Constitution

MONMOUTHSHIRE LADIES’ COUNTY GOLF ASSOCIATION CONSTITUTION

1. TITLE

The Association shall be referred to as the “Monmouthshire Ladies’ County Golf Association” and shall henceforth be referred to as “the Association”. The Association boundaries are to the East, the River Wye, the West, the River Rumney, South the Bristol Channel and North the Herefordshire and Breconshire borders (see at Annexure A).

2. OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSOCIATION

The objectives of the Association are:

a. To further the interests of Ladies' and Junior Girls' Amateur Golf in Monmouthshire.
b. To maintain, administer and regulate the County Championships and all other competitions and events held under the auspices of the Association.
c. To manage the finances of the Association to ensure the interests of ladies’ and junior girls’ amateur golf in Monmouthshire are met.
d. To select and manage all County Teams.
e. To make, maintain and publish such rules and regulations as may be necessary for the above purpose in line with the Rules of Golf.

3. OFFICERS OF THE ASSOCIATION

The Officers of the Association are

a. President, who shall hold the post for three years, thereafter shall be ineligible for re-election to this office for three years.
b. Vice Presidents, who are elected as recognition for having given outstanding service to the County Association and their number is limited to six (6) at any one time (see Annexure B).
c. Captain, who is selected for two years immediately after serving two years as Vice-Captain. She is thereafter ineligible for re-selection to the office of Vice-Captain for a further two years.
d. Vice-Captain, who shall be proposed by the Captain with the support of the Executive.
e. Honorary Treasurer, Honorary Secretary and the Junior Organiser shall be nominated annually by the Executive and can stand for re-election each year.

All the above positions have to be ratified by the members at the Annual General Meeting.

4. MANAGEMENT

4.1 The management of the Association shall be undertaken by an Executive Committee and a General Committee.

4.1.1 The Executive Committee, hereafter referred to as ‘The Executive’ shall consist of The Officers of the Association, excluding the Vice-Presidents

4.1.2 The General Committee shall consist of:

The Executive
Vice-Presidents in a non-voting, advisory capacity.
One delegate from each of the affiliated clubs who is a member of that club and of the Association.

4.2 The Captain, in her absence the Vice-Captain, shall take the Chair at all meetings of the Executive and General Committee. Should both the Captain and Vice-Captain be absent, the President or any other Officer will chair.

4.3 At Executive and General Committee meetings, all Officers and nominated delegates (excluding Vice-Presidents) shall have a vote. When circumstances require it, the Chair shall also have a casting vote. The numbers necessary to form a quorum shall be four in respect of the Executive and nine, of which at least five shall be Club Delegates in respect of the General Committee.

4.4 A copy of all committee members’ job descriptions are available on the MLCGA website for information.

5 POWERS OF THE EXECUTIVE and GENERAL COMMITTEES

5.1 The Executive shall have the powers to:

a. To manage and approve all financial transactions and purchases required by the Association up to £500, expenditure over this amount must be approved prior to commitment of monies by a General Meeting.
b. To decide any honorarium or reasonable administrative/mileage expenses to be paid to any person acting on behalf of the Association
c. To make bylaws to meet temporary emergencies as they consider necessary for the wellbeing of the Association.
d. To be responsible for setting the criteria and rules of all competitions and events. Buggy policy is set out at Annexure D.
e. Have the right to discipline any member who has been found guilty of misconduct or any breach of the Rules. (See Annexure C) Any member who is dealt with under this Rule has the right of appeal
f. To assist with the arrangements for junior girls’ golf in the County (CRB checks etc.), ensuring the Junior Organiser and all adult participants are legally covered to do so

5.2 The General Committee shall act as the vital link between individual Clubs the Executive Committee and all members of the County Association. The General Committee will have powers to:

a. Form ad-hoc committees as required, e.g. Competitions, Juniors, Finance.
b. To propose Vice-Presidents whose numbers are limited to six (6) at any one time.
c. To appoint a selection sub-committee, consisting of The Captain, Vice-Captain, Junior Organiser and two other members of the Association. The Captain shall chair this sub-committee. Three members shall form a quorum. The Selection Committee will organise and oversee all coaching and training of the Senior and Junior Squads.

