Bylaws of the

Orange County Seniors Golf Association

Revised December 9, 2023

Article I—-NAME

This Association shall be known as the “Orange County Seniors Golf Association.”

Article II—-PURPOSE

FIRST: To stimulate interest in golf and social gatherings for seniors with an affiliation to the Orange County, California area desirous of forming a golfing organization.

SECOND: To promote and foster among the members a closer bond for their joint and mutual benefit, and to promote and conserve the best interests and true spirit of the game of golf as embodied in its ancient and honorable traditions.

THIRD: To provide an authoritative body to govern and conduct Association competitions, events and business.

Article III—-MEMBERSHIP

Section 1.  Membership Application and Criteria

1.    Members must be 50 years or older.

2.    Members must have a USGA recognized handicap index.

3.  A “Proposal for Membership'' form, completed and signed by the potential member and member sponsor, must be submitted.  Former members wishing to reactivate must also submit this form.

4.  Once the “Proposal for Membership'' form is accepted, a potential member shall be described as a “candidate” and must then complete an evaluation round of golf.  The evaluation should be performed by a member of the Board of Directors (Board) or an approved member designee, from a different USGA club, within six months of the accepted application or the application will become inactive.  The application may be reactivated at the request of the candidate and one sponsor.  Former members may forgo this evaluation round if their membership has lapsed for less than three years.

5.  Candidates shall demonstrate knowledge of proper golf etiquette and ability to maintain a proper pace of play.

Section 2.  To become an active member, former members and candidates having completed their evaluation round, must be approved by a vote of the Board.  Two negative votes shall disqualify any candidate. 

Section 3.  Membership in the Association is for up to one year, expiring June 30th.

Section 4.  The fiscal year for the Association shall be from July 1st through June 30th.

Section 5.  In the event that any member of the Association shall commit any act that reflects discredit or disrepute thereon, or shall refuse or neglect to comply with the rules and regulations adopted by the Board, as set forth in the addendum and attached hereto, such member shall be subject to suspension or expulsion after ten days written notice and the right to be heard, by a vote of two-thirds of the Board at any regular meeting or special meeting called for such purpose.

Section 6.  Member Emeritus status shall be granted to members aged 80 or older who have remained active members for 10 consecutive years and to past presidents.  Such members will receive reduced annual dues.

Section 7.  The Board may limit the number of members, or the number of members from any single USGA club.  At present, the Association shall have no more than 200 members, including Emeritus Members, and there is no limit to the number of members from any single club.

Section 8  The Board may require minimum participation levels by members to retain their memberships.  At present, there is no requirement of minimum participation by members.

Section 9  Event participation by nonmembers may be regulated by the Board.

Section 10.  An annual meeting of the members of the Association shall be held during the final event of each fiscal year.  At this meeting members shall receive reports, elect Directors to vacant positions, and transact any necessary business.  The Board shall provide for the holding of such other member meetings as may be deemed necessary or desirable.  Members may call special member meetings upon a written petition signed by not less than ten percent of the membership.

Section 11.   A legal quorum at any members’ meeting shall be no less than 10% of the membership present in person.  Each active member in good standing shall be entitled to one vote.

Section 12.  All membership fees and dues shall be established by the Board from time to time in such amounts as they deem to be adequate to operate and maintain the Association. Delinquency of one month in receipt of dues is subject to loss of membership.  Annual dues may be prorated when paid for less than one year. 

Section 13. Members shall recognize that golfing may cause damage to property or personal injury, and hold the Association and its Directors harmless, should damage or injury occur while participating in, or traveling to and from, an Association event.

Article VI—–BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1.There shall be a Board, consisting of not less than three (3) nor more than fifteen (15) members, no more than three (3) of whom shall be from the same USGA recognized golf club.

Section 2. The Board shall exercise all powers of management of the Association not specifically excepted by these Bylaws.

Section 3.  At each Annual Meeting of the members, sufficient Directors may be elected to fill vacancies that would exist for the coming year.  Directors shall be elected for a 3 year period (or less than three years if to fill unexpired terms of vacating Directors).  No Director can be elected to serve more than six consecutive years, except as provided below in Article VI, Section 6.

