Meetings
a) There shall be scheduled quarterly meetings of The Association the 2nd Tuesday of each quarter at the Club at 6:30 p.m. Officers for the following year will be elected at the meeting in October.
Section II – Special Meetings
a) Special meetings may be called at any time and place by the President or by the Vice-President in the event of absence or disability of the President.
b) Special meetings may also be called if petitioned by a minimum of 25% of the members.
Section III – Meeting Location
a) The place of such meetings shall be the Club, or such other place may be specified in the notice of such meeting.
Section IV – Meeting Notification
a) Notice of all regular meetings shall be published in the Club newsletter or posted in the Club at least ten days prior to such meetings.
b) Special meetings called under provision of Section 2.a shall be posted in the Club in a reasonable amount of time prior to such meetings.
c) Special meetings called under provision of Section 2.b shall be posted in the Club at least ten days prior to such meetings.
Article V – Amendments
The Constitution may be altered or amended by majority affirmative votes of The Association membership voting at any regular or special meeting held in conformity with the Constitution and By-Laws, providing the proposed changes have been published in the Club newsletter or posted in the Club at least ten days prior to such meeting.
Article VI – Conduct of Officers
The Officers of The Association are expected to act in the best interest of The Association. If an Officer is found to have acted in a manner that is detrimental to The Association, he may be removed from office by majority affirmative votes of The Association membership voting at any regular or special meeting held in conformity with the Constitution and By-Laws.
By-Laws
Article I – Membership
Any adult male member of Belle Meade Country Club (18 years of age or older) may become a member of The Association provided he meets the following criteria:
1. Must be a member in good standing of Belle Meade Country Club
2. Must properly maintain a current USGA handicap.
3. Must pay Association dues.
Article II – Officers, Appointed Roles/Committees, and Their Duties
Section I – Administration
a) The Association is administered by a Board of Directors (“The Board”). Each Officer on the Board has defined duties which in total cover the full range of administrative needs of the Association.
Section II – Elected Officers
a) The elected officers of The Association shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Section III – The President
a) The President shall preside at all meetings of The Association and shall have general supervision of all affairs of The Association.
b) In the absence of the President, the duties of the office shall be performed by the Vice-President.
c) The President or his appointed representative shall serve as liaison between The Association and other golf associations at the Club and area golf associations.
Section IV – The Vice-President
a) The Vice-President will perform specific duties assigned to him by the President and perform the duties of the President as stipulated in Article II, Section 3.b.
b) The Vice-President will Co-chair the Tournament Committee.
Section V – The Secretary
a) The Secretary shall keep records of the meetings of The Association
b) The Secretary shall attend to the necessary correspondence of The Association and perform such other duties as prescribed by the Officers.
c) The Secretary will read the minutes of all business meetings and take care of all correspondence.
d) The Secretary will maintain official organization records, including Constitution and By-Laws.
e) The Secretary will publish the annual tournament schedule in conjunction with the Tournament Committee and the annual roster in conjunction with The Treasurer.
Section VI – The Treasurer
a) The Treasurer shall receive all monies and pay all bills owed by The Association.
b) The Treasurer will record all receipts and disbursements as they occur in an appropriate ledger and will maintain and deposit all funds in a checking account.
c) The Treasurer will reconcile and retain bank statements and financial reports.
d) The Treasurer will maintain a complete membership roster in conjunction with the Secretary and Handicap Chairman.
e) The Treasurer reports at all Board meetings on the financial condition of The Association.
f) The Treasurer’s records shall be retained for five years.
Section VII – Appointed Roles/Committees
a) The President shall appoint the following Roles and Committees
(i). The Tournament Committee
(ii). The Handicap Chairman
(iii). The Entertainment Chairman
Section VIII – The Tournament Committee
a) The Tournament Committee shall consist of a minimum of two members.
b) The Tournament Committee shall be responsible for planning, conducting, and keeping records of all Association tournaments. General instructions and rules shall be posted before the event.
c) The Tournament Committee can also coordinate activities with the Club professional for tournaments sponsored by the Club.
Section IX – The Handicap Chairman
a) The Handicap Chairman shall monitor and ensure handicap compliance under USGA rules.
b) The Handicap Chairman shall be responsible for assuring all competitors have current handicaps.
c) The Handicap Chairman will maintain the handicap records provided by the Club to assure proper pairings, recording of scores, and analysis to tournament results.
d) The Handicap Chairman will post all GSGA and USGA releases of pertinence to the membership.
e) The Handicap Chairman may appoint two members to assist him in his duties.
Section X – The Entertainment Chairman
a) The Entertainment Chairman shall organize and coordinate social events for The Association.
b) The Entertainment Chairman may appoint assistants as necessary to assist him in his duties.
Section XI– Vacancies
a) Vacancies in the offices of President, Vice-President, Secretary, or Treasurer shall be filled by the Association at its next meeting after the occurrence of such vacancy.
b) Vacancies in the appointed positions of Handicap Chairman, Entertainment Chairman or Tournament Committee shall be filled immediately by the President.
Section XII– Other Association Committees
a) The President shall appoint as many committees as he considers necessary to assist in running events and programs.