6. AFFILIATION OF CLUBS TO THE ASSOCIATION

6.1 A club wishing to become affiliated to the Association shall apply in writing to the Honorary Secretary. Subject to ratification of the Executive and payment of the appropriate subscription, the club shall be entitled to all privileges of membership of the Association.

6.2. Affiliation to the Association will require the club to consider staging County events on dates mutually agreed between the club and the Association.

6.3 The annual fee for affiliation of a club to the Association shall be proposed by the Executive and approved by the General Committee prior to being passed at the AGM, the rate to be recorded in the AGM minutes.

6.4 This fee shall be due on 1^st February each year and is to be paid by 1^st May of that year. In the event of the annual subscription not having been paid by 1^st June of that year, the affiliated club concerned shall be expelled from the Association with immediate effect and the Honorary Secretary shall confirm such expulsion in writing within 28 days.

7. MEMBERSHIP

Membership is open to all female golfers who are members of an affiliated club lying within the boundaries of the Association in the current year. Members can only be a member of one County Association in Wales, however they may be a member of an English, Irish or Scottish County Association.

8. FINANCE

8.1 The Association shall be financed by affiliation fees paid by the affiliated clubs and by competition entry fees and other monies raised/donated. The Honorary Treasurer shall be responsible for all monies belonging to the Association and shall pay all accounts passed by the Executive, obtaining receipts for the same.

8.2 The financial year shall terminate on 30^th September in each year. Accounts shall be prepared by the Treasurer. They will be reviewed by an independent suitably qualified person, who is not a member of the Executive Committee, or a review committee for presentation at the Annual General Meeting.

8.3 The accounts review committee shall consist of the President, Vice-Captain, 2 Club representatives. A minimum of 3 members must be present at each/any account review meeting.

9. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

9.1 The Annual General Meeting shall be held within the last fourteen days of October of each year in order to:-

Receive and adopt the report of the Captain
Receive and adopt the report of the Honorary Treasurer and Statement of Accounts, which have been independently examined. She will also present a forecast of future expenditure
Receive and adopt other reports
Elect and confirm appointments for which notice will have been given
Transact any other business, of which notice will have been given.

9.2 The President of the Association, or in her absence, The Captain, shall take the chair at General meetings. The Chairman of the Meeting shall have a casting vote

9.3. All full members of the Association shall be entitled to vote at General Meetings

9.4 The number necessary to form a quorum shall be 28.

9.5. Notice of any resolution to be considered at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting shall be given in writing to the Honorary Secretary, 6 weeks prior to the date of the meeting. The Secretary shall send notice of any such resolution to all members of the Executive and the affiliated Clubs.

9.6 Any changes to the Constitution must be considered and voted on at the Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting and accepted by a two third majority of the meeting. Any alteration or addition to the Constitution shall take effect from the date of the meeting.

9.7 In the event of any rule being breached, the Executive will take action and its decision shall be final.

Appendices to the Constitution:

A. Boundaries of The Monmouthshire County Association
B. Vice-Presidents
C. Discipline Procedure and Appeal
D. Buggy policy

APPENDIX A

BOUNDARIES OF THE MONMOUTHSHIRE COUNTY ASSOCIATION (Historic)

In 1925 when the “Monmouthshire Ladies’ County Golf Association” was inaugurated, the County Boundaries were as follows:-

By the Wye River in the East
By the Rumney River in the West (i.e. At the bottom of Rumney Hill, at the roundabout into the City of Cardiff)
By the Bristol Channel in the South
By the borders of Herefordshire and Brecon in the North

2. These boundaries have not changed and any club that lies within those boundaries is classed as being in the “Monmouthshire Ladies’ County Golf Association” area.

3. A map is available to be seen, should it be required.

APPENDIX B

VICE-PRESIDENTS

Vice Presidents are selected as recognition for having given outstanding service to the County Association. It is an honorary appointment and they serve in an advisory capacity.
Vice Presidents do not have a fixed term of office but should they be inactive for a period in excess of 12 months they will be contacted by the County President and asked if they wish to continue.
As a position of Vice President becomes vacant, a sub-committee will be convened to discuss the vacancy and may or may not decide to appoint a replacement at that time.
Unfilled vacancies for Vice President may be filled, by an appointed sub-committee, at any time a suitable candidate becomes available.
The maximum number of Vice Presidents at any one time has been set at six (6).

