BWGC CONSTITUTION

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BANGKOK WANDERERS GOLF CLUB

RULES and PROCEDURES
(ADOPTED at AGM of DECEMBER 2002)

ART. 1. Name

This group shall be named the BANGKOK WANDERERS GOLF CLUB (hereinafter referred to as THE CLUB).

ART. 2. Objectives.

The objective of the Club is to organise and run golf events for the enjoyment of the members and to promote international friendship, goodwill and sportsmanship among the members, through the game of golf.

ART. 3. Membership.

Membership of the Club shall be open to any person, regardless of sex, race or profession, who wishes to participate in the Club activities, and abides by the Club's Rules and Procedures. A joining fee as stipulated in Annex 1 is payable at the time of joining the Club.

ART. 4 Entitlements of Members.

On joining the Club, members shall be issued with an official handicap upon their meeting the requirements of the handicapping system operated by the Club at that time. Members shall have a say in the running of the Club through:
the election of office bearers
standing for election to the committee
initiating and participation in an EGM
presenting comments /requests to any committee member
participation in the AGM and the regular committee meetings.

ART.5. Guests.

Members can invite guests to participate in the Club's tournaments. Members shall be responsible for the conduct of their guests and for ensuring that the Rules and Procedures of the Club are adhered to.

ART. 6. Club Officers and their functions.

The Club shall be managed by a Committee comprising of not less than six Club members. Each will be elected from the Membership for a term of one year at the AGM, not precluding re-election.

The Committee shall consist of the following officers:
Chairman
Club Captain.
Hon. Secretary.
Hon. Treasurer.
Handicap Secretary.
Fixtures Secretary.
Website Administrator

The Committee as a whole shall be responsible for the smooth running of Club events and tournaments, maintaining Club records, and generally organising Club affairs.

The Chairman shall be responsible for the overall management of the Committee and for the observance of the Rules and Procedures as contained herein. The Chairman shall also be responsible for recording any amendments or additions to these Rules and Procedures, and shall keep an updated master copy of the Rules and Procedures, a copy of which shall be available to any member on demand.

The Club Captain shall be responsible for the rules of each competition and for the presentation of awards and prizes. All disputes or questions relating to interpretation of rules or actions by players during a Club competition shall be referred to the Club Captain. Rulings on any disputes shall be based on the current Rules of Golf, and Decisions, as published by the R&A and the USGA The Captain is empowered to co-opt the services of any committee members present on the day to assist him in giving a ruling on the dispute or question. The decision of the Club Captain shall be final.

The Hon. Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining an updated record of the Club membership, with all relevant details of each member. He will issue the agenda for the Committee meetings, and the AGM/ EGM, and record the minutes of such meetings. He will also be responsible to notify the active members of coming Club events and tournaments. He will also be required to maintain an accurate historical record of Tournaments played within the Club.

The Hon. Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining an accurate record of the financial status of the Club. He shall also be responsible for the collection of entrance fees and producing financial statements for committee meetings and the AGM.

The Handicap Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining a record of the scores posted by each member, and from the record, calculating the handicap of each member... If justifiable reasons exist, the Handicap Secretary has the discretion to amend a member's handicap. The Handicap Secretary shall also be responsible for the management of any sub-committee set up to deal with matters related to members' handicaps. A handicap card will be issued to any active member on request of the member.

The Fixtures Secretary shall be responsible for course bookings on dates previously agreed by the committee. The choice of courses to be played shall normally be decided by the committee, however if it is not possible to book a particular venue, then the Fixtures Secretary has the authority to book a suitable alternative, and shall advise the Hon. Secretary of the change as soon as possible.

The Website Administrator shall be responsible for The Club's Website. The committee shall normally agree choice of content. Regular updates with competitions results and following stories shall be published within due time on the web. No amounts may be mentioned on the web concerning green fees, prize money or special deals with Golf clubs, hotels etc. The Webmaster shall inform the committee about the web's popularity and usage on a regular basis.

In addition to the above officers, members may be elected to serve on the committee in such numbers as deemed necessary.

In the event of the absence of member of the Committee for whatever reason, the Committee may co-opt a member to take over the vacant position.

The Committee may, during its tenure, co-opt members to serve on sub-committees if necessary.

ART. 7. Committee Meetings.