Section 4. The Board shall meet at such times and places as it may select.  Not less than 51% of the Board shall constitute a quorum at any meeting.  Meeting attendance may be virtual, if discussions are able to be voiced and heard by all Directors in attendance.

Section 5.  Board votes by email must be unanimous, as to all Board members voting, then confirmed and recorded at the next meeting of the Board.  Notices to the Board may be by mail, email or phone.

Section 6. In the case of any vacancy through death, resignation, disqualification or other cause, the remaining directors, even though less than a quorum, may elect a successor by majority vote to hold office for the unexpired term of the director whose place shall be vacant, and until the election of his or her successor. This successor position shall be exempt from the requirement of a Director serving no more than six (6) consecutive years.

Section 7.The outgoing president will be an ex-officio Board member for one year without vote unless he has yet to complete his full elected term as a Director.

Section 8 Directors shall not be entitled to compensation for their services, but may receive reimbursement for approved expenses incurred for the benefit of the Association.

Section 9  Directors may be suspended or removed from their position for cause after ten days' written notice and the right to be heard, by a vote of two-thirds of the Board at any regular meeting or special meeting called for such a purpose.

Section 10. The officers for the ensuing year shall be elected by and from the Board.

Article VII—–OFFICERS 

Section 1. The officers shall consist of president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer.  Their duties shall be such as their titles would indicate, or such as may be assigned to them respectively from time to time.  The President shall have authority to bind the Association in all contracts, but may delegate that authority to other Board members or the Association Administrator from time to time as needed.

Section 2. The Board shall authorize and define the powers and duties of all general (non-ad hoc) committees, including those listed below. The President may authorize and define the powers and duties of ad hoc committees as deemed necessary or advisable from time to time. Chairs and members of all committees shall be appointed by the President, and the President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees. All committees shall consist of at least three Board members each.

Tournament Committee to arrange and schedule with the management of any golf course as necessary, and conduct all Association competitions.

Membership Committee to promote, investigate and act upon applications for membership and to recommend appropriate action to the Board.

Event Planning Committee to evaluate venues and negotiate contracts for upcoming tournaments and travel. 

Nominating Committee to select members to present for election to Director positions at the annual membership meeting.

Article VIII – AMENDMENTS TO BYLAWS AND RULES

Amendments to these Bylaws and/or Rules may be made by a majority vote at any meeting of the Board, provided that ten (10) day notice of the proposed amendment has been provided to each Director.

   

Article IX — DISSOLUTION

In the event of dissolution, assets of the Association remaining after outstanding liabilities are settled will be distributed to a not-for-profit organization, chosen by a majority of the Board, that supports the development of golf among junior golfers.

Adopted December, 2023

Rules of the

Orange County Seniors Golf Association

Roster Privacy

The information on the Association’s membership roster is confidential and is not to be distributed to non-members or used for commercial purposes.

Member Dues

The annual dues for Members, excluding Emeritus Members, shall be $250 payable upon election to Membership and annually thereafter on July 1st.  Dues for members approved after July 1st shall be $20 for each month or partial month until July 1st of the following year.  The annual dues for Emeritus Members shall be $100.

Event Entry Priorities

Event announcements shall include the payment amount(s) for entry and payment due date(s).  The payment method may include cash, a check to OCSGA, or a payment processor specified by the Association. 

The maximum number of players per event shall be specified in each event contract.  Most courses allow up to 144 players for a shotgun start.  When the number of applicants for a tournament exceeds the number of players allowed by the contract or the golf course, event registration will be prioritized in this order:

1.    Members with spouses or significant others that submit paid entries by the specified payment due date.

2.    Candidates awaiting an evaluation round. submitting payment as above.

3.    Other guests submitting payment as above.

4.    Entries received after the specified payment due date by order of receipt.

The Tournament Chairman shall arbitrate any priority issues.

Refund Policy

Event entry fees may be refunded in whole or in part if the Association is not fully charged for the reservation by the venue where the event was held, and if cancellation notice was received in a timely manner.

For cancellations within a week of the tournament, the Tournament Chairman shall be called.  For cancellations on the day of the tournament, the Tournament Chairman  or the course pro shop shall be called as early as possible. 

Do not rely on leaving a message at the Association office, as it may not be received until after the event and does not constitute timely and proper notice of cancellation.

Guest Policy

Guests shall observe proper golf etiquette and pace of play.

