Policy Statement

Buncrana Golf Club is fully committed to safeguarding the wellbeing of its members and employees. Every individual in golf should at all times, show respect and understanding for members’ rights, safety and welfare. We must all conduct ourselves in a way that reflects the principles of the organisation and the guidelines contained in the Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children’s Sport and the Code of Ethics for Golf for Young People. In working with young people in golf our first priority is the welfare of the young people, and we are committed to providing an environment that will allow all participants to perform to the best of their ability, free from bullying and intimidation.

The Buncrana Golf Club Anti-Discrimination Policy is simple. We seek to establish a shared understanding of what is expected from each of us, all members are asked to follow conduct, which promotes diversity and collaboration, i.e., the rights and dignity of each member. Buncrana Golf Club does not tolerate bullying, discrimination or harassment under any circumstances including, on the basis of age, disability, ethnicity, national origin, gender, race, colour, religion, marital status, sexual orientation or other perceived differences.

Foreword

Buncrana Golf Club has developed procedures and protocols to ensure the smooth running of the Club so that it can fulfil its function under the terms of the Club’s Constitution (Any allegation of misconduct shall be investigated and dealt with in accordance with this Code of Conduct, Complaints and Disciplinary Procedure.)

The Club is subject to the Constitution of Buncrana Golf Club. However, to ensure the effective and efficient running of its competitions and social events it has been necessary to publish guidelines regarding all aspects of the Club. Revision of such guidelines takes place in the light of experience and as a result of feedback from members.

This document, Buncrana Golf Club Code of Conduct, Complaints & Disciplinary Procedure is a guide to members which summarises Buncrana Golf Club’s expectations of all its members and that of their guests and details the procedure to be followed by a member making a complaint. The guide also outlines the process the Club Committees will follow in dealing with complaints.

Introduction

This code of conduct complaints and disciplinary procedure is designed, in light of experience, to enhance the values of our Club and to ensure that all members and their guests enjoy the game of
golf in a pleasant and friendly environment.

The Club promotes the values of Integrity, Respect and Fairness.

This code applies to all members of Buncrana Golf Club.

Definition of Misconduct

Misconduct – an expression of dissatisfaction of a member that requires a response from the committee OR an expression of dissatisfaction relating to how a procedural matter was handled by the Club.

Misconduct, for the purposes of this code, is the improper interference, in the broadest sense, with the proper functioning or activities of the Club, or those who work or play in the Club or action which otherwise damages the Club. Subject to the general definition above. While it is impractical to list every possible item of misconduct the examples that follow are a non-exhaustive list of what is in included in what shall constitute misconduct:

  • Disruption of, or improper interference with the administrative, sporting, social or other activities of the Club, whether on Club premises or elsewhere.
  • Obstruction of or improper interference with the functions, duties or activities of any fellow member, member of staff or other employee of the Club or any authorised visitor.
  • Violent, indecent, disorderly, threatening or offensive behaviour or language whilst on Club premises or engaged in any Club activity.
  • Fraud, deceit, deception or dishonesty in relation to the Club or its staff or in connection with holding any office in the Club or in relation to being a member of the Club.
  • Behaviour likely to cause injury or impair safety on Club premises.
  • Sexual, racial or any other form of personal harassment of any fellow member, member of staff or other employee of the Club or any authorised visitor.
  • The use of any unfair means in competition.
  • Damage to or defacement of Club property, the property of other Club members caused intentionally or recklessly, or the misappropriation or misuse of such property. Misuse or unauthorised use of Club premises or items of property, including inappropriate use of computer.
  • Conduct which constitutes a criminal offence where that conduct takes place on the Club premises, or affects or concerns other members of the Club, or itself constitutes misconduct within the terms of this code, or is an offence of dishonesty, whether or not the member holds an office of responsibility in the club.
  • Conduct, which contravenes a previously imposed penalty, requirement or undertaking under this code.

Note: Members must not approach any member of the Committee on the course or in the Clubhouse to make a complaint or to discuss any issue concerning disciplinary matters.

Appropriate Behaviour and Golf Etiquette for Members

Subject to the broad examples of misconduct herein, this code of conduct specifically states that the following are examples of appropriate etiquette.