The Committee shall meet on a regular basis, preferably once per calendar month. A quorum shall consist of four members. The ongoing organisational and administrative matters relating to the Club shall be considered and decided at committee meetings. Relevant committee decisions which result in minor amendments to the Rules and Procedures and are considered necessary for the efficient running of the Club, and do not warrant an EGM, shall be added to the Rules and Procedures as Drafts Such changes shall be notified to the membership through the website and presented at the AGM for ratification.(See Art. 8) Minutes of committee meetings shall be kept and shall form part of the Club records.

ART. 8. Annual General Meeting.(AGM)

The Annual General Meeting will normally be held at the Club Championship, and shall broadly follow the format as below.

(1) Adoption of the minutes of the previous AGM.
(2) Matters arising from the previous minutes.
(3) Adoption of any Draft changes to the Rules and Procedures.
(4) Reports from the outgoing office bearers
(5) Matters arising from reports and any other relevant business
relating to the outgoing committee.
(6) Election of new committee.

Motions for consideration at the AGM shall be submitted to the Hon Sec 7 days prior to the AGM, and shall be signed by the proposer and a seconder. Twenty members should be in attendance at an AGM.
Voting on any item shall be by a show of hands and decisions taken on a simple majority of the members present. In the event of a tie, the Committee recommendation shall be binding

ART. 9. Extraordinary General Meeting. (EGM)

An Extraordinary General Meeting can be convened upon the written request of at least eleven members. Such a request shall be signed by the members and forwarded to the Hon. Secretary stating the reason(s) for the meeting. Provided that the issue in question is accepted by the committee,i.e. it is not of a trivial nature, and warrants an EGM, then the EGM will be convened within one month of the written request being received, and the Secretary shall notify all members at least seven days before the date of the meeting. Voting shall be decided by a simple majority of the members present. In the event of a tie, then the recommendation of the committee shall prevail. Twenty members should be in attendance at an EGM.

ART. 10. Tournaments.

Normally two tournaments per month shall be played. The regular tournaments shall take place on the first Saturday (Monthly Tankard) and the third Sunday. When a month has five Saturdays, an additional tournament may be held. Tournaments are held as one day or two day events. When calculating the number of tournaments played by a member, to determine eligibility, two day events count as one. Participation in one day of a two day event also counts as one. All tournaments shall follow the rules as laid down by the R&A and USGA, amended as necessary by local rules of the course being played, and special rules as laid down in Annex 2. Adjustments to the rules required by course conditions shall be announced by the Captain prior to the start of a tournament. All participants in a tournament shall register with the secretary at least three days before the date of the tournament. Cancellation by a participant must be communicated to the Secretary at least 24 hours before the event.
In the event that a member may not have adhered to the rules, and the question of disqualification from the event arises, then the issue shall be discussed and decided on by the committee members present (minimum 4) under the chairmanship of the Captain (in the Captains absence any other committee member. In the case of insufficient committee members being present, then members who are not involved in the dispute may be co-opted to assist in the decision.

Annex 3 lists the annual tournaments.

ART. 11. Fees.

Tournament registration fees for members and guests for each event are contained in Annex No 4. Green fees and caddy fees shall be borne by the individual participants. In the case of a two day event, the fees for both days may be collected on the first day. For special events where, e.g., food is provided as part of the event, then fees may be adjusted to include such cost.

ART. 12. Prizes.

Prizes for each tournament shall be in three categories:
(a) Regular prizes
(b) Technical prizes
(c) Special prizes
Details of the prizes for all categories are given in Annex No 5.

Regular and Special prizes can only be won by eligible members, and no member can win more than one regular prize on any one day. In the case of a two day event, both days are considered separately, i.e., a member can win one regular prize on each day. Members winning a Regular prize cannot win a Special prize, except in a two day event where a Regular prize is won on day one and a Special prize on day two.
The eligibility of a member to win a prize is defined in Annex 6.
The winner of a Regular prize is entitled to win a Technical prize. Guests are only eligible for Technical prizes.

In the event of a tie, and a play-off is not practical, then the winner shall be determined according to the procedure set out in the USGA Handicap System Handbook Para 9-5 as follows:
Cards shall be matched and the winner shall be the player with the best last nine holes. If this does not determine a winner, then the last six, then the last three and finally the 18th hole shall be used. Handicap used in the calculation shall be 1/2, 1/3, 1/6, etc. Half strokes are to be rounded-up. If the above procedure does not determine a winner, then the outcome shall be decided on the toss of a coin.
The best gross prize is decided as per the above, but with no handicap calculation

ART. 13. Handicaps.

