Rules and Regulations

The name of the Club shall be ‘Buncrana Golf Club’ and the purpose of the Club is to promote sport.

The Club shall consist of the following members:

Rate A

Full Regular Members:
Members paying the regular Annual Subscription.

Rate B

Family Membership:
(a) Covers subscriptions (Full Regular Membership) to the Club of husband and (b) wife (Associate Member), and in addition, shall entitle those of their children who, at the date the Annual Subscription becomes due are over the age of 10 years and under the age of 16 years, to play on the Links. An adult must accompany children under the age of 12 years.

Rate C

Lady Members (Associate Member):
Open to lady members who opt not to avail of Full Membership. They shall be elected only as associate members of the Club.

Rate D

Juvenile Members:
Membership is open to Juveniles who at the date the Annual Subscription becomes due are over the age of 10 years and under the age of 18 years.

Rate E

Student Members:
Membership is open to third level students who are in full time education and hold a valid/current student card.

Rate F

Honorary Members:
The Club Committee may elect as Honorary Members, persons who have rendered outstanding services to the game of golf or to the Buncrana Golf Club. No one shall be elected an Honorary Member unless two-thirds of the entire Club Committee records a vote in their favour.

Rate G

Over 65:
Membership is open to persons who at the date the Annual Subscription becomes due are over 65 years of age and have 10 years continuous membership.

Rate H

Over 70:
Membership is open to persons who at the date the Annual Subscription becomes due are over 70 years of age have 15 years continuous membership.

Rate I

Beginner:
Open to both Male and Female at a reduced rate set by the Committee.

Rate J

Courtesy Members:
(a) Persons to whom the Club Committee feels the right to use the Links and Clubhouse should be extended as a courtesy, may be admitted as courtesy members.
(b) With the exception of Trustees and elected officer’s members of rates B (b), C, D, E, F, G, H, I and J shall have neither the voice nor vote in the management of the Club, nor shall they have the right to attend any Annual General Meeting of the Club.

(a) A Club Committee consisting of the following shall manage the affairs of the Club: –

President, Captain, Vice-Captain, Secretary, Treasurer, 3 Trustees and at least 6 elected Committee Members. In addition the outgoing President or Captain of the Club shall automatically remain as a member of the Committee for the year following the Annual General Meeting at which they retire.

(b) All office-bearers and elected committee, except the trustees shall retire annually but shall be eligible for re-election.

(c) The Trustees shall be appointed by the Club Committee and shall remain in office until death, or resignation, or until removed from office.

(d) The Property of the Club shall be vested in the Trustees, in the trust of the members for the time being.

(e) The Trustees shall have the power to borrow monies on the security of the property of the Club, as directed by a resolution from the Club Committee.

(f) The Trustees shall be indemnified by the members for the time being of the Club, against loss or expense, which they may incur, or become liable to, by any reason of the exercise by them of any power conferred upon them by the Club Committee.

(g) A General Meeting of the Club may by a majority decision remove any office bearer or member of the Club Committee, before expiration of their term of office and may elect another person in their place. An office bearer, or Club Committee member may resign by giving one month’s notice in writing to the Club Committee of his intentions to do so and such notice shall take effect on expiration, or its earlier acceptance.

(h) The Annual General Meeting shall appoint 1/2 Auditors who shall not be members of the Club Committee, and shall conduct the audit required by rule 5.

(a) The Club Committee shall have the power to appoint such sub-committees as it decides are essential to the efficient running of the Club, and may limit or define the powers of such sub-committees. Membership of sub-committees need not be confined to the Club Committee.

(b) Only the Club Committee shall have the right to authorise payments or negotiate on behalf of the club.

(c) The Club Committee shall make such Regulations (to be known as Bye-Laws) as it deems necessary for the efficient management of the Club. Such Bye-Laws, provided they are not at variance with the Rules of the Club, shall be binding upon members, until they are set aside by the Club Committee. The Club Committee shall have these Bye-Laws posted in the Clubhouse.

(d) The Club Committee shall have the power to co-opt a member of the Club to fill a vacancy on the Committee.

(e) The Club Committee shall have the power to fix and alter at its discretion, all the fees and charges connected with the running of the Club except the Rate of the Annual Subscriptions for each rate of Membership (with the exception of Beginners Rates), which can only be fixed by a General Meeting.

The Club Committee shall be responsible for seeing that accurate accounts are kept of all financial transactions of the Club and that a financial statement duly audited for each year ending 31st December immediately preceding, is furnished to the Annual General Meeting.

The Club Committee shall consider all applications for membership and shall deal with same in accordance with
rule 7.

(a) Each candidate for admission shall be proposed by a member of Rate A and seconded by another such member.

(b) It shall be left to the discretion of the Club Committee to close membership from time to time as they consider necessary. If membership is closed a waiting list of candidates shall be kept by the Secretary.

(c) The Club Committee shall have the power to accept or reject any proposal for membership. No applicant for membership shall be elected unless the amount of current annual subscription has been lodged.

(d) When a proposal for membership has been rejected by the Committee meeting it shall not be permissible to make a fresh application in respect of the person concerned until at least 6 months after the date of the meeting.