Guests may be registered for Association events in advance.  Member priority over guests is specified in the Association’s Event Entry Priorities rule above.

Guests' event fees will include a surcharge of approximately 10%  Spouses, significant others and member candidates will be excluded from this surcharge.  Guest surcharge fees collected may be applied toward membership dues, not to exceed $250, if the guest joins within one year of the event.  

Awards Policy

For all tournaments, a portion of the entry fee shall be used for prizes. These prizes may be in the form of cash, negotiable gift certificates or merchandise. Gross scores may be recognized, but the majority of prizes shall be awarded for net scores competition.  Prizes for annual awards shall be determined by the Board.

Ties for awards will be decided by matching scorecards.  If more than one round was played, the winner is determined by the best score for the last round. If the tying players have the same score for the last round or if the competition consists of a single round, the winner is determined based on the score for the last nine holes, last six holes, last three holes and finally the 18th hole. If there is still a tie, then the last six holes, three holes and final hole of the first nine holes will be considered in turn.

New Member Recruitment Incentive

A member who is the primary sponsor of a candidate who becomes a member of the Association will receive a $200 credit which may be applied to the entry fee of any Association event within one year of issue.

Tournament Pairings Policy

The Tournament Director shall decide the pairings for each event. 

Considerations include:

Pairing members and guests.

Pairing by index, if the competition format requires.

Pairing to obtain a balance of team handicaps within a team flight.

Pairing of candidates with a member evaluator from a different club.

Pairing to accommodate special requests.

Pairing to encourage players from different clubs to mix.

Placing the President on the first tee.

Placing the tournament committee to allow timely access to the scoring area.

Team Captain Duties

The low handicap member in each foursome will act as team Captain and has the following duties:

Maintain proper pace of play.

Ensure team compliance with the USGA Rules of Golf, the OCSGA local rules and course local rules.

Complete the Official Scorecard

Compare the Official and Attest Scorecards for agreement.

Sign the card and have it attested by another team member.

Promptly deliver the Official Scorecard to the Pro Shop or a member of the

Tournament Committee on completion of play.

OCSGA Local Rules

The USGA Rules of Golf, the following Association Local Rules and the Rules specific to the event course govern all play.  Rules may be noted on the event scorecard or tournament rules sheet.

Conceded Putts:  Only putts within 20” of the hole may be conceded.  A marked putter shall be used to measure balls which are near that limit.

Balls Lost or Out of Bounds:  If no provisional ball was played, drop a ball within two club lengths of the nearest fairway edge, no closer to the hole, for a two stroke penalty.

Maximum Score:  Do not record more than a net double bogey on a hole.  Pick up once that score is reached.

Additional Relief Area:  Balls entering a penalty area may be dropped on the hole side of the penalty area, for a one stroke penalty.

Pace of Play:  Play ready golf.  Keep up with the group in front of you.  Comply with course marshal.  If requested to skip a hole, record Maximum Score.

Annual Tournaments and Awards Policy

The Association shall hold an annual 36-hole President’s Tournament, at a time and place designated by the President, subject to approval by the Board.  The winner’s of annual tournaments and awards will be announced at this tournament.

Cecil C. Crew Golfer of the Year: The cumulative points winner of the Champion’s Cup will also be the Golfer of the Year.  Points are awarded for each event before the President’s Tournament. 

President’s Award: The winner shall be the member with the lowest two day net score total in the President’s Tournament.

Valley J. Voyles Low Gross Award  The winner shall be the member with the lowest two day gross score total in the President’s Tournament.

John A Harris “E” Division Award- The winner shall be the “E” Division player with the lowest two day net score total in the President’s Tournament.

Lawrence J. Sork Age Group Championship Award:  The membership roster will be sorted into five similarly sized groups on July 31st.  The winners from each group will be determined by cumulative Champion’s Cup points, awarded for each event before the President’s Tournament.

Frank L. Scott OCSGA Lifetime Achievement Award: This award may be, but is not necessarily, an annual award.  The award recognizes outstanding contribution and service to the Association. Deserving members must be approved by at least 75% of the Board.  Recipients must have been members for no less than 10 years.

Hole-in-One Award:: A prize of $200 shall be awarded to any member scoring  a hole-in-one scored in an Association tournament.

Adopted December, 2023