PDF version of the constitution is avaible to download here
A copy of the club byelaws is also available here
1.1 The name of the Club shall be Bonnybridge Golf Club, hereafter referred to as ‘the Club’.
1.2 The Club shall be a non profit making body dedicated to the supply of sporting services.
1.3 The Club shall affiliate to Scottish Golf Ltd and Stirlingshire Golf Union.
2.1 The Club shall hold the following as its aims and objectives and shall strive to fulfil these aims and objectives at all times:
2.1.1 To fulfil the general objectives and functions of a golf Club and sports Club and by undertaking such activities as may be reasonably necessary and/or incidental to such objectives;
2.1.2 To generally promote the game of golf for the benefit of members;
2.1.3 To promote and abide by the Rules of Golf as they are fixed from time to time by The R&A;
2.1.4 To provide access to golf for players of all standards in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere;
2.1.5 To arrange competitions and matches for members;
2.1.6 To sell and deal in alcohol, mineral/aerated water and other related products in accordance with the provisions of any licensing laws and by obtaining the necessary statutory consents and licences for this.
3.1 The membership of the Club shall consist of Full, Youth, Junior, Juvenile, Country, Over 80, House and Honorary members.
3.2 Due to course capacity, the numbers of Full members shall not exceed 570, restricted to 50% Gents and 50% Ladies. Youth Junior and Juvenile – 70, Country - 85. Retired members numbers shall not exceed 50% of the total membership.
3.3 Honorary Membership of the Club may be conferred by ⅔ of the members present and voting at the General Meeting, on the recommendation of the Committee and in recognition of renown as a golfer, or of service rendered to the Club or in promotion of the game of golf.
3.4 Juvenile members are aged less than 16 years prior to 1st March. Junior members are defined as members who are aged between 16 and 18 years prior to 1st March. Retired members are full members who have been a member for at least 10 continuous years immediately prior to reaching the state pension age at 1st March. Over 80’s are Retired members who have reached the age of 80 at 1st March
4.1 The Office Bearers of the Club shall be Captain, Vice Captain, Secretary and Treasurer.
4.2 The Club business shall be conducted by a Committee consisting of the Office Bearers and nine other adult members.
4.3 The Captain, Vice Captain, Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected annually at an A.G.M. The posts of Captain, Secretary, