Constitution
The Club shall be called "The Millport Golf Club" and shall be a non profit making body dedicated to the supply of sporting services.
The objects of the Club are the encouragement and promotion of the sport and game of golf in all its branches and to provide for the members of the Club a golf course and clubhouse and to supply them with refreshments and all things incidental to the playing of golf.
The membership shall consist of :
Honorary Life Members
Ordinary Members
Associate Members
Temporary Members
All of the aforementioned Categories of Members of the Club may be limited to such number of Members as the Committee may from time to time determine.
The Office Bearers of the Club shall consist of an Honorary President, Captain, Vice-Captain, Past-Captain. The Office Bearers shall be elected by the Members at each Annual General Meeting but only the Immediate Past Captain shall be eligible for election to the office of Past Captain. The secretary appointed by the Committee in terms of section VII(1) of the Constitution shall be adopted as an office bearer.
The Committee of Management ("the Committee") shall consist of the Captain, the Vice-Captain, the Immediate Past Captain and nine duly elected members.
Election of Members of the Committee shall take place in the following manner.
Any two members of the Club may nominate a member of the Club to serve on the Committee.
The name of each member of the Club nominated shall be sent to the Secretary together with the names of his proposer and seconder not later than 8 January in each year.
Each member of the Club present at the Annual General meeting and entitled to vote in terms of the constitution may vote for any number of candidates not exceeding the number of vacancies.
If insufficient candidates are nominated, the Committee may fill the remaining vacancies.
Each member of the Committee, other than the Captain and Vice-Captain, shall be elected to serve on the Committee for a period of three years except as provided for in the following sub clause. Each member of the Committee shall retire at the Annual General Meeting falling three years after their election. Each member of the Committee so retiring at the expiry of their three year term of membership shall be eligible for immediate re-election to the Committee. The member retiring from the post of Immediate Past-Captain shall be ineligible for a period of two years.
In the event of any member of the Committee retiring prior to the expiry of the three year term of membership (said member being hereinafter called "the retiring member") the committee may fill the vacancy created. The member so chosen by the Committee to fill the vacancy created by the retiring member shall retire at the next Annual General Meeting following the said retiral of the retiring member ("the next Annual General Meeting"), being eligible for re-election. In the event that the retiring member’s term of membership would have expired at the next Annual General Meeting then the member elected in place of the retiring member at the next Annual General Meeting will be elected for three years as provided for in item 5 above. In the event, however, that the retiring member would, at the time of the next Annual General Meeting, have had one or more years left to run of the term of membership of the Committee then the member of the Club elected to the Committee in place of the retiring member at the next Annual General meeting shall require to resign from the Committee at the Annual General meeting at which the retiring member would have been required to resign had the member completed the full three year term of membership of the Committee.
In the event that two or more candidates obtain an equal number of votes would entitle one or more but not all of them to be elected as a member of the Committee then the Members shall select from them by ballot the candidate or candidates to be a member or members of the Committee.
The Committee shall be empowered to appoint an official who may be known as the Secretary ("the Secretary") and shall fix the remuneration for the Secretary. The Secretary will not be a member of the Committee as hereinbefore described.
The Committee shall be vested with full power (subject to any special directions from the Club at a General Meeting) necessary for the conduct of the Club’s affairs and all administrative powers necessary to carry out the objects of the Club properly in accordance with these rules, including the following special powers, viz.:-
To borrow money for the purposes of the Club and to issue or grant debenture or other securities over the property of the Club, including its funds, to enter into leases of ground or premises required by the Club; to purchase heritable property for the Club; to fill up vacancies that may occur in their number among the Office Bearers between Annual General Meetings; to fix the Club Competitions, Prizes and Handicaps; to make Rules, Bye Laws and Orders for the Management of the Club, such Rules, Bye-Laws and Orders to be deemed sufficiently intimated to the members by being posted in the clubhouse; and to appoint sub committees from their own number, with the addition of other members of the Club with such duties and quorums as the Committee shall think fit.