APPENDIX C

DISCIPLINE AND APPEAL PROCEDURE

1. DISCIPLINARY PANEL

1.1 The Disciplinary Panel, consisting of five members, shall have the power to act in the name of the County Association and determine disciplinary proceedings coming before it, with no referral back to the Executive Committee.

1.2 The County Captain, or Vice-Captain should the issue involve the Captain, will act as Chairman of the Panel. Panel members will be selected from Club representatives and Past Captains

1.3 Any member of the Disciplinary Panel declaring a conflict of interest in relation to a particular matter under consideration shall be excluded from the proceedings.

1.4 If a complaint has been made that warrants disciplinary action, then a Disciplinary hearing made up of any three of the five panel members shall be convened.

2. DISCIPLINARY HEARINGS

2.1 Any complaint must be in writing and signed with contact details (anonymous documents will not be considered) and lodged with the County Secretary within 7 days of the alleged incident.

2.2 The complaint must specify the details of the alleged incident or grounds for complaint including, if appropriate, which provision of the Rules of Golf has been breached.

2.3 Copies of the complaint must be sent to the Captain and to the Panel members and the member complained of, making it clear to the latter that, if she wishes, she may submit, in writing, any observations on the complaint within seven (7) days. It should be made clear that the Member is under no obligation to make any statement.

2.4 After 7 days the chairman of the Disciplinary Panel, should do the utmost to resolve the issue as soon as possible. The Panel may however be able to resolve the issue without a formal disciplinary hearing, if this is the case then the matter is deemed to have been resolved.

2.5 If however there is a formal disciplinary case to be made, the Captain will be responsible for convening the hearing formally and for selecting members to form the Disciplinary Panel.

2.6 In the event of a formal disciplinary hearing the Captain will inform the Disciplinary Panel, and the member/s against whom a complaint has been made, of the grounds of complaint, enclosing copies of any supporting information or written evidence which documents the complaint and shall invite that member to make written representations in answer to it, all within a reasonable time-scale not exceeding 14 days.

2.7 The Chair of the Disciplinary Panel shall convene a hearing of the Disciplinary Panel by serving not less than 14 days’ notice of the date, time and place of the hearing on members of the Disciplinary Panel, the Member who is the subject of the complaint and such other bodies or persons as the Chair of the Disciplinary Panel considers appropriate.

2.8 Any person who is subject to a disciplinary hearing shall be supplied with a copy of the original complaint and any additional material provided to the Disciplinary Panel, including notice of any witnesses to be called or their evidence.

3. MEMBERS RIGHTS

3.1 Each Member shall have a right to the following:

To be advised of the nature of the complaint
To be present in person at any hearing and to be advised 14 days in advance of the date, time and place of such hearing.
To representation by an observer or witness to the proceedings
To state her case, call relevant witnesses and provide evidence at this hearing.
A shorter notice period can be given if agreed with the respective parties to the hearing.
Names of any witnesses being proposed by the Member should be provided to the Captain five (5) days before any hearing.
If the Member is unable to attend at the meeting, she should notify the Captain in writing.
If the Member elects not to attend the meeting, without good reason, the disciplinary hearing may proceed in their absence.

4. DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES
4.1 Unless the Disciplinary Panel otherwise directs the procedure will be as follows:

