ARTICLE I: NAME
The name of this club shall be the Maplewood Women's Golf Association (MWGA). It is operated as a non-profit organization at 4050 Maple Valley Highway, Renton, County of King, State of Washington.
ARTICLE II: PURPOSE
The purpose of MWGA shall be to promote the interest of golf among women, to hold regular golf competitions, to hold tournaments for annual championship, and to conduct social activities for the mutual pleasure and recreation of its membership.
ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP
Membership of MWGA shall consist of women who desire to establish a handicap and to play competitively and/or for pleasure and to play tournaments and competitions on Tuesdays. The MWGA has a policy of non discrimination. Any member whose conduct is prejudicial to the welfare of the club shall have her membership terminated by vote of the Board of Directors. Any woman belonging to multiple golf clubs is eligible to compete in MWGA Club Championship as long as she meets our club criteria.
ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS
The officers of MWGA shall be Captain, Co-Captain, Secretary, and Treasurer, to be nominated as prescribed in the By-Laws
ARTICLE V: BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Members of the Board of Directors shall include the Captain, Co-Captain, Secretary, Treasurer, State Trustee, WA Golf Representative, City Representative, Tournament Chairperson, Weekly Competition Chairperson and Handicap Chairperson.
The Board of Directors shall have such powers and duties as prescribed in the Constitution and By-Laws. The incoming Captain shall appoint those Board members who are not elected officers.
ARTICLE VI: AMENDMENTS TO CONSTITUTION
This Constitution may be amended by a 2/3 vote of the members present at any regular meeting of MWGA or by an email vote with a 2/3 response. Notice of any proposed amendment is to be emailed to MWGA members and posted on the club bulletin board at the Maplewood Golf Course by the secretary, thirty (30) days prior to such a meeting.
ARTICLE VII: BY-LAWS
The By-Laws of MWGA may be adopted, amended, or rescinded at any regular meeting of the club by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of members present or by an email vote with a 2/3’s response of the members, provided that notice be emailed to club members and posted on the bulletin board by the secretary, thirty (30) days prior to the meeting.
ARTICLE I: DEFINITIONS
1. Bulletin Board: wherever used in these By-Laws shall mean the board used for posting notices at Maplewood Golf Course.
2. Fiscal Year: wherever used in the By-Laws shall mean the current period of twelve (12) months between January 1 and December 31.
3. Quorum: a majority of all paid members present will constitute a quorum of MWGA.
4. Majority: more than half of the votes cast, ignoring blanks, at a legal meeting where a quorum is present.
5. Voting: Voting by the Board members or the General members shall be conducted by physical vote at a scheduled meeting, an email vote or phone response. The voting method of each vote will be determined by the Board. Only members who have paid their dues are eligible to vote.
ARTICLE II: MEETINGS
Regular meetings shall be scheduled by the Board. Special meetings shall be called by the Captain. The General Meeting of members shall be held the second week of February and the Annual Meeting of members shall be held the second week of November.
Notice of all meetings shall be posted on the bulletin board and sent by email by the secretary one week prior to the date of the meeting.
Officers of the club shall be elected at the Annual Meeting and shall be elected by a majority of votes cast.
ARTICLE III: DUTIES
1. Captain shall preside at all meetings, appoint all committee chairpersons, sign warrants in the absence of the treasurer, review a monthly summary of warrants provided by the treasurer, and take care of all business of MWGA not assigned to other officers.
2. Co-Captain shall perform the duties of the Captain in her absence. If the office of the Captain should become vacant, the Co-Captain shall become Captain. The Co-Captain shall assume the position of Captain the following year.
3. Secretary shall notify the Regular membership of meetings and keep a record of the minutes of all meetings of MWGA. A copy of all meeting minutes shall be provided to the Board of Directors members and a copy of all General Meeting minutes shall be posted on the bulletin board and sent by email.
4. Treasurer shall have custody of all funds of MWGA, shall keep a record of all collections and disbursements, shall collect dues, sign all warrants, and email a monthly summary of warrants to the Captain. She shall keep a roster of MWGA members.
5. State Trustee, City Representative and WA Golf Representative shall be able to attend all Board meetings and all meetings of their respective organizations, reporting all business transactions back to the club.