The Committee shall ensure that full and correct Minutes of all Club proceedings are kept as well as accounts showing the Club’s financial intromissions and position.
All obligations undertaken by the Committee on behalf of the Club shall be the obligation of the Club and no Member of the Committee shall be held personally responsible or liable.
At meetings of the Committee five Members shall form a quorum.
Notice of meetings of the Committee shall specify the business to be brought before the meeting.
The financial year of the Club shall end at 31 October in each year.
The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held not later than 15 February in each year when a report of the general affairs of the Club, and an abstract of the Club’s accounts for the previous year duly certified by one, or two, Chartered Accountants, who shall not be members of the Committee, shall be submitted; the Office Bearers and Committee for the following year shall be appointed as aforesaid; and such other business shall be transacted as may be competent.
A Special General Meeting of the Club may be called when considered desirable by the Committee, or upon the receipt by the Secretary of a requisition signed by not less than eight members of the Club, said requisition stating the matter to be brought before the said Special General Meeting.
At least seven days notice of any General Meeting shall be given by the Secretary to each member of the Club, such notice stating the business to be brought before the meeting. Where the General Meeting has been requisitioned by the members, the Meeting must be called within twenty eight days of receipt of the requisition by the Secretary.
At any General Meeting ten shall form a quorum.
The Captain shall be Chairman of any General Meeting and Committee Meetings, failing which the Vice-Captain will deputise. If both the Captain and Vice-Captain are absent or do not desire to act as Chairman, the meeting shall appoint a Chairman from those present. In all divisions the Chairman shall have a deliberative vote and in cases of equality in voting a casting vote.
Persons who have rendered valuable service to the Club, or who may for any reason be considered worthy, may at a General Meeting of the Club be admitted as Honorary Life Members, and as such, shall have the rights and privileges of Ordinary Members.
The election of new members of the Club shall rest with the whole Committee.
The names and addresses of persons proposed as members of the Club shall be displayed on a conspicuous place in the Club premises for at least 7 days before their election and an interval of not less than 14 days shall elapse between the nomination and election of ordinary members.
On the admission of a new member the Secretary shall notify such person in writing, furnish a copy of the Constitution and request payment of entry fee and subscription. No member may enjoy any of the benefits or privileges of the Club until their entry fee and subscription have been paid and if payment is not made within sixty days from the date of the Secretary’s notice, the election is absolutely void unless the member shows sufficient cause for the delay to the satisfaction of the Committee.
Subscriptions not paid by 1 February shall be considered in arrears and any member so in arrears shall be debarred from participating in any of the benefits or privileges of the Club until the arrears due by such person have been paid. If subscriptions are not paid in full by 1st February a monetary penalty of 10% will be applied. If subscription and penalty are not paid in full by 1st March the Committee may in its discretion if such arrears remain unpaid at any time thereafter remove the defaulting member form the roll of membership.
Any member intending to resign membership of the Club must intimate such intention to the Secretary in writing before the Annual General Meeting, failing which the member shall be held liable for the subscription for the following year.
Any persons over 15 years of age and under 18 years of age may be admitted by the Committee as an Associate member on payment of the appropriate Annual Subscription as provided for in this Constitution.
Juveniles under 15 years of age may be admitted by the Committee as Associate Members on payment of the appropriate Annual subscription as provided for in this Constitution.
Any persons over 18 years of age may be admitted by the Committee as Non-playing Associate Member on payment of the appropriate Annual Subscription as provided for in this Constitution.
An Associate Member shall have no right or interest in the property of the Club or voice in the management of the Club’s affairs.
The Committee may admit persons visiting or persons temporarily residing in the neighbourhood who desire to play golf, as Temporary Member to all the privileges of the Clubhouse and Course, but a Temporary Member shall have no right or interest in the property of the Club or voice in the management of the Club’s affairs.
The terms for Temporary Members which Temporary Members must be vouched for by a member or official of the Club shall be fixed by Committee from time to time. These terms shall be displayed in a conspicuous place in the clubhouse and shall be payable in advance.
