Club Constitution

The Constitution and General Rules were reprinted in 2012 to incorporate all changes made by then.

An amendment to paragraph 3 was approved at the AGM of 2nd December 2013. This altered some membership categories and their definitions.
At the AGM of 3rd December 2018, an additional membership category (paragraph 3) was approved and the wording of paragraph 4 (f) was amended.
At the AGM of 7th December 2020 (held on Zoom), the compilation of the Management Committee was amended to confirm the position of Lady Vice-Captain as an Officer, with associated wording changes in paragraphs 5 (a), (b) and (c) .

1. Name
The name shall be Beauchief Golf Club hereinafter called “the Club”.

The Club shall be a 'not for profit’ organisation.

2. Objects
The objects of the Club shall be:
- To promote and further the interests of golf including the organising and holding of competitions.
- To support the principle and practice of the Equality policy of England Golf.
- To give monies to appropriate charities, if agreed by Club members at the AGM.
- To use any surpluses for the benefit of members.

If, at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), a resolution for the dissolution of the Club is passed by a majority of three-quarters of Full Members present and voting, the Committee must proceed to realise the property of the Club. A quorum for such a meeting shall be one hundred Full Members. On a ‘winding-up’ of the Club, no surplus shall be distributed other than to another non-profit making body, or in part or in whole to the Members on dissolution.

3. Membership
(a) There shall be seven categories of Membership:
1. Life Member
2. Honorary Member
3. Ordinary Member
4. Mature Member
5. Senior Long-Standing Member
6. Junior Member
7. Non-Playing/Social Member

1. Life Membership is awarded to Members in recognition of outstanding service to the Club. It may be proposed and seconded by Full Members of at least five years standing. Any such proposal must be sent in writing to the Secretary before the 1st September for approval by the Management Committee. If approved, the proposal will be added to the Club Annual General Meeting (AGM) agenda. Election will be by a majority vote of Full Members attending the AGM.

2. Honorary Membership is awarded, at the discretion of the Management Committee, to Members who have given notable service to the Club.

3. Ordinary Membership Any Member aged from 18 to 64 inclusive on 1st January of the membership year.

4. Mature Membership Any Member aged 65 or over on the 1st January of the membership year.

5. Senior Long-Standing Membership Any Member who has been awarded "Age and Service" Honorary Membership before January 1st 2014.

6. Junior Membership Any Member aged under 18 on 1st January of the membership year.

7. Non-Playing/Social Membership A membership category for those wishing to retain an association with the Club. This includes Members who are unable to play for extended periods due to age, health or incapacity reasons.

(b) Voting rights: Members in categories (1), (2), (3), (4) and (5) shall hereinafter be referred to as Full Members and only Full Members shall be entitled to vote at General Meetings.

(c) Application for Membership shall be made on current application forms provided by the Club. All completed application forms (or the relevant details there from) shall be displayed at the Club for at least 14 days before the Club accepts the applicant as a Member. The Management Committee of the Club shall have the power to accept or reject any application for Membership.

(d) Where not provided for in these General Rules, the conditions of Membership (if any) shall be decided by the Management Committee and any such conditions shall be displayed at the Club.

4. Entry Fees and Subscriptions
(a) The Entry Fees and Annual Subscriptions for categories (3), (4), (5), (6) and (7) shall be fixed from time to time by an ordinary resolution at the AGM, or at any General Meeting of the Club.

(b) Annual Subscriptions are due in advance on the 1st December of each year (for the year commencing 1st January following) and must be paid before the 31st January of that year.

(c) A Member whose subscription has not been paid by the last day of January will, at the Management Committee’s discretion, cease to be a Member. Any such former Member may apply to rejoin the Club in the usual way, but a new Entry Fee will be payable.

(d) No Member will be eligible to enter any competition of the Club, after the 31st January, until the Annual Subscription has been paid.

(e) New Members accepted after the 31st August will not be liable to pay the Annual Subscription due on the 1st December of the same year.

(f) Life and Honorary Members will not be required to pay an Annual Subscription fee but will be liable for the affiliation and insurance elements of the fee, if still playing.

5. Officers & the Management Committee
(a) The Management Committee, hereinafter referred to as “the Committee”, shall consist of ten Officers and eight Committee Members and the Immediate Past President who shall be an ex-officio Member. Subject to the provisions contained in these rules, the management and control of the assets, funds and affairs of the Club shall be vested in the Committee. The Committee shall be representative of as wide a spectrum of the Club membership as possible.

(b) The Officers shall be the President, three Vice-Presidents, the Captain, the Lady Captain, the Vice-Captain, the Lady Vice-Captain, the Secretary, the Treasurer. The Officers shall be elected at the AGM to serve for one year from the 1st January following the AGM. Retiring Officers shall be eligible for re-election at the AGM.

(c) Committee Members: at each AGM, four Committee Members shall be elected to each serve for two years, from the 1st January following the AGM. Committee Members who have completed their term of office shall be eligible for re-election.

6. Electoral Rules and Procedures
(a) To be eligible to stand, for election or re-election, to serve as an Officer or Committee Member, a candidate must be a consenting Full Member of at least two years standing.

(b) Any two Full Members shall be at liberty to nominate any Full Member(s) to serve on the Committee, provided that such nomination shall be sent in writing to the Secretary, on or before the 1st October in the relevant year.

(c) A list of nominations, including the names of retiring Officers and Members of the Committee seeking re-election, shall be sent to all Full Members with a notice convening the AGM.

