Constitution

1           NAME

1.1         The Union shall be called the "Somerset Golf Union"

2           OBJECTS

2.1         To act as a central authority for determining all questions that may arise and generally promote the interests of amateur golf in the County of Somerset. 

2.2         To monitor the maintenance of a uniform system of handicapping throughout the County and act as the area authority as defined by the World Handicapping System (WHS) or any modification. 

2.3         To promote amateur golf championships and competitions for the various categories of golfers in the County under conditions laid down by the Executive Committee 

2.4         To arrange golf matches with other Counties and Associations including competing annually for the Championship of England Golf and the South Western Counties Golf Association. 

2.5         To abide by the Rules of Golf as published by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. 

2.6         To abide by the Rules of Amateur Status as published by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. 

2.7         To abide by the Constitution and Rules of England Golf. 

2.8          To take such action from time to time as the Council may consider desirable for the benefit of members.

3           MEMBERSHIP

3.1         The Union shall consist of those golf clubs in the County of Somerset, whose election has been approved and whose Constitution and Rules comply with the basic requirements set out in sub-paragraph 3.2 to 3.6 hereof. 

3.2         Upon election the Club shall be known as an "Affiliated Club"

3.3         The Union shall have no control over the internal administration of any affiliated Club though the Executive Committee may suspend the affiliation to the Union of any Club not complying with any of the laid down requirements in 3.4 to 3.7, until such time that they are satisfied that the necessary changes have been effected.

The following wording must be contained in the Rules of all Affiliated Clubs:

3.4         Conduct of the Game

3.4.1         The Club agrees to recognise the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews as the ruling body of Amateur Golf and shall abide by the Rules of Golf and Amateur Status as laid down from time to time by the R&A. 

3.4.2        The Club agrees to comply with the  World Handicapping System (WHS) and any conditions imposed within the Scheme by the English Golf Union. 

3.4.3         The Club agrees to comply with the Constitution and Rules of the England Golf and of its County Union as published from time to time.

3.5         Subscriptions to England Golf and County Union

3.5.1         The Club shall pay all subscriptions due to the County Union and to England Golf in respect of every male playing member of whatever category.

3.6         Disciplinary Powers

3.6.1         The Club shall duly exercise the disciplinary powers delegated to them under the England Golf Constitution.

3.7         Elections

3.7.1         The members at the Annual General Meeting or the elected General Committees, whichever is appropriate, shall appoint a Competition & Handicapping Committee (the majority of which shall be elected members) which shall have complete control of handicapping matters in the Club. 

Note: Rule 3.4.1 to 3.4.3 must be included as written but the Club may wish to expand on its contents in later rules.

3.8         Revocation

3.8.1         Rules 3.2 through to 3.5 and this Rule shall not be amended or revoked without the prior written consent of the English Golf Union Ltd.

Note: Affiliated Clubs shall offer the facilities of their course and part of the Clubhouse to the County Union at reasonable intervals.

4           GOVERNING BODY (THE COUNCIL)

4.1         The Union shall be governed by the Council of the Union constituted as laid down in Rule 4.2. The Council shall be empowered to delegate any part of its duties to the Executive Committee constituted as laid down in Rule 7.

4.2         The Council shall consist of:

4.2.1         The Officers of the Union as laid down in Rule 5. 

4.2.2         Two delegates from each Club whose membership is less than 300 and three delegates from Clubs whose membership is over 300. 

4.2.3         Members of the Executive Committee not otherwise members of the Council. 

4.2.4         Past Presidents and Past Chairmen are ex-officio members of the Council without the powers to vote

4.2.5         The election of the Club delegates to the Council of the Union shall be made each year by each Club in the Union in such manner as it thinks fit and each Club shall notify the Secretary of the Union as soon as possible in each year of the names of the delegates for the year. The delegates shall hold office from one Annual General Meeting of the Council to the next such meeting. In the event of a delegate not being able to attend a Council meeting, a deputy appointed by the Club concerned may attend in his place. Thirty shall form a quorum of the Council. 

4.2.6         All Club delegates and members of the Executive shall each have one vote at meetings of the Council. The Chairman shall have a casting vote.

5           OFFICERS

5.1         Officers of the Union shall consist of:

President

Vice-President

Chairman

Captain

Vice-Captain

Seniors Captain

County Junior Organiser

Honorary Treasurer

5.2         The Executive Committee will nominate Officers of the Union for confirmation at the Annual general Meeting, for the periods as detailed in the following articles.

5.3         The Chairman shall hold office for a term of three years; he may be re-elected for a second term of two years; he may not hold office for more than five consecutive years.

