1. Title

The Association shall be called "GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION”  (hereinafter referred to as "The Association").

2. Membership

 a) Full Members - A person officially appointed to carry out the duties of Secretary (and designated as such) at a private or proprietary Golf Club, The Secretary and Assistant Secretaries of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St  Andrews, the Secretary of the Council of National Golf Unions, the Secretaries of the English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh Golf Unions and their affiliated District and County Unions and Associations, the Chief Executive of the National Golf Clubs' Advisory Association and the Secretary of the Golf Foundation.  Also Secretaries of other National Golf Unions and organisations concerned with Golf Clubs at the discretion of the committee, providing they have held the position for at least twelve months.  Continuation of membership shall be available to such person on relinquishing their office,

b) Associate Members - The following categories will be eligible for Associate Membership:

  (i) Alternate Full - Those persons as designated in Rule 2 a) as Full Members who have not held office for twelve months.  After a twelve months period they will automatically transfer to Full Members.

  (ii) Assistant Secretaries - Those persons officially appointed to carry out the duties of Assistant or Joint Secretary at a private or proprietary Golf Club.

  (iii) Unattached - Those persons who have relinquished office under Rule 2(a) who do not wish to remain as Full Members.

  (iv) Retired - A member who is over 65 years of age who is officially retired.

  (v) Club Membership - In certain instances the Golf Club may apply for membership of the Association in which case there will be no individual member. The Club will nominate a person to attend Regional and other meetings of the Association.

Members elected as Associate or Club Members shall not be qualified for the following:

•   To be nominated as Captain or Captain-Elect of the Association.

•   To be nominated as Honorary Treasurer of the Association.

•   To serve on the National Committee of the Association.

•   To serve as a Trustee of the Association.

•   To vote at the Annual General or Extraordinary Meetings.

c) Any question requiring interpretation of eligibility for membership under this Rule shall be determined by the Committee under authority conferred by Rule 21.

3. Objects of the Association

• To provide through the Central Office and Secretariat help and support to  assist the Member to carry out their  duties in golf club administration.To provide training facilities on all facets of golf club administration.

•  To provide a forum for discussion of matters of mutual interest to golf club secretaries at National and Regional levels. 

• Through the Association Office Journal and other means promote and protect the professional interests of golf administrators. 

• To maintain an Employment Service for Members and Clubs. 

• To maintain a Benevolent Fund for the benefit of Members.  

• To seek recognition by such bodies as may be considered appropriate as a consultative body on behalf of administrators in golf club management.  

• To seek the co-operation of other Golfing Organisations.

4. Management of the Association

 a) The Governing Body shall consist of a President, a Captain, a Captain-Elect, an Honorary Treasurer, a Committee and Trustees.

b) The President, who need not necessarily be a member of the Association, shall be nominated by the Committee and shall be elected at each Annual General Meeting for the period of one year, but shall be eligible for re-election providing this continuous period does not exceed five years.

c) The Captain, who must be a member of the Association, shall be nominated by the Committee and shall be elected at each Annual General Meeting.

d) The Captain-Elect who must be a member of the Association, shall be nominated by the Committee and shall be elected at each Annual General Meeting.

e) The Honorary Treasurer, who must be a member of the Association, shall be nominated by the Committee and shall be elected at each Annual General Meeting.

f) The Management of the Association shall be vested in a Committee consisting, the Captain, the Captain-Elect, the immediate past Captain, the Honorary Treasurer and one Representative from each of the Regions. The Regional Representatives shall retire annually but shall be eligible for re-election with the exception of those who have served for successive periods totalling five years.  Those Representatives, who shall not be eligible for re-election, may be re-elected after a period of absence of two years from the Committee.

The names of Representatives for election at the Annual General Meeting shall be nominated by each region and shall be submitted to the Association’s Chief Executive by 31st December in each year.

Five members shall form a quorum at meetings of the Committee.

g) The Trustees shall be ex-officio members of the Committee without powers to vote.

h) Any casual vacancy occurring in the Committee or captaincy during any year may be filled by the Committee, for the remainder of the year.

The Committee shall annually elect their own Chairman. In the absence of the Chairman at any meeting, a Chairman selected by the Committee Members shall preside. The duties of the Chairman are to be defined from time to time and approved by the National Committee.

5. Meetings of the Committee

The Committee shall meet from time to time, at least twice a year, and must be called together if a requisition signed by not less than five members of the Committee be served upon the Chief Executive, requesting him to convene a meeting and giving particulars of the business to be brought before such meetings.

6. Regional Committees

The Committee may sanction the formation of Regional Committees in such areas as they may from time to time determine to carry on the work of the Association in those Areas.

Regional Committees shall have power to appoint their own office bearers and to make such Rules and Regulations as may be necessary for the efficient discharge of their responsibilities in the Area. Such Rules and Regulations shall be subject to the approval of the Committee of the Association. In the event of any Regional Rules conflicting in any respect with the Rules of the Association, the latter shall prevail.

