PRGC Committee Guide

Princes Risborough Golf Club

This page covers the roles of committee members and should be read along side the page on the AGM

Committee Members and Management

For the purpose of this section, a year shall be deemed to end on October 31st and a year is the normal term for committee members. Within this section it should be noted that The Club is an equal opportunities and non discriminatory club; as such, any reference to positions which could be regarded as gender specific are illustrative and does not imply any discrimination; for example, the position of club Captain is not gender specific.

The Handicap Committee is the only mandatory committee for affiliation to England Golf and will be covered first:

Handicap Committee Guidelines

Composition

  • Minimum of 3 members
    • Members may include employees or management
  • Chairperson Requirement
    • If the committee has an even number, a Chairperson must be appointed.
    • If odd-numbered, the Chair role may rotate.
  • Diversity of Representation
    • Aim to reflect the broadest spectrum of the club:
      • High and low handicaps
      • Male and female members
      • Covers multiple club sections

Recruitment

  • Ongoing and not tied to AGM timings or normal AGM election guidelines due to its Mandatory Nature
    • Volunteers may apply at any time to Management or the Chair of the Committee - contact us
    • As per England Golf Guidance, Management who are members, may appoint themselves to the Handicap Committee if required

Meeting Frequency

  • At least once per year
    • Additional meetings may be scheduled at the committee’s discretion.

Primary Role & Responsibilities

  • Review WHS Reports
    • Review pre-printed reports supplied from the World Handicapping System (WHS).
    • Assess whether a player's handicap should be adjusted up or down.
  • Apply Local Knowledge
    • Consider personal circumstances and performance context.
    • Decide whether to accept WHS report recommendations or maintain current handicap.
  • Delegates the role of 'card checking for initial handicap' to the Club Management and new Member, through the Pro Shop

Requirements

  • No specialist knowledge of WHS required
    • Committee decisions are based on local insight, not technical expertise.

Profile

  • Are you a golf club member who is:
    •  passionate about creating an equal playing field for all golfers?
    • keen to get involved, and give something back to the game?
  • A good Handicap Committee Member has the ability to:
    • be collaborative and work well in a small team;
    • display objectivity;
    • work with management to encourage members to submit competition and social scores for handicap purposes

Appeals Procedure

  • PRGC use England Golf’s simple 3 level appeals procedure, making the process simple and easy
    • Club Review – Should a player question the decision; the club should offer the player the opportunity to discuss the decision with the committee.
    • County Appeal – Should the player wish to appeal the decision following discussions with the club, this must be done via the County Union/Association.
    • England Golf Appeal – Appeals to England Golf will only be considered once the Club and County have made their decision. The outcome of this appeal is final.

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General Committee Members

Committee Members Section Currently Being Reviewed - - Advise being taken from England Golf and Membership

The role and structure of the General Committee is currently under review, with advice taken from England Golf over the past year. PRGC will co-create an evolved model that:

  • Encourages collaboration between members and management with clear roles and goals
  • Enables innovation while preserving the traditions and culture that make PRGC unique
  • Strengthens the voice of our growing membership while maximising the enjoyment and fulfilment volunteers get from their roles
  • Maximises the fun and fulfilment golfers get from this incredible game, on and off the course

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Under Review

The Committee Members of The Club shall be the Proprietors, the section Captains and their Vice Captains, Competition Secretary, Handicap Secretary, Treasurer, and Committee Secretary.

The Vice Captains shall be proposed by the serving Captains and / or be nominated by the membership and be approved by the Proprietors each year.  The Vice Captains shall take Office immediately after the Annual AGM.

Captains and Vice captains shall serve 12 months on the General Committee in each position.  There applications should be aligned with the job descriptions which are based on England Golf best practice documents. Both applications are subject to the approval of the proprietor.

All other members of the Committee shall serve for 12 months.  The post is then advertised to the general Membership for nominations and approved by the Proprietors.

However, if a retiring Committee Member wishes to carry on his/her duties, they may do so only in full agreement with the Proprietor and the Committee via the AGM

Any member standing for election as a Committee Member and wishing to serve on the Committee shall be proposed and seconded in writing by two full playing members over the age of 18. Such nominations to be lodged with the Committee in advance of the date of the AGM and displayed on the Notice board. In the event of a contested election, voting shall take place by secret ballot. If two or more candidates obtain an equal number of votes a further ballot shall take place.