5.4         The County Junior Organiser and The Honorary Treasurer shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting of the Council after the meeting at which they were elected.

5.5         The Captain shall hold office for two years from the Annual General Meeting of the Council at which he is elected.

5.6         The Seniors Captain shall hold office for two years from the Annual General Meeting at which he is elected.  

5.7         The Council shall have power from time to time, on the recommendation of the Executive Committee, to elect any person being a member of a Club affiliated to the Union to be the Vice-President. Nomination for the office of Vice-President may be made by the past Presidents, past Chairmen ,  the Executive Committee or any club of the Union to the Annual General Meeting for consideration. The Nominee obtaining the most votes will be elected Vice President for a period of two years after which he will progress to the role of President. 

5.8         The President shall hold office for two years

5.9         The Executive Committee of the Union shall have the power to employ such persons as are deemed necessary for the good order and running of the Somerset Golf Union. A Secretary to the Executive Committee and, if the Executive Committee so decides, a Competitions Secretary shall be employed under such terms and conditions, and for such period of time as may be decided by the Executive Committee. A Secretary so employed will be entitled to attend all meetings of the Union but will not have the power to vote.

5.10     Employees of the Union in whatever category eligible to attend Executive Committee meetings do not have the power to vote

6           ACCOUNTANTS

Accountants shall be elected yearly at the Annual General Meeting of the Council to carry out an independent review.

7           EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

7.1         The Executive Committee shall consist of:

7.1.1         The Officers of the Union. 

7.1.2         Six other members; two of whom are to be elected at each Annual General Meeting with no more than two from any Club serving as committee members at the same time. 

7.1.3         The elected members of the executive Committee shall hold office for three years, two members retiring annually in rotation who shall be eligible for re-election.     

7.1.4         Each member of the Executive Committee, except paid employees of the Union, shall have one vote at meetings and the Chairman shall have a casting vote. 

7.1.5         Each member of the Executive Committee shall have nominated a Club affiliated to the Somerset Golf Union as his Home Club for handicap purposes.

8           CO-OPTION TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The Executive committee shall have power to co-opt any person, or number of persons, without power to vote to assist them in their deliberations on any particular matter.

9           POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

9.1         The Executive Committee shall submit nominations for the Officers of the Union to the Annual General Meeting of the Council.

9.2         The Executive Committee shall conduct the affairs of the Union and deal with all matters arising in the intervals between meetings of the Council.

9.3         Four members of the Executive Committee shall form a quorum.

9.4         A minimum of seven days notice of all meetings shall be given by the Secretary to all members of the Executive Committee and must be called by him at any time at the request of three members of the Executive Committee.

9.5         The Executive Committee shall nominate one of its members to be the Representative of the Somerset Golf Union (known as a Voting Member) to the Council of England Golf.

9.6         The Executive Committee shall have the power to decide the amounts of any salary paid and the terms and conditions of employment to any person in whatever category it decides to employ.

10       PROCEDURE AND CONDUCT OF DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEES

10.1     The Executive Committee must ensure that all rules contained both in the Constitution and the Regulations governing championships and matches are complied with. The Executive Committee is authorised to deal with any breach of rule or discipline, and to impose sanctions on any Club, player or person deemed to have breached any Rule.

10.2     The Executive Committee of the Union shall be the Disciplinary Committee from whom members to conduct a hearing or appeal shall be nominated.

10.3     Without prejudice to the generality of the preceding sub-clause to appoint and delegate disciplinary powers to a Disciplinary Sub-Committee, such powers are to be exercised in accordance with the terms and conditions for the conduct of Disciplinary Sub-Committees from time to time issued by the England Golf.

11       ANNUAL MEETINGS

11.1     The Annual Meeting of the Council shall be held within four months of the end of the financial year, and twenty eight days notice shall be given by the Secretary to the Officers and Committee and to the Secretary of each Affiliated Club.

11.2     A copy of the independently reviewed financial statement for the previous year shall be sent with the notice of the Meeting. The financial year shall end on 31st October each year.

11.3     Each Affiliated Club must notify the Secretary of the names of their Representatives (see Rule 4) and only those Representatives, together with the Officers of the Union and other members of the Executive shall be entitled to attend and vote at the Annual General Meeting of the Council, though Past-Presidents and Past Chairmen may attend and take part in any discussion. The terms of this sub-paragraph shall apply to Special Meetings (see Rule 12).

