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CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS OF SENIOR MEN’S GOLF ASSOCIATION OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND INCORPORATED ARTICLE I – Name Section 1 This Association shall be known as and recognized by the name “Senior Men’s Golf Association of Hilton Head Island, Incorporated." ARTICLE II – Purpose Section 1 The objectives of this Association are to encourage friendly competition in the game of golf by holding regularly scheduled tournaments for its members, as well as regulating, promoting and encouraging the game of golf among its membership. ARTICLE III – Member Clubs Section 1 a. A member club must have regular golfing members with a USGA handicap. b. There must be at least one regular golfing member that belongs to the SMGA. c. A member club must be approved by the SMGA Board of Governors d. A member club must agree to host at least one SMGA tournament each year. Section 2 a. A new golf club joining the SMGA will be allowed to place five (5) members at the top of the waiting list for the next calendar year. b. Any member club that has less than five (5) members will be permitted to place members at the top of the waiting list for the next calendar year until they have a total of five (5) members. c. Hilton Head Island shall include those clubs within a 14 mile radius from the corner of Chamber Drive and William Hilton Parkway (U.S. 278) or are wholly located within Beaufort County and East or South of SC 170. ARTICLE IV – Members Section 1 Only those men who: a. Have reached their fifty-fifth (55) birthday, b. Are primary residents eligible to vote in Beaufort County, South Carolina, c. Have a USGA Index not exceeding 22.5 at date of application and election (date of notice of acceptance sent to new members), and d. Are regular golfing, not social, members of one of the Golf Clubs designated by the Board of Governors as an approved member club, may apply and/or be elected to membership in the association. Section 2 a. Regular membership in the Organization shall be limited to a maximum number to be determined by the Board annually at its September meeting. The intent will be to invite all those applying for membership in the preceding calendar year while keeping the overall membership at a manageable level. The membership will be divided into two sections, White and Green, as determined by the Board of Governors. b. Those members of the Association who have reached their 75th birthday shall be reclassified as Honorary members the following year, provided they have served a minimum of one year as a regular member. Such members upon payment of the regular annual dues shall be entitled to all rights and privileges of the association and shall be exempt from playing the designated number of tournaments required by Article XII, Section 2, of the By-Laws. Their I.D. number will contain an “H” in front of their White or Green indication. c. Those Honorary members upon reaching their 20th consecutive year of membership shall become “Emeritus Members” and in addition to the privileges accorded Honorary Members shall be exempted from paying regular annual dues. Their I.D. number will contain an “E” in front of their White or Green indication. Emeritus members will be exempt from the requirement to maintain a membership in a member club, if they are no longer participating in SMGA golfing events. Section 3 a. Any member expecting to be physically unable to enter the minimum number of tournaments required by Article XII, Section 2, of these By-Laws, may submit a letter to the Membership Committee requesting a medical excuse. This letter must include a statement from his physician describing and estimating the duration of the physical impairment. A letter will be sent to the member making the request stating the conditions under which the request is granted or not granted. b. A Leave of Absence for one calendar year may be granted if requested prior to the beginning of the year at the discretion of the Board of Governors. During the Leave, no dues will be required. At the end of the one-year period, the member will be issued a new identification number and restored to full rights and privileges of membership. Leaves of Absence will not be granted for a period exceeding one calendar year. c. A Leave of Absence for less than one year may be granted at the discretion of the Board of Governors. A written request for the leave must be submitted to the Membership Committee citing the reasons for such leave. Such a leave will be considered for reasons such as family illnesses or unexpected personal reasons. If granted, the member will not have to meet the minimum event requirement; but in no case will the leave be granted solely for the purpose of avoiding the minimum event requirement. Section 4 Any member may be expelled from membership by the Board of Governors after being informed of the charges against him and being allowed to be heard; such vote to be by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the total Board of Governors. Section 5 a. Applications for membership shall be submitted on an application form provided by the Board of Governors. Applicants must meet all membership requirements (Article IV, Section 1) at the time the application is submitted. Applicants for membership must be sponsored by a SMGA member in good standing and