BY-LAWS of ALABAMA GOLF ASSOCIATION (as of February 23, 2019)
ARTICLE I
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Membership in the Association shall be open to any "golf club" composed of bona fide residents of the State of Alabama, whether or not incorporated. A "golf club" shall be an organization of at least 10 individual members which operates under by-laws with committees appointed to supervise golf activities and to maintain the integrity of the USGA Handicap System. Its members must have a reasonable and regular opportunity to play golf with each other and be able personally to return scores or scorecards for posting. An organization of amateur golfers at a public golf course is considered a golf club, provided that it satisfies the conditions stated in this paragraph.
Section 2. The Association shall be composed of the following classes of members:
(a) Member Clubs. A Member Club shall be any golf club as defined in Section 1 above which provides to its individual members the handicap service offered by the Association.
(b) Individual Members. Individual Members shall consist of all members of Member Clubs who are active on the roster of the handicap service referenced in Paragraph (a) above.
Member Clubs and Individual Members shall be entitled to all privileges and services offered by the Association.
Section 3. Applications for membership shall be made in writing to the Secretary of the Association on such form as required, accompanied by such information as that Officer deems necessary for the Directors to have before passing on the application. No Member Club shall be admitted to membership in the Association without being first approved by a majority vote of the Directors constituting a quorum at a regular or special meeting of the Board of Directors or of a committee thereof authorized by the Board.
Section 4. The acceptance of membership in the Association shall bind each member to abide by the Articles of Incorporation, the By-laws and the rules and regulations of the Association and to accept and enforce all decisions which the Board of Directors is authorized to make relating to the affairs of the Association.
Section 5. Any Member Club of the Association may be suspended or expelled upon a majority vote of the Directors for non-payment of dues and fees or for any other reason satisfactory to a majority of said Board of Directors. No Member Club shall be suspended or expelled without due notice, with formal charges, and an opportunity to be heard in its own defense.
Section 6. On ceasing to be a member of the Association, any member shall no longer be interested in, or have any interest of any kind whatsoever in any of the property of the Association.
Section 7. The amount of annual dues and initiation fee and other fees for any of the members shall be as established from time to time by the Board of Directors. Annual Dues for all classes of membership shall be payable immediately upon receipt of any invoices for same.
Section 8. Membership shall be automatically continuous unless interrupted by written resignation or expulsion. Members shall be liable for all dues and fees accruing to the date of such resignation or resignation or expulsion.
ARTICLE II
MEETINGS OF THE MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. The annual meeting of the membership of the Association, as well as any special meeting thereof, shall be held at such times and places as are fixed by the Directors of the Association. In addition, special meetings of the membership may be held by petition of at least seven Member Clubs of the association. Ten days’ notice shall be given of any meeting of the membership and shall be given by regular mail, postage prepaid, or via electronic mail (e-mail) to all Member Clubs.
Section 2. Each Member Club shall have, at any annual or special meeting, the right to be represented (in person only) by one voting delegate or alternate duly elected by such Member Club. A quorum shall exist at any such meeting when representatives of at least seven Member Clubs are present.
Section 3. At the annual meeting the delegates there shall elect from the membership of the clubs holding membership in the Association, a President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer (or they may elect one person to fill both positions of Secretary and Treasurer) and a Board of Directors, whose number shall not be less than five (5) nor more than thirty-five (35), excluding officers and all former Presidents of the Association who are members of member clubs and remain active directors after their service as officers. Such officers and former Presidents remain as full voting members of the Board. Those so elected shall hold office until the election of the Directors at the next annual meeting. The President, Vice-President, and Secretary must not serve more than two (2) consecutive one-year terms and may not succeed themselves in office. Should the President resign or for any reason is unable to fulfill the duties of his office, the Vice President shall succeed to the Presidency immediately. Should the Vice President, the Secretary or the Treasurer resign or for any reason is unable to fulfill the duties of office, the Board of Directors shall elect from its membership a successor to serve until the next Annual Meeting.
Section 4. The President and Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer shall be ex-officio members of the Board of Directors.
Section 5. The election of the Officers and Directors shall be made in such a manner as the majority of the delegates may determine at the annual meeting.
Section 6. A majority of the Directors may grant the designation of “Director Emeritus” upon any retired Director, who shall be allowed to attend meetings of the Directors as an non-voting participant. Eligibility for designation as Director Emeritus shall include one or more of the following:
(a) Past president of the Alabama Golf Association.
(b) Distinguished service to the Alabama Golf Association by virtue of length of service and/or degree of involvement during his term.
(c) Other eligibility requirements as may be established by the Directors.
ARTICLE III
DIRECTORS
Section 1. The management of the Association shall be vested in the Board of Directors. They shall fix the bonds and salaries of said officers, if any, prescribe their duties, and otherwise have entire control over the officers.
Section 2. The Directors shall fix the time, place, and date of the annual or any special meetings of the Association. They shall have power to fix the program for such meetings and tournaments, or delegate such power to one or more special committees.
Section 3. The Directors may appoint such standing committees as they consider for the best interest of the Association. The President shall be ex-officio a member of all standing or special committees.
Section 4. The Association shall be governed, during times when the full board is not meeting, by an executive committee consisting of the following but not exceeding eight (8) members:
1. President.
2. Vice-President.
3. Secretary.
4. Treasurer.
5. Not less than two (2), nor more than five (5), additional members of the Board to be selected by the Board of Directors.
The executive committee shall act by a simple majority vote.
Section 5. Meetings of the Board of Directors may be held at any time on call of the President or by written request signed by at least five directors. Meetings of the Board of Directors may be conducted in person, or telephonically, or electronically via email.
Section 6. Ten days’ notice shall be given of any meetings of the Board of Directors.
Section 7. At meetings of the Board of Directors, votes of absent members of the Board may be received by mail and recorded on any issue to come before such meetings or as provided in Article VI.
Section 8. A majority of the Directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
ARTICLE IV
OFFICERS
Section 1. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association or of the Board of Directors, and shall carry out the orders of the Directors in the management of the Association.
Section 2. The Vice-President shall, in the absence of the President, perform the duties of that office.
Section 3. The Secretary shall keep the records of the Association, give notice of all meetings, and perform such other duties as the Directors may require of him.
Section 4. The Treasurer shall collect all monies belonging to the Association and disburse same under direction of the Board of Directors. He shall report in writing to the Board of Directors and the Association at each meeting of either body.
ARTICLE V
DUES AND FINANCES
Section 1. Each member shall pay to the Treasurer by or before the 1st of May of each year annual dues as determined by the Alabama Golf Association, Inc.
Section 2. The fiscal year shall end on the last day of the calendar year.
Section 3. Failure to pay dues by or before the date of the annual meeting shall preclude the delinquent from representation at any meeting and debar their members from the privileges of entering any Association contest while the said Club is delinquent. If said delinquency continues for sixty days after the end of the fiscal year, the club shall be dropped from membership.
ARTICLE VI
RULES OF ORDER
The rules contained in the most recent edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern all meetings of members and Directors where those rules are not inconsistent with the Articles of Incorporation, By-Laws, or special rules of order of the corporation.
ARTICLE VII
AMENDMENTS
Amendments to these By-Laws may be made at any meeting of the Board of Directors of the Association by a vote of at least two-thirds of all the votes cast, provided 30 days’ notice has been given of the proposed amendment.
