Western Pennsylvania Tour Golf Club
(WePaT)
CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
A United States Golf Association (USGA)
Golf Club Without Real Estate
Article I - Name
Section 1.The name of this Golf Club shall be the Western Pennsylvania Tour Golf Club ("the Club").
Article II - Purpose
FIRST: To stimulate interest in golf at assorted and various courses throughout the Western Pennsylvania area by bringing together a group of golfers desirous of forming a golfing organization.
SECOND: To promote and foster among the members of the Club a closer bond and fraternity 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 encourage conformance with the USGA Rules of Golf by creating a representative authority.
FOURTH: To maintain a uniform system of handicapping as set forth in the USGA Handicap System and to issue USGA Handicap Indexes to the Club members.
FIFTH: To provide an authoritative body to govern and conduct Club competitions.
Article III - Membership
Section 1. Membership shall be available to all persons, 18 years of age or older, who desire to play golf with other Club members and to enter Club competitions. There shall be at least 10 members with a maximum membership of 100 persons.
Section 2. Memberships in the Club are individual and non-transferable.
Section 3. Only members with a reasonable and regular opportunity to play golf with fellow members, and who can personally return scores for posting, may receive USGA Handicap Indexes from the Club.
Section 4. Membership confers no special privileges in connection with any golf course.
Section 5. Membership in the Club is for a calendar year only, with all memberships expiring on October 31st.
Section 6. The fiscal year of the Club will be November 1st through October 31st.
Section 7. Each candidate for membership shall be proposed and seconded by two active members in good standing. The Board of Directors ("Board"), after receiving a recommendation from the Membership Committee, shall act upon each proposal by vote and two negative votes shall disqualify any candidate.
Section 8. The Board may confer honorary memberships upon those whom the directors feel have contributed to the advancement of golf, the Purposes of the Club, or are genuinely dedicated to the sport of golf. The Unanimous affirmative vote of the Board shall be required to approve such action.
Section 9. In the event that any member of the Club shall commit any act which reflects poorly on the Club or its members, or brings discredit or disrepute thereon, or shall refuse or neglect to comply with the rules and regulations adopted by the Board or duly appointed Officers or Committees, 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 10. The annual meeting of the WePaT Golf Club shall be held on the third Friday of the month of October. The Board shall provide for the holding of such other meetings as may be deemed necessary or desirable, and they shall call special meetings upon written petition signed by not less than one-third of the membership.
Section 11. A legal quorum at any meeting shall be seven members present in person, by proxy, or by any telecommunications hook-up. 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 Club. Members shall be liable for dues until their resignation has been received. All monies collected shall accrue to the benefit of the membership.
Section 13. The following persons are recognized as Charter Members of the Club:
Chris Allman John Anderson Scott Benschneider
Bob Churchill Bob Daley Fran Daley
Jeff Hulton Ron Johnson Fred Jug
David Keller Tom Lawrence Dave Metzger
Phil Meyer Rob Paul Leo Rollins
Bob Schubert Dave Seitz John Seitz
Rich Wonsettler Keith White Sam Zetts
Article IV - Board of Directors and Officers
Section 1. The Board of Directors shall consist of five members in good standing of the Western Pennsylvania Tour Golf Club and they shall exercise all powers of management of the Club not specifically excepted by these By-Laws.
Section 2. Each Board member shall serve for a term of two years and may serve any number of consecutive terms, except that members of the initial Board of Directors shall serve for such terms as follows: the President shall initially serve a three year term on the Board; the Secretary and Treasurer shall initially serve a two year term on the Board; and the remaining two Board members shall initially serve a one year term on the Board.
Section 3. The members of the initial Board of Directors shall be approved by a majority vote of the Charter Members.
Section 4. At least 6 weeks prior to the Annual Meeting, the Board shall appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of five members of the Club. At least four weeks prior to the Annual Meeting, this Committee shall submit to the Board, and post on the Club website, a list of nominees to fill any vacancies on the Board for the upcoming year. Other members in good standing may be nominated by petition signed by at least ten members and submitted to the Board at least two weeks prior to the Annual Meeting. At least one week prior to the Annual Meeting, a complete list of all candidates shall be provided to all members and posted on the Club website.