The Captain and Chief Executive of the Association shall be ex-officio members of all Regional Committees.

The Committee shall be empowered to make such contributions towards the expenses of Regional Committees as they consider necessary.

7. Sub-committees

There shall be a Standing Sub-Committee consisting of the Captain and all Past Captains whose duty it shall be to advise the Committee on any matters affecting the welfare of the Association and in particular on the choice of candidates for the offices of Captain and Captain-Elect prior to the Annual General Meeting of Members each year and to bring this nomination before the National Committee at their Autumn Meeting.

The Standing Sub-Committee shall meet at least once a year and shall appoint its own Secretary. The reigning Captain, if present, shall take the chair.

The Committee shall have power to appoint other Sub-Committees for such purposes as may be considered necessary and may nominate any members of the Association, whether members of the Committee or not, to serve on them. The Captain and Chief Executive shall be ex-officio members of such Sub-Committees.

8. Trustees

The property of the Association shall be vested in Trustees, who shall not exceed three in number. The Trustees shall be elected annually by the members of the Association at the Annual General Meeting. Any Trustee may be removed by a resolution passed, at a General Meeting of Members summoned for the purpose, by a majority of more than two-thirds of the members present and voting thereat. The Trustees shall be responsible for the proper investment of any funds belonging to the Association, such Funds to be invested in securities that may be legally held by the Trustees. The Trustees of the Association for the time being shall also be the Trustees of the Golf Club Managers’ Association Benevolent Fund.

9. Chief Executive

The Committee shall appoint a Chief Executive who may be a member of the Association or not and may be employed in a salaried or honorary capacity at such remuneration and upon such terms (including power of dismissal) as they may deem advisable.

The offices of Hon. Treasurer and Chief Executive may be conjoined.

10. Minutes and Accounts

The Chief Executive and/or the Hon. Treasurer shall pay in to such bank as the Committee may from time to time direct, to the credit of the Association, such sums of money as he may receive. The Chief Executive shall keep full and correct minutes of all proceedings of the Association and of the Committee and Sub-Committees, which shall be produced at every Association or Committee Meeting, and also such accounts as may be required by the Committee. The Chief Executive and Hon. Treasurer shall be responsible for the preparation of the Annual Statement of Accounts and Balance Sheet of the Association to the 31st December in each year, which shall be signed by them jointly and, after audit by a Chartered Accountant, to be appointed annually by the General Meeting, be printed and circulated among the Members previous to the Annual General Meeting, together with the notice of such meeting.

11. Election of Members

Candidates for election shall be proposed and seconded by two members of the Association and their names with all other particulars as may from time to time be required by the Committee, shall be sent to the Chief Executive fourteen days previous to the meeting of the Committee at which ballot shall be taken. Two adverse votes shall exclude. Ballots shall be held as often and on such days as the Committee determines.

When a candidate has been duly elected the Chief Executive shall notify the same to him in writing and shall furnish him with a copy of the rules and request him to pay his entrance fee and subscription. No new member shall participate in any advantages or privileges of the Association until he shall have paid his entrance fee and first year's subscription, and if such entrance fee and first year's subscription be not paid within the space of two months from the date of his election the Chief Executive shall report accordingly to the Committee who shall cause his name to be erased from the list of members, unless he can justify the delay to the satisfaction of the Committee.

All annual subscriptions shall be payable in advance on the 1st January.

Members whose subscriptions have not been paid by the 1st March shall not be entitled to exercise any of the privileges of membership until such sums have been paid. The name of any member so in arrears on the 1st May shall at the discretion of the Committee be erased from the Register but may be replaced if the Committee thinks fit.

12. Entrance Fee and Annual Subscription

Entrance Fees, Annual Subscriptions, and all other fees shall be fixed by the National Committee providing they inform the membership by the 31st October of the preceding year.

13. Honorary Members

The Committee shall have the power to nominate Honorary Members without ballot upon such terms and conditions and for such periods as the Committee may think proper for approval at the next Annual General Meeting.

14. Addresses

Each member shall communicate his address, or that of his banker or agent, from time to time to the Chief Executive and all notices sent to such address shall be considered as duly delivered.

15. Resignations

Any member intending to resign shall give notice in writing to the Chief Executive.

16. Expulsion

To expel a member from the Association it shall be necessary that notice be sent to the Chief Executive signed by five members, acquainting him with the circumstances, which give rise to such notice. The Chief Executive shall then communicate with such member (so that he may have the option of explaining or withdrawing from the Association), and shall call a meeting of the Committee who are empowered to decide the question without giving any reasons. A more than two-thirds majority of adverse votes shall expel. Any member so expelled shall, by giving notice to the Chief Executive in writing within seven days, have a right of appeal to an extraordinary General Meeting to be summoned within twenty-one days of his expulsion; when a simple majority of those present and voting shall be required to confirm this expulsion. On expulsion by the Committee or in case of appeal it being confirmed, the Member shall forthwith cease to be a member of the Association and shall for ever after be ineligible for re-election.