Section XIII– Club Committees
a) At the Club’s request, the President shall appoint Association members to serve on Club committees.
Section XIV– Term of Service
a) The Officers shall serve for a term of 1 year.
b) The Officers shall take office January 1 of the year following their election.
c) The Handicap Chairman, Entertainment Chairman and Tournament Committee members shall serve for the remainder of the year following their appointment or until their appointments are revoked by the President.
Article III – Elections
The Association shall hold its annual elections during the October meeting. Nominations can be made from the floor the evening of the election. Each officer will be individually elected by majority of those voting in attendance.
Article IV – Order of Business
The Order of Business at any meeting shall be as follows:
1. The President shall call the meeting to order.
2. The Secretary shall read the minutes from the previous meeting.
3. The Treasurer shall deliver a financial report.
4. The Tournament Committee will provide a report of matters related to past and upcoming tournaments.
5. The Handicap Chairman will report on any issues regarding handicaps.
6. The Entertainment Chairman will report on any issues regarding past and upcoming social events.
7. Old business.
8. New business.
9. Adjournment.
Article V – Amendments
These By-Laws may be altered or amended by majority affirmative votes from the membership voting at any regular or special meeting of The Association. The proposed changes will have to be previously posted in the Club newsletter or posted in the Club at least ten days prior to such meeting.
Article VI – Finances
Section I – Dues and Assessments
a) The annual dues shall be set by the Officers prior to the beginning of each year.
Section II – Fees and Expenditures
a) Officers may propose fees as deemed necessary or beneficial for the Association’s operation. Such proposals shall be approved by majority of those members voting in attendance.
b) No member of the Association shall receive any compensation for services rendered to the Association.
c) The President, Vice-President and Treasurer are authorized to sign checks.
Section III – Records
a) Treasurer shall keep a written record of all deposits and expenditures.
b) An annual review of the Treasurer’s records shall be made by a committee appointed by the President. The review shall be made prior to the last Officer meeting of the year. The Treasurer shall report at that meeting on the audited financial condition of the Association. The President shall review and verify the Treasurer’s accounts at least every second month.
Article VII – Tournaments
Section I – Eligibility
a) A player must be a member in good standing of both the Club and The Association to play in tournaments. Upon notification that a member is not in good standing, he will have 15 days to resolve the matter. If not, he will be excluded from tournament events for a minimum of 30 days after the matter is resolved (a member in good standing has no indebtedness to the Club or The Association).
b) A player shall maintain a proper USGA handicap in order to play in a tournament (refer to Article VIII – Handicaps) and pay the tournament entry fee.
c) New members without established handicaps desiring to play in Association tournaments will be assigned handicaps by the Handicap Chairman in conjunction with the Club Professional based on guidelines established in the USGA Handicap Manual.
Section II – Tournaments
a) The Association is responsible for conducting tournaments for Association members. A schedule of tournaments will be proposed by the Tournament Committee and presented at the January meeting of The Association. Tournaments may be added or cancelled during the course of the season by the Tournament Committee based on need or circumstances within the Association and/or Club.
b) Scorecards to be used in scheduled competition will be provided by the Tournament Committee. They will be available at the Pro Shop desk during check in. The first name listed on the card is considered Captain of the group. His responsibilities are as follows:
(i) Keeping score.
(ii) Knowing the format of that day’s competition and reviewing it with the members of his group.
(iii) Enforcing the rules of golf and rules for the day.
(iv) Turning in a properly totaled and completed scorecard to the Tournament Committee immediately after the round
(v) To maintain ‘pace of play’ within his group.
c) Tournament schedules, entry deadlines, pairings, starting times, entry fees will be posted on the clubhouse bulletin board, the club newsletter and the club web-site.
d) To enter an event, your name MUST be on the sign-up sheet prior to the entry deadline for the particular event.
e) Pairings and starting assignments will be made by the Tournament Chairman and will be posted in the pro shop.
f) Each ENTRANT is responsible for checking his starting time.
g) Check in and payment of fees should be done at least 30 minutes before designated tee times to prevent overloading the Pro Shop staff and to prevent tournament delays.
h) Dress Code: Golf slacks or Bermuda shorts and appropriate golf shirt are required attire for participation in Association tournaments
Article VIII – Handicaps
As per the USGA, each player is responsible for knowing the rules regarding handicaps. [NOTE: Rules governing the proper posting of scores for handicap purposes may be obtained either from the Club Professional or on the website WWW.USGA.ORG .
a) All scores are required to be submitted for handicap determination. Rule 4-3 of the USGA Handicap Manual governing Equitable Stroke Control shall apply when calculating scores posted.
(i) The Equitable Stroke Control adjustment table shall be prominently posted in the immediate vicinity of the scorecard box in the Club pro shop.
b) The Handicap Chairman will periodically review postings for accuracy and compliance. Discrepancies in posting will be adjusted to insure accuracy.
c) A member who continually violates USGA Handicap Manual Section 8-4c/5 “Player Manipulates Round” will be removed from MGA membership and the Head Professional will be advised of the player’s violations of USGA Handicap system.