Section 5. Voting shall be by written ballot, or by proxy, at the Annual Meeting, with each member casting one vote for each vacant position. The nominee(s) receiving the greatest number of votes shall be elected to fill the available position(s). The election shall be supervised by the Nominating Committee.
Section 6. The Board shall meet at such times and places as they may select and a majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum at any meeting thereof.
Section 7. If a Board member shall vacate their seat on the Board, for any reason, prior to the completion of said Board member's term of office, the remaining Board members may elect a successor by majority vote to serve out the unexpired term of the vacating director. If no successor director is chosen by the remaining Board members, a successor director shall be elected at the next Annual Meeting to serve out the unexpired term of the vacating director.
Section 8. Within 30 days after the Annual Meeting, the Board shall meet and elect Officers to carry out the functions of the Board. The Officers shall consist of a President, a Treasurer, and a Secretary, whose duties shall be such as their titles would indicate or as may be defined herein.
Article V - Committees and Competitions
Section 1. The Board shall authorize and define the powers and duties of all Committees. Except as otherwise provided herein, the Chairmen and members of all Committees shall be appointed by the President, and the President shall be an ex-officio member of all Committees, except the Nominating Committee.
Section 2. Except as modified by the Board of Directors, all appointed Committees shall function as recommended in the USGA Golf Committee Manual. The following Committees shall be appointed each year, along with such other Committees as the President may deem necessary or advisable:
Tournament Committee - Shall be Chaired by the Secretary and consist of at least 4 members (not including the President). Its duties shall be to arrange, schedule and conduct periodic inter-Club competitions (excluding the Major Tournaments) and to coordinate the scheduling of such competitions and the Major Tournaments at reasonable intervals throughout the golf season so as to maximize member participation in all events. Furthermore, the Committee shall, to the extent possible, and at the earliest opportunity, publish and provide to the Club members, a schedule of all Club competitions and Major Tournaments to be held throughout the golf season, and to update said schedule as necessary throughout the season.
Handicap Committee - Shall consist of at least 4 members (not including the President) with the responsibility of establishing a fair and proper system of handicaps in accordance with the procedures set forth in the USGA Handicap System Manual. The Committee shall be responsible for collecting scores and posting, updating and issuing individual member handicaps according to USGA guidelines. The Committee, with input from other parties as appropriate, shall make the final decision on the Handicap Index to be assigned to all individual participants in all Club sponsored/sanctioned competitions.
Membership Committee - Shall consist of at least 4 members (not including the President) with the responsibility of investigating and acting upon applications for membership. In addition, it shall carry out other duties which may, from time to time, be assigned by the Board, such as social activities and award recognition. The Committee shall recommend the appropriate action to the Board.
Section 3. The Ryder Cup Captain, whose duty it shall be to select the Ryder Cup Team Members and to arrange the Ryder Cup Matches with the Bellevue Golf Association (or any successor or other organization as appropriate) shall be appointed for a two year term by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
Section 4. Throughout each golf season, a minimum of four Major Tournaments shall be conducted by the Club. Unless and until this Section is amended as provided for in Article VI, the Major Tournaments and their Directors are as follows:
The Memorial (Par Quota) - Director Bob Daley
The Match Play Championship (Match Play) - Director Sam Zetts
The Conneaut Open (Net Score) - Director Dave Seitz
The Two-Man Invitational (Team Competition) - Director David Keller
It shall be the responsibility of the Major Tournament Directors to arrange, schedule and conduct their respective Major Tournament, generally in accordance with the formats listed above, but subject to the discretion of the Director; provided, however, that the scheduling of such Major Tournaments be done in conjunction with, and subject to, the Tournament Committee's duties with regard to the overall scheduling of Club competitions; and further provided that the Handicap Index used by each individual golfer in a Major Tournament is assigned by the Handicap Committee as provided above.
Article VI. Amendments to the By-Laws
Section 1. The Board of Directors shall have the power to repeal or amend any of these By-Laws, provided that such action shall not be effective until approved by a majority vote of the members of the Club at a meeting held in accordance with the provisions contained herein.