17. General Meeting

 a) The Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held in the months of March or April in each year. Twenty-one days' notice in writing of such meeting shall be sent to every member by post to his address in the Register, specifying the day, place and hour of meeting and the business to be transacted, such notices also to contain the names of all candidates nominated for the Captaincy and Committee. Fifteen members shall be present in person to constitute a General Meeting.

The business to be transacted at the Annual General Meeting shall (except as hereinafter mentioned) be limited to the following: -

• submission of the Report and Accounts

• election of President for the ensuing year

• election of Captain for the ensuing year

• election of the Captain-Elect for the ensuing year

• election of Trustees

• election of an Honorary Treasurer

• election of the Committee

• election of Auditors for the ensuing year

except that any member may bring forward any motion or motions relating to the management or welfare of the Association of which he shall have given at least forty-two days' previous notice in writing to the Chief Executive, who shall transmit a copy of such proposed motion or motions to every member with notice of the meeting.

b) The Committee may, in giving fourteen days' notice, call an Extraordinary General Meeting when any matter of urgent importance shall occur and shall be bound to do so on receiving a requisition signed by fifteen members of the Association stating the object for which they desire the meeting to be called.

c) At every Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting of the Association the President, or in his absence, the Captain or immediate Past Captain or Captain-Elect shall preside.

The Chairman shall have an individual vote and also, in the case of equality of votes, a casting vote.

18. Alteration of Rules

No Rule of the Association shall be repealed or altered, and no new Rule shall be made, save by a majority of more than two-thirds of the members voting by means of a ballot paper that is circulated to all members. This would be returned by post or presented at an Annual General or Extraordinary General Meeting. Notice in writing of the intention to propose a new Rule or alteration, with particulars thereof, shall be given to the Chief Executive by 31st December previous. He shall send notice of the same by post to every member to his address in the Register twenty-one days before the date of such Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting.

On any motion to change or alter the rules as herein provided no amendments thereto will be accepted and the motion must be resolved upon or rejected in the form in which it was originally put.

19. Bye-laws

The Committee are empowered to make, repeal and amend from time to time such Bye-Laws as they may consider necessary for the well-being of the Association, which Bye-Laws, repeals and amendments shall be binding on members till set aside by an Annual General or Extraordinary General Meeting.

20. Rules and Regulations of the Association

All members, of whatever category, shall be bound to submit to the Rules and Regulations and Bye-Laws of the Association, and to such additions thereto, and modifications thereof, as may be made in accordance with the provision of these Rules, and shall accept as final the Committee's interpretation thereof and decisions thereon.

21. Interpretation of Rules and Settlement of Disputes

The Committee shall be sole authority for interpreting the Rules and Bye-Laws of the Association and for settling all disputes relating to the affairs of the Association and the conduct of the members in relation thereto.

22. Benevolent Fund

The Committee shall be empowered to pay such sums out of the General Funds of the Association into the Benevolent Fund as they may determine.

Benevolent Fund Rules

1. Name - The name of the Fund shall be " Golf Club Managers’ Association Benevolent Fund" (hereinafter called the "Fund").

2. Trustees - The Trustees of the Fund shall be the Trustees for the time being of the Golf Club Managers’ Association (hereinafter called "The Association").

3. Objects - The objects of the Fund shall be the relief of need among distressed members of the Association and the distressed dependants of deceased members of the Association.

4. Expenses of Management - All the proper costs, charges and expenses of and incidental to the administration and management of the Fund shall be first defrayed by the Trustees out of the income thereof.

5. Furtherance of Objects - Subject to the payments aforesaid, the yearly income of the Fund shall be applied by the Trustees in such manner as the Trustees shall deem expedient in furtherance of the objects of the Fund.

6. Application of Capital - The Trustees may in any year apply in furtherance of the objects of the Fund any part of the capital or endowments of the Fund, except endowments the income of which alone is applicable for the general purposes of the Fund.

7. Endowments, etc - The Trustees may receive any donations, subscriptions or endowments for the general objects of the Fund. They may also receive donations, subscriptions or endowments for any special purpose connected with and within the scope of the general objects of the Fund not inconsistent with or calculated to impede the due administration of the Fund.

8. Investments - The capital and endowments of the Fund shall be invested by the Trustees in such manner and in such securities as may lawfully be held by the Trustees. The money, capital and endowment of the Fund shall not be mixed with any monies of the Association.

9. Dissolution - Upon dissolution of the Fund any surplus assets remaining after the discharge of all debts and liabilities shall be given or transferred to such other charitable institution or institutions having objects similar to the objects of the Fund, as the Committee shall, with the approval of the Court or the Charity Commissioners decide, always provided that any surplus assets held for a special purpose within the Fund shall be applied only to some similar charitable purpose.