The Disciplinary Panel will explain the process, the substance of the complaint and the right of appeal.
Any other witnesses to be called will then be heard (or in the situation where the witness is unable to attend, then their signed written statement will be read out).
Any witnesses are to be excluded from the hearing until required to give their evidence and must retire immediately after giving their evidence and answering any questions from the Disciplinary Panel.
Questioning of the parties or any witnesses may only be directed by the Disciplinary Panel or as otherwise permitted by the Disciplinary Panel at its discretion, acting fairly and reasonably.
Notification of the decision, including any sanctions, with appropriate reasons shall be issued by the County Secretary in writing, to the Member and all other persons concerned within 3 working days of the hearing.
The hearing of proceedings by the Disciplinary Panel shall be recorded by the taking of minutes.
The record of the proceedings and all papers associated with the proceedings shall be held by the County Secretary in a secure and appropriate manner for a minimum period of three years.
Copies of the record shall be made available to any person affected by the decision of the Disciplinary Panel or Appeals Committee.
Any notices or correspondence to be sent to any Member or person under these procedures shall be by first-class post or, if appropriate, secure electronic mail, to the last known address of that Member.
Notices and correspondence should be deemed to be delivered in relation to electronic mail and first-class post at the next day after sending. The relevant time period shall begin on the deemed date of receipt.

5. PENALTIES

5.1 If a member is found to be in breach of the rules of the County or Conduct unbecoming the Disciplinary Panel shall have the power to impose on the Member/s one or more of the following penalties:

Issue a letter warning the Member as to their future behaviour. All warnings should be recorded and held for a period of six months.
Suspension of membership of the County for a period decided by the Disciplinary Panel, with no refund of any membership fees.
Permanent withdrawal of membership, with no refund of any membership fees.
Request restitution where damage is done during an act of misconduct.

6. RIGHTS OF APPEAL AND APPEAL HEARING

6.1 A member wishing to appeal against a decision of, or penalty imposed by, the Disciplinary Panel under the disciplinary procedure above, shall lodge their appeal in writing with the County Secretary within 14 days of the date of the letter of notification of the decision by the Disciplinary Panel.

6.2 In the event of an appeal being lodged the following procedures will be followed:

Any penalty imposed by the Disciplinary Panel will be deferred pending the outcome of the appeal. If the penalty being appealed includes suspension (except where the original complaint was regarding the use of threatened or actual physical violence), the start of the period of suspension may be deferred pending the outcome of the appeal.
An Appeal Panel shall be appointed by the County President comprising three Executive Committee members, and/or Vice-Presidents and/or Past County Captains none of whom had been members of the Disciplinary Panel which reached the original decision on the matter, and the County President will chair the panel.
The County President shall give to the relevant member at least 14 days’ notice in writing of the date, time and place of the appeal hearing and shall give them the opportunity of being heard in person or by written submission.
The notice shall set out details of any additional evidence which has been made available to them since the original hearing.
If the member is attending the hearing in person they will receive any additional supporting information or written evidence which documents the complaint.
The Appeal Panel shall adjudicate upon the matter taking into consideration written or oral evidence of the relevant member and consider any additional information given to them, as it thinks fit.
The Appeal Panel may cancel, reduce, confirm or increase the penalty under appeal or substitute a penalty of a different form.
The hearing of proceedings by the Appeals Panel shall be recorded by the taking of minutes by the County Secretary or another nominated and appropriate person.
The record of the proceedings and all papers associated with the proceedings shall be held by the County Secretary in a secure and appropriate manner for a minimum period of three years.
Copies of the record shall be made available to any person affected by the decision of the Disciplinary Panel or Appeals Panel.
Any notices or correspondence to be sent to any Member or person under these procedures shall be first-class post or, if appropriate, secure electronic mail, to the last known address of that Member.
Notices and correspondence should be deemed to be delivered in relation to electronic mail and first-class post at the next day after sending. The relevant time period shall begin on the deemed date of receipt.

6.3. THE DECISION OF THE APPEAL PANEL IS FINAL.

APPENDIX D

BUGGY POLICY

1. Buggies are permitted without a medical certificate, subject to availability, and course conditions except in the County/Bronze Championships where a medical certificate is required.

2. A golf buggy may be used by a player in the County/Bronze Championships who can provide a valid, current medical certificate of disability and has:

Requested permission to use a golf buggy by the closing date for that competition
In the event that the disability arises less than14 days before the event the competitor must advise the County Secretary as soon as is practicable.

3. For disabled Players under the age of eighteen years a member of the Committee shall reserve the right to specify that the golf Buggy is driven by another person of that Committee member’s choice.

4. Individuals are responsible for:

Booking a buggy direct with the Club or Professional
Insurance if using their own personal buggy