British Golf Collectors' Society
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The Rules of the British Golf Collectors Society
RULES
Name of the Society
1. The Society shall be called the British Golf Collectors' Society.
Aims of the Society
2. The aims of the Society are to encourage and promote
(a) an interest in the history and traditions of golf and
(b) the collecting of items connected with that history.
Little sympathy will be extended to any applicant who seeks membership
for commercial gain.
Eligibility
3.. There shall be five classes of membership within the Society; the
rights and duties attaching to which are set out in the following clauses
of the Rules:
(a) Full Member. A person shall he eligible for election (and to
continue) as a Full Member of the Society who is resident in any part
of the British Isles or Europe or is a citizen or national of any part
of the British Isles or Europe.
(b) Overseas Associate. A person who is not resident in nor a citizen
or national of any part of the British Isles or Europe shall be eligible
to be an Overseas Associate.
(c) Joint Full Members/Joint Overseas Associates.
(i) A person who is eligible to be a Full Member and his or her spouse
or partner shall together be eligible to be elected as joint Full Member
who shall each have the rights of a Full Member.
(ii) A person who is eligible to be an Overseas Associate and his or her
spouse or partner shall together be eligible to be elected as joint Overseas
Associates who shall each have the rights of an Overseas Associate.
(iii) The same election procedures applicable to the election of a Full
Member and an Overseas Associate shall apple to the spouse when an application
for Joint Full Membership or Joint Overseas Associateship is made.
(d) Honorary Life Member. The Committee shall have power to invite
a person to become an Honorary Life Member but such invitation shall be
subject to approval at an Annual General Meeting.
(e) Honorary Member. The Committee shall have power to invite a
person to become an Honorary Member. Such invitation shall not require
the approval of members at an Annual General Meeting but shall require
the Committee to renew (or not, as the Committee shall determine) the
invitation on an annual basis.
(f) Committee Discretion. The Committee has absolute discretion
in the event of any uncertainty to determine the eligibility of an applicant
to be a Full Member or an Overseas Associate or a joint Full Member or
joint Overseas Associate.
(g) Definitions. The expression 'members' includes where the context
so admits or requires all the Full Members, Overseas Associates, Joint
Full Members, joint Overseas Associates and Honorary Members and 'member'
includes any of them. 'Honorary members' includes both Honorary Life Members
and Honorary Members and 'joint members' includes both joint Full Members
and joint Overseas Associates.
Election
4. (a) An applicant seeking to he a Full Member or a Joint Full
Member must be proposed and seconded by two Full Members both of whom
must know the applicant personally. A proposal form (obtainable from the
Society) must be accompanied by a letter of introduction from the proposer
and be sent to the Honorary Secretary. In the event of the applicant not
knowing two Full Members then, at the Committee's discretion a letter
from the Secretary of the applicant's Golf Club may be taken into consideration,
each application will be considered by the Committee and on election applicants
will be notified by letter and also furnished with a printed copy of the
Rules. The annual subscription is to be paid within fourteen days of such
notice. In default of such payment the Committee may cancel the election.
(b) An applicant seeking to be an Overseas Associate or a Joint Overseas
Associate shall not be required to be proposed and seconded; each application
will be considered by the Committee and on election applicants will be
notified by letter and furnished with a printed copy of the Rules. The
annual subscription is to be paid within 21 days of such notice. In default
of such payment the Committee may cancel the election
(c) The Committee has the power to elect any member (other than an Honorary
Life Member) by any other method they so decide, if it is considered to
be in the interest of the Society.
Subscriptions
5(a) The subscriptions shall be fixed by the Committee and will be payable
on 1st January each year. If the subscription of a member has not been
paid by 31st January it will be deemed that the member has resigned from
the Society. A new member joining on or before 30th June in any year will
pay the full subscription. A new member joining on or after 1st July will
also pay the full subscription which will cover both the then current
year and the next year following..
(b) The Committee shall be entitled to fix a subscription payable by joint
members which is less than twice the subscription of a single member in
the same class of membership.
(c) Honorary members shall not be liable to pay any subscription.
Meetings
6(a) An Annual General Meeting shall be held each year at a date
decided by the Committee for election of Officers and Committee and for
general business.
