DOBSON RANCH GOLF ASSOCIATION BY LAWS

2155 S. DOBSON ROAD

MESA, AZ. 85202

 

                                                                                                          May 2001

 

ARTICLE I - NAME

 

SECTION 1. The name of this organization shall be the Dobson Ranch Golf Association (DRGA).

 

ARTICLE II   - MEMBERSHIP

 

SECTION 1. Any person who has reached their 18th birthday may become a member of the “Regular” division of this association upon payment of dues. This membership includes membership into the USGA representative organization, Arizona Golf Association (AGA) and allows the member to participate in DRGA tournaments when tournament entry requirements have been fulfilled.

 

SECTION 2. Any person under the age of 18 may become a member of the “Junior” division of this Association at no expense (Junior AGA memberships are free of charge). This membership does not entitle the person to play in Dobson Ranch Golf Association tournaments.

 

ARTICLE III   - OFFICERS

 

SECTION 1. The President, Vice-president, and Secretary of this organization shall be duly elected by membership ballot. The Treasurer shall be appointed by the President and require approval of a two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall have the same voting privileges as any elected officer of the Association.

 

SECTION 2. The Board of Directors shall consist of the above duly elected officers, the Treasurer, and five association members elected by the membership as Directors at Large, three to be elected on the odd year and two on the even year.

 

SECTION 3. The standing committees shall be the following:

 

Handicap Chairperson - Appointed by the President and approved by a two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Directors. The Handicap Chairperson does not have Board of Directors voting privileges.

 

Tournament Chairperson - The Vice-president will assume this position and responsibilities.

 

The President shall establish additional committees when required.

 

The Chairperson of each committee shall appoint members to assist.

 

SECTION 4. Should the office of the President become permanently vacant for any reason, the Vice-president shall become the President of the Association through the remainder of the term.

 

SECTION 5. Should the offices of Vice-president or Secretary become permanently vacant for any reason, the Board of Directors shall elect from itself a replacement for the remainder of the term.

 

SECTION 6. Should a Director at large position become permanently vacant for any reason, the President shall appoint the non-elected candidate from the last election. The new Director will be the member receiving the next highest vote in the last election. Should that member not accept the position, the President will continue through the list of non-elected candidates until a non-elected candidate accepts the appointment and is approved by a two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Directors. Should no non-elected candidate accept appointment, the President shall appoint any member at large to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term. Election results shall become part of the Secretary’s minutes at the following board meeting.


 

SECTION 7. Should the office of Treasurer become permanently vacant for any reason, the position shall be filled as specified in Article III, Section 1.

 

ARTICLE IV   - DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND CHAIRPERSONS

 

SECTION 1. The President shall preside at all meetings, act as an ex-officio member of all committees, assume responsibility of the DRGA By-laws, and ensure the publication of the club’s newsletter. A minimum of one newsletter per quarter year shall be distributed.

 

SECTION 2. The Vice-president shall assume the duties of the President if absent and serve as Tournament Chairperson. The Vice-president shall therefore be responsible for all tournament events, including the planning, organization and discrepancy resolution.

 

SECTION 3. The Secretary shall keep minutes of all board meetings and general membership meetings. The Secretary shall also follow-up on all action items from the previous meeting. Upon notification from the Treasurer, the Secretary is responsible to provide “DRGA Information” packets within 30 days of receipt of new or renewal membership applications. The Secretary will also be responsible for the quarterly distribution of the club’s newsletter. The Secretary shall ensure the availability of membership applications, tournament sign-up forms, and tournament schedules. The Secretary shall also maintain a current membership list with addresses and phone numbers, and shall make copies available to the President, Treasurer, Handicap Chairman and Pro Shop. The Secretary will also assist the Board with all functions concerning forms and membership information.

 

SECTION 4. The Treasurer will keep a record of all of the receipts and an itemized account of all disbursements of funds.  The Treasurer shall prepare all checks for disbursement of funds.  The Treasurer shall be responsible to give a Treasurer’s report at each Board of Directors meeting.  In the Treasurer’s report shall be projected funds available accounting for the remainder of the year to assist the Board of Directors in determining how those funds are to be spent.  The records and books will be subject to an audit upon notification of the President.  The President may appoint an Audit Committee at any time.

 

SECTION 5. The Board of Directors, under the guidance of the President, shall insure that the committee chairpersons and committees function properly, ensure all DRGA debts are paid by the Treasurer, be responsible to assist committee chairpersons where needed, govern club activities and functions in general, except where changes require a membership vote. They shall also call a general membership meeting when deemed necessary.

 

SECTION 6. The Handicap Chairperson will be responsible for computing member's initial handicaps, and updating the DRGA and AGA handicap databases following each tournament event, and having such updated handicaps posted as soon as possible thereafter, but prior to the next tournament. The Handicap Chairperson coordinates all pre-tournament activities such as tee-time assignments and pairings, tournament flightings, and scorecard preparation.