Handicapping shall be based on the CONGU System, and shall be administered by the Handicap Secretary and a sub-committee if deemed necessary. New members shall submit a certified handicap from another group using the same handicap system as the Club The Handicap Secretary has the right to adjust handicaps, if circumstances warrant it, at his discretion. Disputes shall be resolved by reference to the R & A Handbook on Handicaps.
Where a member has not posted a score for 6 months, then his handicap shall be considered as lapsed until such times as a regular handicap can be re-established.

ART. 14. Sponsorship.

Any member can sponsor a tournament either individually or through a company.

ART. 15. Changes to the Rules and Procedures

Any changes to these Rules and Procedures shall normally be done at the AGM or a properly constituted EGM. If minor changes are deemed necessary for the improved organisation of the Club during the tenure of the committee, and in the opinion of the committee such changes do not warrant an EGM, then the committee has the authority to implement such changes and add to the Rules and Procedures as "Draft Amendments to the Rules and Procedures." Any draft changes made under the above circumstances shall be subject to ratification at the next AGM before full incorporation into the Rules and Procedures.

ART. 16. Annexes

No1 to No 7 Attached.

JOINING FEE.

Reference Article No 3.

The fee payable on joining the Club shall be Baht 200. This represents the fee for life membership and there is no annual subscription.

ANNEX No.2 to RULES and PROCEDURES

RULES.

Reference Article.10

The rules of Golf as laid down by The R&A and the USGA shall be applicable to all tournaments. However in the interests of speeding up play and complying with local conditions the following amendments shall apply:

(1) Unless specifically stated by the Captain prior to the start of a
tournament, drop zones at water hazards will not be used and the score
adjusted accordingly.

(2) In the event of tied scores the winner shall be determined as laid down
in the USGA Handicap manual. (See Art 12).

(3) Local rules as printed on a course score card shall be complied with.

(4) Score cards should be clearly dated, named and signed. It is the
responsibility of the player and marker to ensure the card is completed
correctly.

(5) Persistent slow play may be subject to penalties as decided by the
committee from time to time. Such penalties shall normally take the
form of additional strokes being added to the scores of all players in
the group guilty of slow play. Persistent slow play by a member which
results in complaints to the Club from any course management
personnel, or brings the Club into disrepute, will render that member
liable to disbarrment from future events.

ANNEX No. 3 to RULES and PROCEDURES

ANNUAL TOURNAMENTS:

Reference Article.10

Captain's Cup. 2-Day event.

Chiraprawat Cup 2-Day Matchplay event.

BWGC v BC* Magpie Putter

BWGC Masters 1-Day event

Club championship 2-Day event.

Club Matchplay Cup

(* Individual trophies not awarded.)

ANNEX No. 4 to RULES and PROCEDURES.

REGISTRATION FEES

Reference Article 11

Tournament fees for members and guests shall normally be Baht 200 per person per day.

ANNEX No. 5 to RULES and PROCEDURES.

PRIZES

Reference Article 12

(a) Regular Prizes

OVERALL WINNER
FLIGHT A WINNERS HCP 0-16
FLIGHT B WINNERS HCP 17-25
FLIGHT C WINNERS HCP 26-40

(b) Technical Prizes

BEST GROSS
LONG DRIVE
NEAREST PIN ON PAR 3s
BIRDIES
TOK NAM
LADIES - LONG DRIVE (4 OR MORE)
BEST LADY (4 OR MORE)

(d) Special Prizes

THESE ARE CONSIDERED AS THE PERPETUAL TROPHIES, AND
ANY ASSOCIATED PRIZE, AWARDED AT EVENTS LISTED IN ANNEX 3.

Discretion should be used as to the value and number of prizes given in an event depending on the number of players on the day.

ANNEX No.6 to RULES and PROCEDURES

ELIGIBILITY.

Reference Article 12.

Eligibility of members to win regular or special prizes are governed by the following:

(1) Must have a current club handicap.

(2) Eligibility for the Masters is limited to members who have been, Trophy
winners, overall winners or flight winners during the period since the previous
Masters Winners of the Masters automatically qualify for all succeeding
Masters events.

(3) Eligibility for the Club Championship is limited to members who have
played in at least 6 events since, and including, the last Championship.

BANGKOK WANDERERS GOLF CLUB 1 4 December 2002