  1. All the rules of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (generally referred to as ‘the rules of golf’) apply, without exception. So too do the rules and regulations governed by The Council of National Golf Unions Limited (CONGU). It is the duty of every member to become familiar with all such rules.
  2. All local rules, as displayed in the Clubhouse, notified to members by electronic means or stated on the score card must be adhered to. It is the duty of every member to become familiar with all local rules and to all changes to the local rules.
  3. Players must turn up in good time prior to tee time and report to Clubhouse before commencement of play.
  4. Late competitors will forfeit their allotted time and wait until a time is available.
  5. Before commencement of play in a competition the member must pay the entry fee and sign into the computer / swipe his GI card (where applicable).
  6. While playing on the course members and their guests must:
    • Show respect to fellow golfers and staff.
    • Avoid the use of abusive or profane language.
    • Avoid slow play at all times.
    • Avoid the use of mobile phones.
    • Not play until the group in front is out of range.
    • If a match fails to keep its place (one clear hole) it must
      allow the players behind through on request.
    • Must signal players behind to pass if searching for a ball
      for more than three minutes.
    • Must use the ‘divot mix’ bag provided to always repair divots.
    • Must repair plug marks on the green, including where
      practical the plug marks of others.
    • Must carefully rake bunkers after playing their shot and
      leave the rake inside the bunker.
    • Mark scorecards only after leaving the green.
    • Must mark one another’s scorecard after each hole.
    • Must adhere to the Club’s Dress Code.

    It should be noted also that:

    • A single player has no status on the golf course.
    • Members or guests must not play more than two balls.
    • Practicing on the course is prohibited. ( Except in the
      designated practice area)

    While Playing in Competition:

    • Members’ scores must be recorded by the marker of the scorecard. (Subject to local rule at times)
    • Competitors must return all cards in competitions.
    • Scorecards must be signed, have correct handicap, date and scores calculated.
    • Local rules posted in the Clubhouse or on entry to the course must be observed without exception.
    • Only fully paid-up members of Buncrana Golf Club can participate in Club competitions after 31st March each year.
    • It is the responsibility of each member to maintain his handicap record. When a good score has been achieved away, it is the player’s responsibility to adjust his handicap according to the CONGU rules.
    • All notable scores obtained in other courses, including with societies, must be brought to the attention of the Handicap Secretary.
    • Mobile phones are allowed on the course provided they are switched to silent and only used when absolutely necessary.
    • Scorecards must be signed, have correct handicap, date and scores calculated.

    In the Clubhouse:

    • Members must adhere to the Club Dress Code when attending social functions organised by Buncrana Golf Club.
    • The Clubhouse is frequented by all age groups and it is important to be mindful not to cause offence by improper utterances or bad language.
    • Mobile phones are allowed in the Clubhouse. If taking a call, please proceed to the lobby or outside to continue a call or if you need to make a call.

Note: The above is not meant to be an exclusive list of rules or etiquette and may be amended by:

(a) at a properly convened meeting of the Club committee.

Making a Complaint

Section 16 of the Rules & Regulation of the Buncrana Golf Club states:

All written complaints concerning matters under the jurisdiction and control of the Committee of the Club concerned shall be referred primarily to the Secretary of that Club who, if unable to resolve same, shall place the complaint on the agenda for the next Meeting of the Committee of such a Club for investigation and decision.

A complainant must make his/her complaint in writing in the first instance to Secretary of the Men’s Golf Club Committee or to Secretary of the Ladies Golf Club Committee, whichever is appropriate. If the complaint directly involves the Secretary of the Men’s Club Committee, Ladies Club Committee, the complaint should be addressed to the Captain or Lady Captain. If the Captains are party to the complaint, or are unavailable, the complaint should be sent to the Vice-Captains the Men’s Club, Ladies Club or failing all of the above the written complaint may be sent to the Club Treasurer. (The Committee processing the complaint is hereunder referred to as the Appropriate Committee)

Disciplinary Procedures

The Men’s Committee or the Ladies Committee (whichever is appropriate) of Buncrana Golf Club will deal with all Club complaints and disciplinary matters. A sub- committee may be formed by the Appropriate Committee to consider a complaint within the competency of the Committee. The appropriate Committee will also deal with any complaint about the conduct of a member of Buncrana Golf Club at another GI affiliated golf Club in the same manner as if the alleged offending conduct had occurred at Buncrana Golf Club. (Ref: Section 14 of the Constitution of Buncrana Golf Club)

All Matters which Breach this Code of Conduct shall be processed as follows:

  • The appropriate Committee will act upon all reports of an incident brought to its attention in writing.
  • The appropriate Committee having considered the alleged incident is of a serious nature shall, if necessary, appoint an Investigation Committee to investigate the matter further by examining all the facts pertaining to the alleged incident. The appropriate Committee will adjudicate on the matter. The Investigation Committee’s investigation and report, if one was appointed, will be taken into consideration when making a decision.
  • In the matter of an allegation of cheating the clubs Cheating Policy (Rule 18 of the Rules & Regulation of the Buncrana Golf Club) will be applied.
  • Where an incident is witnessed by one or more committee members OR where a number of written reports of an incident are made to any Committee, the procedure outlined above will be followed.
  • The appropriate Committee will fully investigate all written and signed complaints.