 

ARTICLE V   - MEETINGS

 

SECTION 1. A General membership meeting shall be held at a minimum once a year, but can be called anytime during the year when deemed necessary by the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall mail to each member, or post a notice in the Pro Shop, at a minimum of one week before said meeting.

 

SECTION 2. The order of business at all meeting of the club shall be at a minimum as follows: Call to Order, General Membership Presentations, Pro Shop Business, Reading and Approval of Minutes of Preceding Meeting, Report from the Treasurer, Unfinished business, New business, Adjournment. Members wishing to present questions or proposals to the Board must make arrangements at least one week in advance of the meeting by contacting the Club President or Secretary to secure a spot on the agenda.

 

SECTION 3. The Board of Directors shall meet once a month during each calendar year at a time and place to be fixed by the President. The President shall contact each member of the Board of Directors at least five days prior to said meeting. This meeting is restricted to the Board of Directors and appointed representatives. General membership is limited to the provisions lists in Sections 1 and 2 of Article V.

 


SECTION 4. The President, or any two members of the Board of Directors, may call a special meeting of the Board of Directors at any time, provided the Secretary has notified each member of the Board of Directors. A notice of said meeting stating the business to be brought before the Directors must be mailed, or a telephone confirmation received, at least five days prior to said meeting.

 

SECTION 5. Five members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of said Board of Directors.

 

SECTION 6. Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised, shall be the final authority as to parliamentary procedure at all meeting of the members, insofar as they do not conflict with an provision of the By-laws.

 

ARTICLE VI   - STANDING COMMITTEES

 

SECTION 1. The Tournament Committee shall consist of the Vice-President, one board member, one representative from the Pro Shop and if desired additional club members. The Vice-President shall have charge of all club tournaments.

 

SECTION 2. The Handicap Committee shall consist of the Handicap Chairperson and minimum of one additional active member. The Handicap Chairperson as needed may appoint additional members. The committee shall at all times keep records and establish handicaps for it’s members in accordance with the United Stated Golf Association (USGA), Arizona Golf Association (AGA), and the following DRGA Tournament Handicap System, as specified by the Dobson Ranch Golf Association Board of Directors. Copies of the handicaps and records shall be posted in the Ranch House Lounge or available at the request of the Board of Directors or general membership.

 

*   For all Tournaments supervised by the DRGA, an established members handicap shall be calculated based on the best three of the members last six tournament scores in DRGA events, where the member was required to play their own ball to completion on each hole. Therefore this excludes scrambles, best balls and like event

*   For all Tournaments supervised by the DRGA, new members will be required to provide adequate information such that an initial handicap can be estimated. These new members will then be placed on the “5% rule”, where their gross tournament score cannot be lower than the estimate by more than 5%. Should the new member shoot a score lower than the estimate, their new handicap will be based on this lower score until three total tournaments have been played and a true DRGA handicap established.

 

ARTICLE VII   - DUES

 

SECTION 1. The Board of Directors on an annual basis shall establish annual membership dues for the Dobson Ranch Golf Association. This shall occur no later than the November Board of Directors meeting.

 

SECTION 2. Availability of discounted renewal membership dues shall be payable no sooner then December 1st and shall expire on December 31st of each year. Annual membership dues shall constitute membership from January 1st to December 31st inclusive, regardless of when paid during any given year.

 

SECTION 3. No member shall have voting or tournament sign-up and participation privileges while delinquent in payment of their dues.

 

SECTION 4. The Board of Directors may grant honorary membership to an individual with unanimous approval.

 

ARTICLE VIII   - ELECTIONS

 

SECTION 1. Nominations for officers of the organization must be submitted to the Board of Directors no later than November 7th. Elections shall be completed by December 15th.

 

SECTION 2. Should any of the offices become vacant, they shall be filled as specified in Article III of these By-laws.

 


ARTICLE IX   - AMENDMENTS

 

SECTION 1. These By-laws may be amended at any time, requiring two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Directors.

 

ARTICLE X   - POLICY

 

SECTION 1. The Officers and Board of Directors shall have the right by a decreed majority consisting of 7 of 9 votes, to expel from the Dobson Ranch Golf Association any member whose conduct, activities, or attitude does not promote integrity or good sportsmanship.

 

SECTION 2. End of Year Distribution of Funds - All funds are to be distributed by December 31st of the current fiscal year.  The balance of funds remaining should be less than $ 100.  Any overage or shortage shall be made available to the Board of Directors at the January meeting in the following year to determine where the miscellaneous funds will be disbursed in the next fiscal year.

 

SECTION 3. Expiration of CTP’s and Checks Outstanding issued by the DRGA. - There will be a one-year statute of limitations enforced from date of issue on any CTP checks or any checks written that are outstanding written by the DRGA. After the one year time period, a written notification will go out to the individual instructing them to cash the check or have a new check reissued.  If no response is received ninety days after the notification, the check will expire worthless.