CONSTITUTION
1. The Society takes its name from the Plume of Feathers at Harley, Shropshire and is formed for the benefit of local golfers.
2. The Officers of the Society are; President, Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Fixture Secretary, and Captain.
3. Membership will be restricted to a maximum of 60 members.
4. Membership is open to people of 18 years and above (Juniors will be permitted to enter competitions as members guests).
5. All potential new members must play at least once as a guest before applying for Membership. Approval of application will be at the discretion of the Committee.
6. The Committee will consist of; President, Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Fixture Secretary and Captain. The Committee will have the authority to co-opt any additional members it may require
7. The Financial Year for the Society will commence on 1st December each year with an Annual General Meeting held within 3 weeks of that date. The Membership Year will run from 1st January to 31st December each year.
8. The Treasurer will act on behalf of the Society with the agreement of the Committee and will be the primary user of the Society account for business internet banking, making and accepting payments solely and has the power of delegation to another nominated committee member. The Treasurer must submit a monthly financial statement for Committee approval.
9. An Extra-Ordinary Meeting of the Society may be called by any 3 members giving 3 weeks notice to the Committee along with their reasons for the Meeting.
10. Any member wishing to resign their membership shall pay in full all monies owing to the Society
11. The Committee has the right to terminate membership for :-
11.1.1. Failure to pay the Annual Subscription within 1 calendar month of the due date.
11.1.2. Any serious breach of etiquette or dishonesty.
11.1.3. Any action which the Committee feels brings the Society into disrepute.
12. A minimum of 3 Committee members shall be required to form a quorum.
13. Each member will pay an Annual Subscription. The subscription level will be established at the Annual General Meeting. Payment of the Annual Subscription will be due on 1st January each year.
14. Members of the Committee will be re-imbursed for any reasonable expenses incurred in the execution of their duties
15. The distinction of Honorary Life Membership may be conferred for special or long service in connection with the Society. The distinction shall be conferred only at an Annual General Meeting. Candidates shall be nominated only by the Committee.
16. Any trophies donated to the Society become the property of the Society and are awarded at the discretion of the Committee.
17. All members of the Society are responsible for ensuring that they hold adequate Public Liability Insurance.
18. The Society may only be dissolved or change its name by a majority vote at an Annual General Meeting or an Extra-Ordinary Meeting. In the event of the dissolution or change of name, any monies or other assets should be disposed of at the discretion of the Committee, after full consultation with the members.
SOCIETY RULES
1. All competitions will be played in accordance with “The Rules of Golf” as per The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. The competition year will be from 1st January to 31st December.
2. Members will always have priority over Member’s Guests and Non- Members for entry to Society Outings.
3. A Member may invite no more than 2 guests to any Outing. Member’s Guests and Non-Members may only play in 2 outings in any one calendar year unless invited by the Society Committee.
4. Member’s Guests and Non-Members will be charged an additional amount per outing, subject to the discretion of the Committee.
5. All new Members whether the holder of an official handicap or not must return three society outing cards to be allocated their Society Handicap. New members will not be eligible to earn Order of Merit points nor win any of the Society’s trophies or cash prizes until they have their Society Handicap. New members are immediately eligible for any non handicap related prizes including longest drive and nearest the pin(s).
6. Members Guests and Non-Members may not win any of the competition prizes, except the “Nearest the Pin” and “Longest Drive” competitions. The Committee may provide a Non-Members prize for competitions.
7. The Order of Merit points will be awarded in all qualifying competitions as follows; 15 points to the winner and then in descending order.
8. The Order of Merit Competition will be decided by the total number of points accumulated by a player in their best competitions. The number of competitions will be set by the committee at the start of each season. In the event of there being a tie of the number of points at the end of the competition, the winner will be the player with the most first places throughout the competition. If it is still a tie then the number of second places will be considered, and so on.
9. A player who enters their name for a competition but fails to notify the Society at least 3 days prior to the competition of their non-availability, will be responsible for payment of any monies lost by the Society.
10. The Committee will have the authority to waive any or all of the payments referred to in the above Rules.
HANDICAP SYSTEM
When a new member joins the Society they will be allocated a Society Handicap. This will be based on either:-
A. the new member's Club Handicap or previous Society Handicap (where this is out-of-date this will be considered by the Committee), or
B. the result of 3 scorecards from Outings played with the Society (during which time the member will not be eligible for any of the Society's main competitions, nor the Order of Merit).
Once a Society Handicap has been allocated, it should be used for all Society Outings regardless of any changes to any Club Handicap. However, in exceptional circumstances, a member may ask the Committee to review their handicap, or the Committee may decide to review a handicap at any time, providing the permission of the member is obtained before any change is made.
Handicap Reduction
In the event of a player scoring below their "Playing Handicap" 2, their "Exact Handicap" 1 will be reduced as follows:-
"Playing Handicap" 2 - ("Adjusted Gross" 3 -
"Competition Standard Scratch" 4) x "Category Increment" 5
The result is subtracted from the "Exact Handicap" 1
Increase in Handicap
In the event of a player scoring above their "Playing Handicap" 2 their "Exact Handicap" 1 will be increased as follows:-
If the "Adjusted Nett" 6 - "Buffer Zone" 7 is greater than the "Competition Standard Scratch" 4, then 0.2 will be added to their "Exact Handicap" 1.
An event winner and runner up will receive automatic cuts of one full shot and 0.5 shots respectively as a minimum, unless the calculation outlined above gives a greater deduction.
Definitions
1. Exact Handicap - This is the player's current handicap allowance including the decimal places and is used as the basis of calculation for the "Playing Handicap".
2. Playing Handicap - This is obtained by rounding the decimal places in the "Exact Handicap" either up or down, as appropriate (ie. 17.4 becomes 17, but 17.5 becomes 18).
3. Adjusted Gross - For handicapping purposes, a gross score on any hole shall not exceed the equivalent of "double bogey" for Category 1-4 players. The Adjusted Gross is calculated by rounding back the score on any hole in order to satisfy these parameters and then adding all 18 scores together.
4. Competition Standard Scratch - This is calculated as the average of the top third of the nett scores of all players in the competition.
5. Category Increment - This is the factor used in the calculation of handicap reductions in the event of a player scoring below their Playing Handicap. These are:-
Category 1 (Handicap 0 - 5) reduction of 0.1
Category 2 (Handicap 6 - 12) reduction of 0.2
Category 3 (Handicap 13 - 24) reduction of 0.3
Category 4 (Handicap 25 - 36) reduction of 0.4
6. Adjusted Nett - This is obtained by subtracting a players current Playing Handicap from their Adjusted Gross.
7. Buffer Zone - A Buffer Zone is applied to a players Adjusted Nett before an exact handicap is increased. Size of Buffer Zone varies with handicap category.
Category 1 (Handicap 0 - 5 ) 1 Stroke
Category 2 (Handicap 6 - 12 ) 2 Strokes
Category 3 (Handicap 13 - 24) 3 Strokes
Category 4 (Handicap 25 - 36) 4 Strokes