(d) Each Full Member present at the AGM shall be entitled to vote for any number of candidates, not exceeding the number of vacancies. Where there is more than one candidate for any position a secret ballot shall be held. Scrutineers shall be appointed by the Full Members present to count and certify to the Chair the result of the ballot. If two or more candidates have an equal number of votes, the Chair shall exercise his/her casting vote. If there are more than four vacancies on the Committee, any such vacancies may also be filled by a candidate standing for election.

(e) If there are insufficient candidates to fill all the vacancies, the Chair shall have the sole authority to accept candidates from the floor to fill any or all of the remaining vacancies.

7. The Committee
(a) Subject to the provision of the Rules, the Committee shall regulate its mode of procedure and shall meet at such times and places as deemed necessary and convenient for the transaction of business. The quorum for conducting any business other than disciplinary matters, shall be five. All Officers and Committee Members shall have equal voting rights.

(b) All matters, except where otherwise stated, not unanimously agreed upon by the Committee shall be decided by a majority vote of those present. If the votes are equally divided, the Chair shall have a casting vote.

(c) The Committee may delegate any of it’s powers, except those contained in Rules 3, 7d, 7e and 11, to sub-committees consisting of such members of the Committee or the Club as they think fit. Any sub-committee shall, in exercise of the powers so delegated, conform with any regulations that may be imposed on it by the Committee. Officers shall serve on the Committee and be ex-officio members of all sub-committees.

(d) With the exception of the President or the Vice-Presidents, the Committee may fill any interim vacancies on the Committee with such Full Members as it deems fit. Such members shall hold office until 31st December of that year.

(e) The Management Committee shall have the power to make, alter or rescind any bye-law or regulations that they deem advisable for the well-being of the Club, provided that the bye-law or regulation is not inconsistent with the General Rules. Any such bye-laws or regulations shall be in force until set aside by a General Meeting of the Club.

(f) The Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the Club and have custody of all documents belonging to the Club. The Secretary shall keep full and correct minutes of all proceedings and produce the same at all Committee meetings.

(g) The Treasurer shall be responsible for all monies in connection with the Club and shall tender an Income and Expenditure account at each Committee meeting. The Treasurer shall also render an annual account, made up to the 30th September each year, to the Auditors. The Treasurer shall only make payments on the authority of the Committee.

(h) In the absence of the Secretary or the Treasurer, the Committee may appoint a suitable person(s) to carry out their duties.

8. Annual General Meeting
(a) The AGM shall be held at such a place and hour on such a day in November or December as the Committee may from time to time decide.

(b) The business of the AGM shall consist of:
1. The consideration and adoption of the Management Committee’s Report and Financial Statement.
2. The election of Officers and Committee Members.
3. The election of the Honorary Auditor(s).
4. Alterations or additions to these Rules.
5. Such other business as specified in the notice convening the AGM.

(c) No Motion or Resolution relating to matters other than the Accounts, Reports and Election of the Committee and Auditors shall be proposed at the AGM, (except by the consent of the Chair) unless a copy of such motion or resolution has been received by the Secretary on or before the 1st October in that year.

(d) Not less than 14 days notice of the AGM. and of every Motion and Resolution to be proposed thereat, shall be sent to every Member, and a similar notice shall be exhibited on the Club notice boards.

9. Extraordinary General Meetings
The Secretary shall call an EGM at any time when directed by the Committee, or upon receipt of a requisition signed by 50 Full members and stating the object of the EGM. Such an EGM shall be called within 28 days following the next Committee meeting. Every Full Member shall be notified and no other business shall be taken at such an EGM.

10. Conduct of General Meetings
(a) At every General Meeting, each Full Member shall have one vote on any resolution(s) put to the meeting. Other categories of membership shall not be entitled to vote. In the case of an equality of votes, the Chair shall be entitled to a second, or casting, vote. No business shall be transacted at any General Meeting unless a quorum of Full Members is present. A quorum shall be 30 Full Members.

(b) The President shall preside as Chair at every General Meeting of the Club and at every Committee Meeting. If the President is not available, the most senior vice-president shall take the Chair.

11. Disciplinary Procedure
If the conduct of any Member shall, in the opinion of the Committee, be in any way detrimental or injurious to the reputation or interest of the Club, the Committee shall, and is hereby empowered to, impose disciplinary action on such a Member.

(a) Warnings: The Disciplinary sub-committee shall comprise a minimum of 3 members of the Management Committee and shall have the power to give verbal or formal written warning(s).

(b) Suspension: The Committee shall have the power to impose a period of suspension on a Member. The period of suspension shall not exceed 12 months.

(c) Expulsion: The Committee shall have the power to ask a Member to resign. If the Member declines, the Committee shall have the power to expel such Member.

A quorum for (b) and (c) is 10 and any action shall have the backing of two-thirds of those Members of the Committee present.

Such disciplined Members have a right of appeal within seven days. Any appeal shall be made to the Committee and be heard within 28 days of a written request of appeal being lodged with the Secretary.

Appeals will be heard by the Management Committee, in the case of (a), and by an ad hoc Appeal Committee of at least 3 longstanding Club members, in the case of (b) and (c).

In all cases the Committee decision is final.

12. Alteration of Rules
(a) No alteration of, or addition to, these general Rules shall be made save by a majority of two-thirds of the Full Members present and voting at the AGM or an EGM, called for this purpose.

(b) Notice of any proposed alteration or addition to the Rules at an AGM must be given in writing by a Full Member and received by the Secretary not later than 1st September of that year.