Note: No action will be taken by the Committee where reports of an incident are made verbally, are over-heard and/or commented on casually (Unless witnessed by committee members).

The following procedure must be followed by a member making a complaint:

  • All complaints will be processed in a professional and confidential manner and all participants included in the process will be instructed as to the confidential nature of the process.
  • All complaints must be in the form of a written and signed complaint (including email) providing full details and shall be sent to the Secretary of the Men’s Club Committee, Ladies Club Committee no later than 10 days after the incident which is the subject of the complaint. If the complaint directly involves the Secretary of the Men’s Club Committee, Ladies Club Committee, the complaint should be addressed to the Captain or Lady Captain. If the Captains are party to the complaint, or are unavailable, the complaint should be sent to the Vice-Captains the Men’s Club, Ladies Club or failing all of the above to the Treasurer of the Club.

Once the complaints procedure is initiated by the Appropriate Committee as the result of any of the above the following will apply:

  • An Investigation Committee will be formed consisting of members of the Men’s Club Committee and/or Ladies Club
    Committee to include the Secretary of the Appropriate Club.
  • The accused member(s) will be notified in writing of the complaint against him/her. The correspondence will be sent
    to his/her last known address. The member will be given seven days to respond to the allegations.
  • At the end of seven days and in the event that a response is not received, the member(s) will be issued with notice of not less than 7 days to attend a meeting arranged by the Secretary of the Men’s Club, Ladies Club for the purpose of responding to the complaint.
  • Failure by the member to attend this meeting, without good cause, may result in a decision being reached in their absence.
  • In the event that the complaint is challenged, the matter will be fully investigated.
  • All parties to the complaint and relevant witnesses may be interviewed, if deemed necessary, by the Investigation Committee and a report issued to the Appropriate Committee. (All will be reminded of the confidential nature of the process)
  • Having considered all the facts presented by the Investigation Committee the Appropriate Committee will decide whether or not to uphold the complaint. If the complaint is upheld the Appropriate Committee will decide what sanction is to be applied. The details of the decision will be recorded and minutes recorded.
  • Following validation the member(s) will be informed of the Committee’s decision in writing within 7 days.
  • The member may appeal the decision in writing to the Secretary of the Club within 7 days of receipt of the decision.
  • The Secretary will then refer the appeal to the ‘The Appeals Committee’.
  • The Appeals Committee will consist of three members of the Appropriate Committee who have not been involved in the case and who were not members of the Investigating Committee. The Appeals Committee must meet within 7 days of receipt of the appeal. Its deliberations will include consideration of all the facts already presented, any new evidence that may be relevant and may include recalling witnesses.
  • The Appeals Committee must present its findings in writing to the Club Committee within 7 days of reaching their decision. The decision of the Appeals Committee will be final and will be communicated to the member(s) by the Club Committee in writing.
  • If an investigation reveals a deliberate untruth or that the complaint was malicious, this may be deemed as misconduct by the Complainant and may be dealt with under the Club’s Disciplinary Procedure.

The following procedure will be applied when Honorary Membership is Rescinded:

  1. The only committee decision that may not be appealed is when Honorary Membership is rescinded. In accordance with Section 2/Rate (F) of the Rules & Regulation of the Buncrana Golf Club where two-thirds of the entire Club Committee is required to award Honorary membership, the same applies when Honorary Membership is rescinded; two-thirds have to be in favour to rescind Honorary Membership. So an appeal panel will not be able to overrule this decision.

Sanctions

Any one or more of the following penalties may be imposed for a breach of the Buncrana Golf Club Code of Conduct as outlined in this document / Rule 14 Removal and Suspension of Members

  1. A reprimand/verbal warning from the club Secretary.
  2. A written warning as to future conduct.
  3. Suspension from Club Competitions.
  4. Suspension from membership of the Club and its activities for a determined period.
  5. Proposal to the GI to suspend handicap.
  6. Removal as an officer of the Club
  7. A requirement from the Committee that the member gives an undertaking in writing as to future conduct in such terms and containing such conditions as the Committee may prescribe. A breach of this undertaking will constitute misconduct.

Note: In the case of a complaint of cheating the Clubs Cheating Policy (Rule 18 of the Rules & Regulation of the Buncrana Golf Club) will be applied.

 

 

Adopted at the Annual General Meeting January 2025

Revised By Francis Mc Grory
Hon. Secretary Buncrana Golf Club May 2024