Rules of the Captains' Committee

The Rules of the Captains’ Committee are made pursuant to the Articles of Association of Guildford Golf Club Limited (the Company) formed inter alia to promote the objects of the Company and to promote the game of golf and fellowship between the Members.

1. The Captains’ Committee shall be responsible for the overall conduct of the Members and the organisation of golf and social events and shall regulate its own procedures. Their powers and responsibilities are subject to any restriction placed upon them by the Articles of Association of the Company and any resolution properly passed by the directors thereof. The Captains’ Committee may appoint Sub-Committees and may delegate to them any of their powers and duties except matters relating to the election, suspension and expulsion of Members. The chairman of each Sub-Committee must be a member of the Captains’ Committee. The powers and duties of the Captains’ Committee are more fully described in Rule 10 hereof.

2. The rules of the game of golf played by the Club shall be those adopted from time to time by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.

3. The Company is affiliated to the English Golf Union, Surrey County Golf Union, English Women’s Golf Association, Ladies Golf Union, & Surrey Ladies County Golf Association.

4. Membership of the Company shall consist of categories which are laid down in the Articles of the Company and shall be open to all without discrimination. 

ELECTION OF CAPTAINS’ COMMITTEE MEMBERS

5. The Captains’ Committee shall consist of the Men’s Captain, Men’s Vice Captain, Ladies’ Captain, Ladies’ Vice Captain, Club Professional, General Manager and up to three Full, 5½ Day or 5 Day Members, who will be elected onto the Committee, for a tenure of up to 3 years, and voted in at the Company AGM. If a voted Member resigns from the Committee before their full tenure, the Committee may co-opt another Full, 5 ½ Day of 5 Day Member to take their position, until the next Company AGM, where a new vote will be taken.

6. The Vice Captains shall be elected in accordance with the provisions of Article 49.

7. Directors of the Company, other than the Men’s Captain, Ladies’ Captain and General Manager may not serve on the Captains’ Committee.

8. At all meetings of the Captains’ Committee five of its members shall form a quorum and no person shall have a second or casting vote. 

ORGANISATION, POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE CAPTAINS’ COMMITTEE

9. The Captains’ Committee shall be responsible for the overall conduct of the Members, the organisation of golf, course management and social events for Members of the Company and shall regulate its own procedures. Their powers and responsibilities are subject to any restriction placed upon them by the Articles of Association of the Company and any resolution properly passed by the directors thereof. The Captains’ Committee may appoint SubCommittees and may delegate to them any of their powers and duties except matters relating to the suspension and expulsion of Members.

10. The Captains’ Committee shall have the following powers:

(a) to co-ordinate the fixture list of competitions and matches for Members of the Company for each class of membership of the Company and to present such list to the General Manager;

(b) to organise competitions and matches for Junior Members;

(c) to determine the playing handicaps of playing Members;

(d) to revise, as and when necessary, such handicaps within the rules of the Council of National Golf Unions (“CONGU®”) and to keep a proper record of such revisions;

(e) to produce and to revise, as and when necessary, the stroke index and card of the course for all sections of the Club;

(f) to arrange and control starting times for the all Club’s competitions and matches and other major competitions;

(g) to liaise with the General Manager for the allocation of dates for all inter-club fixtures.

(h) to make Local Rules, as permitted by the Rules of Golf, and to alter, rescind or add to such Local Rules which shall have effect until so altered, rescinded or set aside by a General Meeting.

Expulsion of Members

11. The Captains’ Committee acting under powers delegated to it by the directors of the Company shall have the power to admonish, suspend membership rights and privileges of any Member for a period not exceeding 12 months on such terms and conditions as they think fit which power, for the avoidance of doubt, shall include the power to suspend a Member’s handicap, or to expel any Member whose conduct, whether within the Club premises or elsewhere, is, in the opinion of the Captains’ Committee, injurious to the good name of the Company or renders him unfit for membership of the Company.

12. Alleged breaches of the Byelaws or cases of dishonourable or unacceptable conduct shall initially be dealt with by the General Manager who will consult with a senior Member of the Club if appropriate.

13. There might be occasion when the conduct of a Member is such as to cause harm to a member of staff, another Member or to the property of the Club or of another Member. On such occasion the General Manager or the duty General Manager, the Captains or any other director or the Vice Captains may suspend the Member pending the carrying out of a formal procedure.