endorsed by the member club SMGA Board representative. b. An applicant rejected by the Board of Governors will not be eligible for membership consideration for a one year period. Section 6 When a member resigns form the SMGA, he forfeits the full rights and privileges of membership and is not eligible to reapply for membership during that calendar year. Dues paid for that year will not be refunded. When a SMGA member resigns from his member club and does not join another member club, he forfeits his full rights and privileges of membership in the SMGA. Dues paid for that year will not be refunded. He may re-apply for membership if he subsequently becomes a member of an approved member club. ARTICLE V – Board of Governors Section 1 The affairs of the Association shall be governed by a Board of Governors composed of fifteen (15) members. At each annual meeting, a sufficient number of Governors will be elected to maintain the Board membership at fifteen (15). Governors shall be elected to serve for terms of three (3) years beginning on January 1, or until their successors are elected, to fill vacancies occurring by expiration of terms of Governors. Section 2 The Board of Governors shall decide all questions not determined by the By-Laws and fill all vacancies on the Board of Governors and Officers. If a member of the Board is unable to serve, the President, with the approval of the Board, shall appoint a replacement to complete that member’s term. The Board of Governors shall have the authority to construe and interpret these By-Laws and Constitution, and any decision made by the Board of Governs shall be binding on all members. Section 3 Each club holding membership in the Association, as provided in Article III, Section 1, shall at all times be represented by a member on the Board of Governors. Each representative will be recommended by the President and approved by the Board. Section 4 Any Board member may succeed himself if renominated and reelected. Section 5 The Board of Governors shall elect and be administered by the following officers, including, but not limited to: President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. ARTICLE VI – Officers Section 1 The Officers of the Association shall consist of President, two (2) Vice-Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer and Technology Chairman. Section 2 The officers shall be elected by a majority vote of those present at the monthly Board of Governors meeting held prior to the Annual Meeting of the Association. Term of office for all officers of the Association shall be for a period of one (1) year, or until their successors are elected and shall assume office January 1st of the ensuring year. Announcement of new officers will be made to the membership at the Annual Meeting. Section 3 The President shall be responsible to the Board of Governors for the operations of the Association. He shall preside at all meetings of the Association; he shall be an “Ex-Officio” member of all committees except the Nominating Committee. Section 4 The First Vice-President shall be Chairman of the Tournament Committee. Section 5 The Second Vice-President shall be Chairman of the Membership Committee. Section 6 The Vice-Presidents, in descending order, shall perform all the duties of the President in the event of his absence. Section 7 The Treasurer shall have care and custody of all moneys, funds and properties of the Association and, in addition, shall: a. Deposit or cause to be deposited all such moneys of the Association in and at such depository as the Board of Governors shall from time to time approve, b. Be responsible for the collection of all accounts and maintain proper books of accounts, c. Have the power to endorse for deposit all checks, drafts, or notes in such a manner as may be approved by the Board of Governors, d. Be responsible for the payment of all debts and obligations after they have been approved by the President, the Board of Governors, or the Chairman of the Committee who incurred them, and e. Render an annual statement of the receipts and expenditures for the preceding year at each Annual Meeting and such other reports for the preceding year at each Annual Meeting as the Board of Governors may request. Section 8 The Secretary shall: a. Give notice of the meetings of the Association and the Board of Governors and keep the minutes thereof, b. Have prime responsibility for the preparation, printing and distribution of the annual handbook, c. Prepare letters that are intended for distribution to the general membership, and d. Have other powers and duties as assigned by the Board of Governors of the Association. Section 9 The Technology Chairman shall: a. Coordinate the transmission of information between the event chairmen and the Technical Associate. b. Have responsibility for hiring and supervising of the Technical Associate and Web Master. c. Create the necessary forms for the communication of all tournament information between the event chairmen and the web site. d. Maintain a list of SMGA member club contact information. ARTICLE VII – Annual Dues Section 1 The Board of Governors of the Association shall set the membership dues for the next year, and such dues shall be payable no later than the date specified in the “Dues Notice” Letter sent to members by the secretary, or, in the case of a new member, within thirty (30) days after his notification