Committee Secretary

The Secretary shall be appointed by the Proprietors. He/she shall keep full and correct minutes of meetings and those of the General Committee, which shall be open to full inspection by any member of The Club on application to the Secretary

* Job descriptions for each Committee member are in appendix 1.  (To follow)

Handicap Secretary

The Handicap Committee is the only formal committee required for affiliation to England Golf and must comprise at least 3 members and meet at least once per year. A member of staff who is also a member is eligible to sit on this committee.

Treasurer

The Treasurer shall be responsible for members finances and shall produce an annual statement of accounts to be presented at the AGM showing sources and applications of funds.

The General Committee; role

The General Committee Role is Currently Being Reviewed - Advise being taken from England Golf 

The general Committee shall be responsible, with close collaboration with Management, within the financial constraints of the members accounts, for implementing execution within the following areas: -

  • Members' golfing events and competitions
  • Members' social events
  • Members' standards of behaviour
  • Handicaps
  • Local rules
  • The Members' annual fixture list

The General Committee shall meet on a reasonably regular basis throughout the year, usually quarterly  and the meeting is to be chaired by a person nominated by the proprietor and secretary - usually the Club Captain. He/she will issue an agenda for members of the committee. Members of the committee are the Officers and Proprietors. From time to time it may be necessary to invite other guests because of their knowledge of a subject for example the Senior Greenkeeper or General manager of the Clubhouse etc. These members will attend for the section they are required to address and leave immediately afterwards . No visiting guest has voting rights or may ask questions of the Committee, they have no eligibility to listen to the business of the meeting.

Members of the committee who cannot attend should give written notice to the Club Secretary or Chair and submit their report in advance of the meeting if required.

Five members of the General Committee shall form a quorum. A quorum must consist of three officers of The Club, one captain and one proprietor.

Sub committees

The general Committee shall have the power to appoint sub-committees consisting of members of the General committee and /or other members of The Club, as it may deem necessary or expedient for the object of furthering any particular activity for the membership.

The proprietor may be an ex-officio member of all sub-committees. Each sub-committee must keep minutes of its proceedings which shall be produced to the General Committee and shall conduct its business in accordance with the directions of the General Committee. No such sub-committee shall have the power to incur any expense on behalf of the Proprietor or members or give any warranty on behalf of the Proprietor except to such extent as the proprietors may from to time authorise.

Members may submit a question for the General Committee at any time using the website contact us form or in writing to the Club Secretary

Meetings

Committee meetings

Held usually quarterly or as required

Annual General meeting 

This shall normally be held in November each year - unless Proprietor considers a delay would be in the best interests of the club.  All other meetings called to address a particular issue shall be extraordinary General meetings.

A notice specifying the date of the AGM can be found in the club calendar

A copy of any question to be answered at the AGM, shall be signed and delivered to the GM or Secretary not less than 14 days before the meeting

Disciplinary

The general Committee shall be supportive of the positive and collaborative standards, tone and atmosphere required of the club and its membership. As such, it has the authority to recommend a restriction to a member’s activities (subject to approval of the proprietors)

Under the Disciplinary policy a member maybe formally suspended or expelled but only for good and sufficient cause.

A member who is suspended or expelled has the right of appeal

A member expelled shall forfeit all privileges of membership without claim for any refund or subscription.

The proprietors decision in any disciplinary matter is final.

The proprietor may invoke a temporary suspension if it believes that it is in the best interests of staff and or the membership, pending further investigation.  This includes any member, including committee members.

[Comment from England Golf... "It would be reasonable for a golf club to suspend a member during an ongoing investigation should they feel there is a risk to the welfare of their staff or other members. Some clubs have written into their disciplinary procedures that a member will be suspended pending the outcome of the investigation."]

Before a member is expelled or formally suspended, the alleged offenders conduct shall be inquired into and the person involved shall be given the opportunity to defend themselves and to justify or explain their behaviour.

If the Proprietors are of the opinion that the member is guilty of such conduct  ie the member has failed to justify or explain it satisfactorily, the Proprietors may either expel or formally suspend the offender at their discretion and do not require sign off from the committee.

No illegal betting or gambling, drunkenness, bad language, bullying or any other misconduct shall be permitted on The Club premises or within the boundaries of the course.