(e) Any candidate for membership who has lodged the appropriate fee may have the use of the Clubhouse and Links pending consideration of the proposal to admit him to membership.

The Annual Subscription, which is in respect of the Calendar year, shall be due on the 1st January in each year, and locker rents shall be due at the same time. (The Annual Subscription may include Levies which have been added for outstanding circumstances).

The Club Committee shall notify any member whose subscription is not paid by the 1st March that failing payment of the amount due by the 1st April their membership shall cease. It shall be competent for the Club Committee at its discretion, to re-elect such persons on payment of arrears, without complying with the requirements of Rule 7(a).

(a) Visitors may play on the Links and use the Clubhouse at all times, on payment of the appropriate Green Fee, except between certain hours set by the Club Committee on days when Open Competitions and Club Competitions are being held.

(b) The Club Committee under the provision of Rule 4(c) shall fix the fee payable against receipt by visitors.

(a) The Annual General Meeting of the Club for receiving the Club Committee’s Annual Report (read by the Secretary); the Treasurer’s Annual Financial Statement; Election of Office-Bearers and Club Committee, revising rules, and transacting other business shall be held, not later than the last day of the month of February each year. A preliminary notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be posted by the Secretary, 28 days prior to the date fixed therefor, on the Club Notice Board.

(b) The Quorum for the General Meeting shall be 12 members personally present and entitled to vote. No business shall be transacted at a General Meeting unless a quorum is present. If a quorum is not present after 1 hour from the official time appointed for the commencement of the General Meeting the meeting stands dissolved.

(c) No member who is absent from the Annual General Meeting may be put forward for election to any Senior Position on the Committee i.e. President, Captain, Vice-Captain, Treasurer or Secretary.

(d) The President, or in his absence, the Captain, or in his absence, the Vice-captain, or in the absence of all three a Chairman elected by the meeting shall preside at every General Meeting.

(e) The Club Committee shall call a Special Meeting at any time it deems necessary. The Secretary shall call a Special General Meeting on receipt of a requisition signed by 20 members or more, and stating the business to be brought forward.

(f) At any meeting of the Club the Chairman shall have the power to accept an amendment to any proposal that is before the meeting.

(g) At Club Committee meetings an attendance of 5 members shall constitute a Quorum.

(h) One weeks notice of a General Meeting shall be given by circular. The circular shall be addressed to the last known place of residence of every member entitled to receive it.

(I) Only Recommendations and Any Other Business that are submitted in writing 7 days prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting will be discussed at the Annual General Meeting.

(a) Every motion submitted to a General Meeting shall be decided, by voice, by show of hands, or if a majority of those present so wish, by ballot, and when voting is equal the Chairman shall have a casting vote.

(b) A declaration by the Chairman of any General Meeting that a motion has been lost or carried shall be conclusive unless immediately on such a declaration, the declaration is questioned.

No rules of the Club shall be replaced or altered, and no new rule shall be made except at a General Meeting. Notice of any proposed changes must be posted on the Clubhouse Notice Board at least 1 week prior to the meeting called for its consideration.

A member who wilfully acts contrary to the Rules or Bye-Laws of the Club or who conducts themselves, either in the vicinity of the Clubhouse or elsewhere, in a manner likely, in the opinion of the Club Committee, to injure, or discredit the character of the Club, may be called upon to resign from the Club, or be expelled from the Club or subjected to such other disciplinary action as the Club Committee deems appropriate.

The Club Committee shall have the right of closing or reserving the Links and/or Clubhouse, on any occasion and of imposing any restriction on play, which may be necessary. No competition shall be played on the Links without the permission of the Club Committee.

All complaints shall be made in writing, to the Secretary who if unable to remove the cause shall submit them to the Club Committee whose decision shall be final.

All grievances and disciplinary matters will be dealt with in accordance with the Grievances and Disciplinary of the club.

If there is a written allegation of cheating by a member a full and comprehensive investigation will be carried out by at least 3 of the 5 senior club Officials; President, Captain, Vice-Captain, Treasurer or Secretary. If the findings of this investigation conclude that the allegations are founded a report will be made to the main committee. If the main committee accept the findings of the investigation the following disciplinary sanctions will apply without further discussion.

First Time Offence

1. Disqualified from the competition and any prize won to be returned.
2. Handicap suspended for six months.
3. If the member involved was part of the club committee, to be suspended from the committee and to be reviewed annually.
4. Suspended from representing club teams for six months.
5. Suspended from any club team captain position for a period of 3 years.
6. Suspended from playing in a two ball again in club competitions and suspended from marking a card in club competitions.

However the member would still retain the right to use the golfing and clubhouse facilities during this period provided the appropriate Membership Subscription was paid in accordance with the Rules & Regulations of the Club. The use of the facilities would be outside of competitions and the member couldn’t play on the course if a competition was in progress.

Second Time Offence

Automatic Lifetime Suspension from the club

Each member shall be supplied with a copy of the current rules on his admission to membership of the Club.

Each member shall be supplied with a Membership Card annually on payment of their subscription.