12       SPECIAL MEETINGS

12.1     A Special Meeting of the Council may be convened at any time by the Secretary:

12.2     by instruction of the Chairman or Executive Committee;

12.3     upon written request of any three Affiliated Clubs, such written request to state the business which the Clubs making the request desire to bring before the Special Meeting.

12.4     Twenty-eight days notice of any Special meeting shall be given by the Secretary to the Secretary of each Affiliated Club and such notice shall state the business for which the Meeting is called.

12.5     No other business shall be considered at such meeting.

13       SUBSCRIPTIONS

13.1     Each Affiliated Club shall pay to the Union as its annual subscription a per capita contribution for each member as determined from time to time by the Executive Committee, together with the Club’s per capita contribution to England Golf for each member.

13.2     Subscriptions will be agreed at the AGM and will be effective from 1 April of the same year. A separate rate may be applied for junior members.

13.3     No representative of a Club whose subscriptions are unpaid shall be entitled to vote at the Annual General Meeting or any other meeting of the Council.

14       MINUTES, MEETINGS AND CORRESPONDENCE

14.1     The Secretary shall record correctly in the minutes the proceedings of the Council and the Executive Committee and shall produce the minutes file at the meetings thereof.

14.2     The Secretary shall summon all meetings of the Council and the Executive Committee.

14.3     The Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the Union.

15       ALTERATIONS OF RULES OR REGULATIONS

15.1     No rule or regulation of the Union shall be made, repealed or altered, save by a majority of two thirds of the representatives present and by voting at the Annual General Meeting of the Council or at a Special meeting of the Council called for the purpose of repealing or altering such rule or regulation.

15.2     Any officer or Club in the Union wishing to propose any such new rule or regulation, repeal or alteration, shall give notice to the Secretary not less than 42 days before a meeting of the Council, and the Secretary shall give notice thereof to all Clubs in the Union not less than 28 days before such Council Meeting. Upon consideration of such proposals it shall be competent for the meeting of the Council to pass them with or without modification.

16       COMPETITIONS SUB-COMMITTEE

16.1     All questions arising at Championship Meetings shall be decided by any three of the Competitions Secretary and such members of the Executive Committee as shall be immediately available. A Competitions Sub-Committee whose members are appointed by the Executive Committee shall be empowered to act in all matters concerning all or any Championship.

16.2     The Competitions Sub-Committee shall have power to co-opt other persons to assist with the business of the Competitions Sub-Committee.

17       COUNTY MATCHES

The Executive Committee shall have power to arrange matches with other Counties and either to select teams or to appoint a Selection Sub-Committee for this purpose.

18       STANDARD SCRATCH SCORE & HANDICAPPING SCHEME

The Union recognises the Council of World Handicapping System (WHS) adopted by the England Golf and all Clubs in the Union shall adopt that Scheme and handicap their players in accordance with it.

19       DISPUTES

All disputes between the Union and Clubs being members of the Union shall, if either party so requests, be referred to the Executive Committee of the England Golf whose decision on such disputes shall be binding on both parties.

20       REGULATIONS FOR COUNTY COMPETITIONS

20.1     Golf Meetings will be held each year at which shall be decided the Individual Championships for Stroke or Match Play and such other competitions as the Executive Committee may decide. The competitions shall be open to all male amateur members of the Clubs in the Union (subject to clause 20.2 below), but the Executive Committee may decide upon a qualifying standard required by all entrants. The Competitions sub-committee of the Union shall decide on the conditions of entry and qualifications for all County events and shall publish these by means of posters and on the Union’s web site at www.somersetgolfunion.co.uk

20.2     The Inter Club Championships shall be decided annually in such manner as the Executive Committee may decide.

20.3     The qualifications of a player for playing in County Championships and or Inter-County Matches shall be as follows:

20.4     He must be of Amateur Status as defined by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews

20.5     He must be a member of an Affiliated Club in the County Union or must have been born in the County and be a member of an Affiliated Club in another County.

20.6     He shall not have competed in the Championship of another County or played in a team representing another County during the previous twelve months unless specifically approved by the Somerset Golf Union Executive Committee and that the player and County have received the written authority of the County for whom the player last played. If a player is a member of more than one SGU affiliated club, he may only represent one SGU club in County Championships and or County Inter-Club Knockouts during any calendar year (1st January – 31st December) Having represented one SGU club during the calendar year the player cannot represent any other SGU club during the same calendar year.   

20.7     The Executive shall decide upon whose courses the Championship meetings shall be held and the dates thereof and shall have power at any time to change the venue or dates.

Revised constitution agreed and amended AGM February 21st 2023.