of election. Section 2 Any member not paying his annual dues by the specified date shall be dropped from the roll of the Association, subject to review of the Board of Governors. Section 3 Any member whose membership has been terminated in accordance with Section 2 of this Article may be reinstated to membership only upon his re-election as a member by the Membership Committee and payment of all past dues. ARTICLE VIII – Committees and Their Duties Section 1 Tournament Committee a. The Chairman of the Tournament Committee shall be the First Vice-President. b. The Committee shall be appointed by the Chairman with the approval of the President. c. The Committee shall undertake the management of all tournaments and shall have complete responsibility for the programs and conditions of all tournaments, but in accordance with such guidelines as the Board may establish. d. The Committee shall be the arbitrator of all complaints and appeals pertaining to the tournaments and the players. In the event that a member wishes to appeal the findings of the Tournament Committee, he may appeal to the Board of Governors. e. The Committee shall have the power to purchase all prizes and enter into any arrangements and incur any expenses considered necessary for the successful conduct of the tournaments not exceeding, however, the amounts appropriated for the purpose by the Board of Governors. Section 2 Membership Committee a. The Chairman of the Membership Committee shall be the Second Vice-President. b. The Committee may consist of two (2) or more members who shall be appointed by the Chairman with the approval of the President. c. All applications for membership shall be reviewed for proper qualifications by the Membership Committee. The Chairman shall review with the Board the names of all applicants for membership. No applicant shall be approved as a member of the Association except upon the affirmative vote of the Board of Governors. d. The Membership Committee shall notify the applicant of the receipt and date of his application and, when eligible for membership, the amount of annual dues. e. The application of any applicant that is rejected by the Committee shall be submitted to the Board for review. f. The Committee may grant a leave of absence to any member for up to one year with automatic reinstatement at the end of that time, providing he is a member in goodstanding. g. It shall be the responsibility of the Board Representative from each member club to notify the Membership Chairman of the change in status of SMGA members of that club which would render them ineligible to continue membership in SMGA, such as a change in residence (no longer full time), or failure to maintain golfing membership in an SMGA club. If An SMGA member club arbitrarily refuses to conduct the one tournament per year, it shall be the Membership Committee’s responsibility to recommend to the Board of Governors whether to grandfather existing members or drop them and admit additional new members from the current waiting list. The Board of Governors’ vote on this shall be final and binding. It shall be the Membership Chairman’s responsibility to notify those members being dropped for either a change in status or failure to play in the required number of tournaments (presently 6). Section 3 Technology Committee a. The committee may consist of two (2) or more members who shall be appointed by the Chairman with the approval of the President. b. The Committee shall undertake to research and apply computer software, equipment and applications to continuously improve all processes used to conduct SMGA activities. c. The Committee shall document all current processes and propose changes to the processes as technology advances. d. The Committee shall train each Board of Governors member in using computer programs as necessary. e. The Committee shall train outside resources utilized to perform SMGA computerized administrative duties as necessary. Section 4 Nominating Committee a. The Chairman of the Nominating Committee shall be a past President who will be selected by the currentPresident subject to the approval of the Board of Governors. b. The Committee shall consist of up to five (5) members who shall be appointed by the Chairman subject to the approval of the Board of Governors. No member of the Nominating Committee shall be a member of the Board of Governors. c. No club shall be represented on the Committee by morethan one (1) member. d. It is the responsibility of the Nominating Committee to recruit replacements for those Board members whose term is expiring. These nominations shall reflect that no more than two (2) members of the Board may be from the same club. e. The membership shall be notified of the Nominating Committee’s report not less than thirty (30) days prior to the Annual Meeting. f. Other nominations may be made by the membership in the form of a written statement filed with the Secretary and signed by not less than ten (10) percent of all the members of the Association in good standing from at least three (3) different clubs. Such nominations shall be submitted to the Secretary not less than ten (10) days before the Annual Meeting of the Association. Section 5 Audit Committee a. The Chairman of the Audit Committee shall be appointed by the President and shall not be a current Board member. b. The Committee may consist of one or more members. The