(b) An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called by the Committee
at any time or shall be called by the Committee on receipt by the Honorary
Secretary of a requisition signed by members representing not less than
5% of all members having the right to vote.
© 28 days notice of each General Meeting (which expression includes Annual
General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting) shall be given and shall
specify the business to be transacted.
(d) Any resolution to be put to an Annual General Meeting must be supported
by five members having the right to vote and advised to the Honorary Secretary
35 days prior to the meeting.
(e) The Captain shall act as Chairman at any General Meeting. In the absence
of the Captain a Full Member shall be appointed by the Committee to act
as Chairman in his place.
Voting and other Rights
7(a) A Full Member (including a Joint Full Member) will have the right
to attend any General Meeting and to speak and vote
(b) An Honorary Life Member will have the right to attend any General
Meeting and to speak and vote.
(c) An Honorary Member will have the right to attend any General Meeting
and speak at the invitation of the Chairman but not the right to vote.
(d) An Overseas Associate (including a joint Overseas Associate) will
have the right to attend any General Meeting but not the right to speak
or vote.
(e) The right to vote carries the right to cast one vote on any resolution
proposed at any General Meeting. Unless the Committee otherwise determine
or the Rules otherwise require and it is so prescribed in the notice convening
the meeting
(i) all votes shall be cast on a show of hands;
(ii) no poll shall be taken;
(iii) no proxy votes shall he allowed; and
(iv) any resolution shall be carried if passed by a simple majority except
as provided in Rule 15.
(f) Any proxy shall be in such form and subject to such conditions as
the Committee shall determine.
(g) All members shall be entitled to take part in events and competitions
arranged by the Society.
President
8. The President will be nominated by the past Presidents and the past
Captains to include the current President and the current Captain subject
to the approval of the Committee for election at an Annual General Meeting
and will thereafter continue as President without the need to be re-elected.
Officers
9. The Officers of the Society shall consist of the Captain, the Vice
Captain, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer.
Officers and Committee
10(a) The Committee shall consist of the Officers and up to eight other
Full Members.
(b) The Captain shall be nominated by the Past Captains, to include the
current Captain, subject to the approval of the Committee.
(c) In the Captain's first year of office, a Vice Captain shall be nominated
by the Past Captains, to include the current Captain, subject to the approval
of the Committee.
(d) The Honorary Secretary, and the Honorary Treasurer shall be appointed
by the Committee subject to election at the next Annual General Meeting
and re-election thereafter.
(e) A single person may at the same time hold more than one Office.
Election and Retirement of Officers and Committee
11(a) Each of the Officers shall be elected or re-elected at the Annual
General Meeting
(b) Two Committee members shall retire by, rotation at the end of each
year but shall be eligible for re-election at the Annual General Meeting.
The Captain will serve e a term of no more than two years and will stand
down from the Committee twelve months thereafter.
(c) Any Full Member of at least three years standing may be proposed for
election to the Committee provided that at least 35 days prior to the
commencement of the Annual General Meeting a written nomination signed
by the proposer and a seconder of the nominee and bearing a statement
signed by the nominee to the effect that it elected the nominee is willing
to accept office shall be delivered to the Honorary Secretary.
(d) Vacancies occurring other than by rotation may be filled by the Committee
but any person so appointed shall hold office only until the next Annual
General Meeting at which time such person may be proposed for election
in the ordinary way.
Powers of the Committee
12(a) The management of the Society shall be in the hands of the Committee
who shall have full powers. Four members of the Committee shall form a
quorum.
(b) The Committee may appoint Sub-Committees to deal with any aspect of
the management or administration of the Society. Any such Sub-Committee
may co-opt any person to assist them.
Use of Society's Name or Logo
13. It is forbidden for any member to use the name or logo of the Society
without permission.
Suspension or Expulsion of a Member
14(a) The Committee upon receiving in respect of a member a formal complaint
in writing of conduct unbecoming of a member of the Society may make such
enquiries as it deems necessary to investigate the complaint in a fair
impartial manner. It having made such enquiries the Committee believes
that a prima facie case has been made out warranting suspension or expulsion,
the Committee shall notify the member of the allegations being made and
invite the member to attend a hearing to be held within 42 days of such
notice being given.