A Temporary Member must at all times, when required to do so by an official or authorised servant of the Club, produce the receipt granted in respect of the subscription paid for Temporary Membership.
The Committee shall have power to admit as Temporary Members with or without payment, to all the privileges of the Clubhouse and Course for one or more days, members of any other golf club or associations for the purposes of engaging in a match or competition.
The Entry Fee and Annual Subscriptions for each category of membership shall be as determined at a Special General Meeting to be held prior to 31st December exclusively for that purpose.
The Annual Subscription of an ordinary member who has attained the age of 65 years and has been a member of the Club for a continuous period of not less than 25 years will, after written application to the Committee, be one half of the ordinary member’s subscription detailed in sub-paragraph 1 above.
The Annual Subscription of an ordinary member who has not attained the age of 21 years be one half of the ordinary member’s subscription detailed in sub paragraph 1 above.
In the event of the conduct of any member of the club being in the opinion of the Committee injurious to the character, interest or good order of the Club, the Committee may recommend such members to resign and if they refuse to do so the Committee may suspend or expel them from the Club. Provided always that no such recommendations, suspension or expulsion, shall be made unless the same shall be agreed by three fourths of these members of the Committee who may be present at a meeting, specially convened for the purpose of considering the conduct of such members and provided always that full opportunity has been given such members to make such explanation or defence on their own behalf as they may be able to furnish.
ALTERATION OF CONSTITUTION AND RULES
No alteration shall be made in the Constitution and Rules save by a majority of the members present at the Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting.
Notice of the proposed alteration shall in all cases be given in the notice given by the Secretary to each member as aforesaid.
Any member of the Club desiring to move an alteration at the Annual General Meeting must intimate the terms of the motion to the Secretary in writing not later than 8 January.
Any complaint or complaints must be made to the Secretary in writing, whereupon the Secretary shall submit same to the Committee who shall have power to deal with any such complaint or complaints as the Committee thinks fit.
The property of the Club, including its funds shall belong to the members equally, but the right and interest of each member shall be personal and not assignable or arrestable and shall expire upon cessation of membership and shall not pass to heirs or executors.
No Office Bearer or any other member of the Committee shall rent or lease land to the Club.
No Office Bearer or any member of the Committee shall be a relative, business partner or personal acting under the direction of any person leasing or renting land to the Club.
No Office Bearer or any other member of the Committee shall be a relative or business partner or person acting under the direction of anyone associated with the Club who receives emoluments based on the turnover of any aspect of Club activity.
No profit or surplus will be distributed other than to another non-profit making body or to members on winding up or dissolution of the Club.
All profits or surpluses generated by Club activities shall be devoted to the continuance or improvement of Club facilities.
In respect that the Committee has full power to purchase heritable property for the Club, to enter into leases of ground or premises required by the Club and to borrow money for the purpose of the Club and to issue or grant debenture or other securities over the property of the Club, the Committee shall be empowered to direct that the title to any such heritable property is taken, any such lease is entered into, and any such debenture or other security is issued or granted on behalf of the Club in the name of such of the aforementioned Office Bearers as the Committee shall decide as Trustees ex officio for and on behalf of the Club and their successors in office.
SALE AND SUPPLY OF EXCISABLE LIQUOR
No member of the Committee and no manager or servant employed in the Club shall have any personal interest in the sale of excisable liquors therein or in the profits arising from such sale.
A visitor shall not be supplied with excisable liquor in the Club premises unless on the invitation and in the company of a member and such member shall, upon the admission of such visitor or guest to the club premises or immediately upon them being supplied with any liquor, enter the member’s and the name and address of the visitor in a book which shall be kept for the purpose and which shall show the date of each visit.
No excisable liquor will be sold or supplied for consumption outside the premises of the Club, except to a member on the premises and for the member’s own consumption.
No excisable liquor shall be supplied to any member or other person under eighteen years of age.
The sale and supply of excisable liquor in the Club shall comply with the general law applicable to the sale and supply of excisable liquor from time to time.
The heading to these rules are for ease of reference only and are not to be taken into account in their interpretation.