Chairman is responsible to select a current member or a professional to review the financial records and issue a statement to the President. c. The President shall review the statement and report to the Board prior to the Annual Meeting of the Association. ARTICLE IX – Meetings Section 1 The Annual Meeting of the Association shall be held on the date and at a place determined by the Board of Governors. At such meeting, Governors shall be elected as provided by Article V, Section 1, of these By-laws. Notice of the time and place of the meeting shall be given to the members at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of the meeting. The notice shall also include information regarding all matters known to the Governors at the time of the notice that are to be presented to the membership. Any fifteen (15) members desiring any matter to be presented at the meeting shall present such matter in writing to the Board of Governors on or before September 15. Should this matter, or any other matter, other than By-law amendments, require a membership vote, it shall be included in the thirty (30) day notice together with the Board of Governors position on the matter. Voting shall be conducted by written ballot and require a simple majority for adoption. No matters requiring a vote, other than those specified in the Notice, may be taken up at the Annual Meeting. Section 2 The members of the Association present at the Annual or any Special Meeting of the Association shall constitute a quorum. Section 3 The Board of Governors shall by resolution, from time to time fix the date, time and place for holding of its meeting. Reasonable notice of all meetings of the Board of Governors shall be given by the Secretary to each Governor. Section 4 A special meeting of the Association may be called by the Board of Governors, or by request of the membership. Members may request a meeting by submitting a written request of twenty percent (20%) of all of the members (each a member in good standing) to the Secretary giving the names and addresses and SMGA club affiliation. Notice of such special meeting of the Association shall be mailed to all members not less than thirty (30) days prior to the meeting, stating the date, time and place of the meeting, as well as the purpose and any and all matters on the agenda. Section 5 Special meetings of the Board of Governors of the Association may be called at any time by the President and may be called upon the written request of four (4) Board Members filed with the Secretary. Reasonable notice of all such meetings shall be given by the Secretary to each Governor. Section 6 A majority of the members of the Board of Governors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of the business of the Association. ARTICLE X – Order of Business (Annual Meeting) Section 1 The order of business at the Annual Meeting shall be as follows: 1. Reading of Minutes 2. Report of President 3. Report of Treasurer 4. Reports of Committees 5. Unfinished Business 6. New Business 7. Election of Governors 8. Introduction of New Officers ARTICLE XI – Annual Year Section 1 The annual year of the Association shall begin on the first day of January of each year and end on the last day of December of that year unless otherwise provided by the Board of Governors. ARTICLE XII – Tournaments Section 1 The Tournament Committee shall be authorized to hold tournaments, as may be appropriately arranged. Section 2 Each regular member, except Honorary and Emeritus members, must enter and receive credit for a minimum of six (6) regularly scheduled tournaments each year. In the case of the two day events a total of 2 credits for each event will be given. Failure to satisfy this obligation of six (6), without a valid excuse, shall result in loss of membership in the Association. Any member who is subject to loss of membership under this section shall be reviewed and a final decision made by a Review Committee consisting of all officers and chaired by the President. Reapplication for membership may be made immediately. Section 3 The Board of Governors may make rules and regulations concerning the operations of the Association not contrary to law and these by-laws, the qualifications of the members playing in tournaments and the method and manner of play, as they may deem fitting and appropriate. ARTICLE XIII – Fees and Charges Section 1 The entry fee and all other charges in connection with any of the tournaments shall be established by the Board of Governors. Only members in good standing (current annual membership dues paid) are eligible to participate in tournaments. Entry fees and other charges must accompany the entry form to be eligible for each event. Section 2 Entrants playing in a tournament contested over more than one day are responsible for cart fees covering all days of play. (The exception is for single elimination events, i.e., Individual Match Play). ARTICLE XIV – Amendments Section 1 These By-laws may be amended by either of the following: (a) the vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members present at an Annual or Special Meeting of the Association, provided thirty (30) days written notice of the proposed changes shall be sent to each member; or (b) affirmative vote of two thirds (2/3) of the total Board of Governors at any meeting provided; the notice of each meeting shall include the proposed amendments. |