(b) The member shall be entitled to attend the hearing with not more than
one adviser and or may make written representations to be considered at
the hearing and shall have full opportunity of answering the complaint.
(c) The Committee shall within 28 days after the hearing takes place give
to the member its decision in writing which may (if the Committee upholds
the complaint) be to suspend the member for up to two years or to expel
the member.
(d) If the Committee decide to suspend or expel a member, the member shall
be entitled to give notice in writing within fourteen days of receiving
the decision of the Committee to appeal to an appeals committee comprising
the President, the Captain and one other Full Member who is not a member
of the Committee and to be appointed by the President and the decision
of the appeals committee shall be final and binding on the member.
Alterations of Rules and Winding Up
15(a) No Rule of the Society shall be repealed or altered and no new Rule
added except by a resolution duly proposed and passed at a General Meeting.
References herein to 'the Rules are to the Rules of the Society as for
the time being so repealed, altered or added.
(b) A resolution under Rule 15(a) and any resolution to wind up the Society
shall require a three quarters majority. In the case of (i) a resolution
to wind up the Society and (ii) a resolution to make what the Committee
in its sole discretion considers to be a major alteration to the Rules,
proxy or postal votes shall be allowed and a poll may be taken.
Membership Addresses
16(a) Each member shall communicate his/her address (and, if he/she chooses,
his/her e-mail address) to the Honorary Secretary and all notices and
letters sent by post or by Internet to that address shall be deemed to
have been duly received on the day following such mailing. (b) individual
details of all classes of membership will be held on a computer database
and will not be circulated to any commercial organisation. Any objections
to the method of retention of this personal information must be advised
to the Honorary Secretary.
Liability
17(a) No Officer or Committee Member shall be under any liability whatsoever
for any expenses incurred in the name of the Society which have been authorised
(irnpliedly or expressly) by the Committee other than in a case where
fraud is proven.
(b) The Committee shall be empowered to take out insurance to cover any
liability personally incurred by the Officers and Committee (or any of
them) on behalf of the Society.
Corporate Patrons and Corporate Affiliates
18(a) The Committee shall have power In its sole discretion to invite
or accept an application from any of the Governing Bodies of the game
of golf (as to the eligibility of which the Committee shall be the sole
judge) to become a Corporate Patron of the Society and the rights and
obligations of each Corporate Patron will be as follows;
(i) to pay each year an annual subscription of such amount as the Committee
shall determine;
(ii) to receive at Its registered office (or address last notified to
the Society) all communications, including Through the Green, as are sent
to each Full Member;
(iii) (by invitation of the Committee) to send a representative (to be
nominated in advance in writing) to attend any general meeting of the
Society and (by invitation of the Chairman) to speak thereat but not the
right to vote;
(iv) not to be entitled to take part in events and competitions arranged
by the Society (except by invitation of the Committee);
(v) to have its association to the Society withdrawn at any time at the
absolute discretion of the Committee (without any obligation on the Committee
to give any reason therefor) ;
(b) The Committee shall have power in its sole discretion to invite or
accept an application from any entity other than one qualifying to be
: Corporate Patron, whether incorporated or not, such as golf clubs, libraries,
museums and educational establishments and golf equipment, golf course
or golf installation suppliers or designers (but without limitation) to
become a Corporate Affiliate of the Society and the rights and obligations
of each Corporate Affiliate will be as follows:
(i) to pay each year an annual subscription of such amount as the Committee
shall determine;
(ii) to receive at its registered office (or address last notified to
the Society) all communications, including Through the Green as are sent
to each Full Member;
(iii) (by invitation of the Committee) to send a representative (to be
nominated in advance in writing) to attend any general meeting of the
Society and (by invitation of the Chairman) to speak thereat but not the
right to vote;
(iv) not to be entitled to take part in events and competitions arranged
by the Society (except by invitation of the Committee);
(v) to have its affiliation to the Society withdrawn at any time at the
absolute discretion of the Committee (without any obligation on the Committee
to give any reason therefor).
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