6. Tournament Chair shall be responsible to the Captain for planning and conducting all MWGA major tournaments. She will prepare a schedule of events for the season and present it to the Captain for approval, post the competition sheets on the bulletin board, have engraving done for all plaques, and select and purchase trophies for Most Improved and Club Champion.
7. Weekly Competition Chair shall be responsible to the Captain for planning and conducting all MWGA weekly competitions and minor tournaments. She will prepare and present to the Captain, for approval, a schedule of events for the season.
8. Handicap Chair shall be in charge of monitoring and updating the GHIN handicap system and assisting new members in the use of the GHIN handicap system.
9. Team Captain shall organize teams consisting of six (6) members that have met the eligibility requirements of the GSWPGA, ascertain if handicaps are current, and inform team members of where and when they play.
10. Rules Chair shall be in charge of reviewing local rules, working with the Golf Pro and keeping membership informed on all USGA rules. The Rules Chair shall determine when to use summer rules and preferred lies.
11. Rules Committee shall be established, consisting of the Golf Pro, Tournament Chair and the Rules Chair for all major Tournaments. They will provide final authority on all questions and disagreements.
12. Auditor, appointed by the Captain, shall audit the financial accounts of the MWGA once a year.
ARTICLE IV: DUES
1. The dues of the club will be voted upon by the membership at the November Annual Meeting. Dues will include amounts for General Fund, Weekly Competition, GHIN, and Hole-in-One Insurance. The GHIN portion will match the amount due to WA Golf. Dues cover membership from January 1 - December 31.
2. Any person becoming a new member of the club after September 1 shall only pay the GHIN dues and Hole-in-One Insurance amounts for the balance of the fiscal year.
3. No member shall be eligible to vote at any meeting whose dues are in arrears or has not paid a full annual membership.
4. The Hole-in-One Insurance shall maintain a $500 balance. Any excess or deficit will be transferred to or from the General Fund at year end in order to maintain this balance.
ARTICLE V: FUNDS
The funds of MWGA shall be used for competitive golf, the promotion of golf and good sportsmanship, trophies and entertainment.
ARTICLE VI: NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS, STATE TRUSTEE, CITY REPRESENTATIVE and WA Golf REPRESENTATIVE
Officers of MWGA shall be elected at each annual fall meeting for terms of one year with the exception of the Co-Captain who will assume the position of Captain the following year. State Trustee shall be elected for a two-year term on each odd-numbered year. City Representative and WA Golf Representative shall be elected for a two-year term on each even-numbered year. If an office remains open at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting (Nov.); nominations will remain open until the General Meeting (Feb.) of the following year. Thereafter, should a Board position become vacant, the Board of Directors have the authority to appoint a member to fill the vacancy. Thirty days before the date of the annual meeting, the Captain shall appoint a committee who shall place in nomination at the next annual meeting at least one nominee for each elective office to be filled. The Captain shall, within one week after appointing the Nominating Committee, email MWGA members and post on the bulletin board the names of the members of said committee. The Nominating Committee shall, at least one week prior to the annual meeting, email club members and post on the bulletin board the names of all nominees.
In addition to the slate of officers presented by the Nominating Committee, further nominations shall be in order from the floor.
The election of officers, State Trustee, City Representative, and WA Golf Representative shall be by written ballot. However, if only one person is nominated for any office, the presiding officer may instruct the Secretary to cast a unanimous ballot for such nominee. Election shall depend on a majority of members present.
ARTICLE VII: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
Robert's Rules of Order shall be the parliamentary authority on all matters not covered by the Constitution and By-Laws of this organization.
DUTIES OF THE PARLIAMENTARIAN: Parliamentarian shall advise the presiding officer (Captain) on points of Parliamentary law and also give similar advice to MWGA and the Board of Directors as requested (Robert's Parliamentary Law)
ARTICLE VIII: PLAYING AND TOURNAMENT RULES
All playing and tournament rules adopted by the club on motion or otherwise, shall automatically be adopted on the date of the Annual meeting.