14. The Captains’ Committee shall deliver to that Member a statement of his misconduct in writing and convene a special meeting to consider the circumstances thereof. The Captains’ Committee shall give the Member 21 days’ clear notice of such meeting and invite him to answer the statement of his misconduct:-

either in writing so as to be received by the General Manager at least 7 days before the meeting

or in person at the meeting which the Member, notwithstanding any prior answer in writing, may attend. 

After due consideration, the Captains’ Committee may, by a majority decision of the Captains’ Committee then present, and by way of written notice:

(a) caution such Member,

(b) suspend the Member for a period not exceeding 12 months or

(c) require the Member to resign.

Any Member required to resign shall submit his resignation to the General Manager within 14 days of the service of a notice to that effect, in default of which he shall be expelled from membership. Such Member’s subscription liabilities shall stand as if he had resigned at the date of the service of such notice.

The Chairman of the Captains’ Committee who hears the case shall not have a casting vote.

15. The Captains’ Committee shall have power to exclude the Member from the Clubhouse and/or course pending the hearing of the case against him.

16. A suspended Member including a Member whose handicap has been suspended, shall cease to have any of the privileges of membership, which for the avoidance of doubt shall include, where appropriate, the right to vote at any General Meeting of the Company, nor may he be nominated for or hold office within the Company or the Captains’ Committee whilst suspended, but he shall remain liable to pay all subscriptions, levies and other monies due from him.

17. A Member who is suspended shall have the right to seek a review of his suspension by the Captains’ Committee if he so requests in writing to an Officer of the Company within 7 days of his suspension.

18. The review shall take place within 14 days of the request.

19. The Review Body shall consist of a Committee of at least two elected directors of the Company and shall be chaired by an independent senior Member of the Company of at least 10 years’ standing who shall be entitled to vote on the review.

20. The Review Body’s decision shall be final and shall be confirmed in writing within 7 days from the conclusion of the hearing by the Chairman of the Review Body to the Member, and to the General Manager who will inform the Captains’ Committee. The Review Body shall have, but not exclusively, the following powers:

(a) to dismiss the application for a review

(b) to uphold the application for a review

(c) to dismiss the application for a review and increase the period of suspension of the membership rights.

21. If the Member so requests, he may have legal representation at any hearing before the Captains’ Committee or the Review Body, otherwise he shall have the right to be accompanied by another Member.

22. A meeting of the Captains’ Committee and the Review Body convened to deal with a disciplinary matter under these rules shall be deemed to be, in addition, a Committee for the purpose of rule 11.6 of the CONGU® 2004 regulations and any modification or amendment thereof.

23. A Member expelled under these rules or otherwise ceasing to be a Member of the Club shall forfeit all the privileges of membership and all rights against the Company but the balance of that Member’s annual fee for the current year may be returned at the discretion of the Company.

Committees 
24. The members of the Captains’ Committee shall elect a Chairman of the Captains’ Committee at the first meeting of the Captains’ Committee that takes place in the new calendar year. The Chairman shall be chosen from between the Men’s Captain and the Ladies’ Captain but if one of them does not wish to stand for the position of Chairman the other shall automatically be elected Chairman without the necessity of a vote. The Chairman shall remain Chairman for the remainder of the year unless he shall cease to be a Captain. The Chairman shall preside at all meetings of the Captains’ Committee.

25. In the event of the absence of the Chairman the Captains’ Committee shall elect its own Chairman from amongst the Members present.

26. Five members shall constitute a quorum for meetings of the Captains’ Committee. 

27. Meetings of the Captains’ Committee shall be called at least four times a year. Additional meetings of the Captains’ Committee may be called at any time and shall be called if requested to do so by the Chairman of the Captains’ Committee or by any two members of the Captains’ Committee.

28. Unless fixed at the previous meeting the Chairman, giving not less than seven days’ notice, shall summon all members of the Captains’ Committee to meetings. Such notice may be given by any of the means specified in the Articles of Association of the Company, provided that the provisions therein are adhered to.

Every member of the Captains’ Committee shall have one vote on every question and in case of equality the Chairman or other member presiding at the meeting shall not have a second or casting vote.