Eligibility
1. Only current members are eligible to play in competition. Dues are for the fiscal year January through December.
2. An established handicap is required to enter weekly competitions and Maplewood tournaments. A new member, without a handicap, may establish one by turning in three (3) 18-hole rounds (or the equivalent using combined 9-hole rounds) played on any course with a USGA Course and Slope rating during an active season at that course. New Members without handicaps place their first three (3) cards, signed with full name, dated, and attested, in the “New Member” box on the high counter near the bulletin board.
3. To be eligible for Club Championship, a member must submit a minimum of the equivalent of five (5) 18-hole scores from Maplewood dated from after the prior year Championship to the current year Championship. To be eligible for Most Improved Golfer, a member must submit a minimum of the equivalent of ten (10) 18-hole scores from Maplewood in the current year. In both cases, the rounds must be played at Maplewood during the Ladies Club regularly scheduled competition times). The Handicap Chair or co-Chair will verify these requirements.
4. Hole-In-One insurance will apply to any member making a hole-in-one on any USGA sloped and rated golf course during the fiscal year and shall be governed by the USGA recommendations defining a hole-in-one. The hole-in-one must be witnessed and the scorecard must be properly attested by someone in the playing group and turned in to the Ladies Club. Members must have paid up dues at the time of the hole-in-one. Gold pendants will be awarded to those making a hole-in-one at Maplewood, our home course, and a silver pendant awarded to those making a hole-in-one at other USGA sloped and rated courses.
5. Special Needs/Sight Impaired. If the Maplewood Women’s Association MWGA Board deems it necessary, after evaluation of circumstances and majority vote, that a player must use a coach/spotter to assist in identifying the location and line of every golf shot hit, then that player may only participate in competitions or tournaments with the assistance of a coach/spotter. The coach/spotter must follow the same rules for a caddie listed in the USGA guidelines.
6. Any woman belonging to multiple golf clubs is eligible to compete in Maplewood’s Club Championship as long as she meets MWGA criteria.
7. Guest Policy: Members may sign up a guest to play with her during weekly Tuesday play, and providing the member assists the guest in rules, etiquette, and pace of play. A member signing up with a guest must sign up to play at the end of the field. The member is eligible for weekly competition, but not the guest. Bringing a guest is not allowed during tournament play.
Weekly Competitions
1. There are two separate competitions on Tuesdays - 18 hole and 9 hole. Competition games may be different, as determined by the Chair.
2. Competition fee will be $17.00 per person per year to be included with dues, to be dispersed throughout the year and to be deposited on the books at the Pro Shop.
3. The break in divisions may be adjusted by the Captain or Co-Captain to equalize them. Three or more must be entered in a division to pay one place.
4. Payouts shall be one place for every three people up to four places, based on four divisions for 18-hole and one division for 9-hole Tuesday weekly competition. Payouts shall be $7 - 1st place, $6 - 2nd place, $5 - 3rd place, $4 - 4th place adhering to the budget, with a minimum payout of $1. In case of ties, money for places involved will be totaled and divided by the number of places tied.
5. Sign-ups for the Tuesday MWGA block of tee times begin on the prior Monday via Golf Genius (GG) email invitation.
6. One player per group will enter score in live scoring (GG), a different player in the group will keep the paper scorecard for the day of play, the paper scorecard will be submitted, at the end of play, otherwise the group will be DQ’d from competition.
Major Tournament Competitions
1. Major competition shall be scheduled for Tuesday play except as designated by the Tournament Chairperson.
2. A player who defaults in the Club Championship Tournament is automatically out of the Tournament, including consolation and will not be allowed to play with those signed up and eligible. Make-ups will not be allowed for tournament play.
3. Major competitions are Spring ECCI, 2 Lady Best Ball, other 2 Lady Tournaments, Club Championship and any additional competitions as designated by the Tournament Chair.
4. Non-major competitions are one-day events, not designated as a major, with prizes given the same day.
Advanced email registration through GG will be available to members.
Scorecards:
1. All competition scorecards must be legible, include players’ full names, the date of play, and be signed and attested; otherwise players will be DQ’d (disqualified).
Weekly Competition Cards: By placing Tuesday weekly competition cards in the designated box, you declare yourself in the competition.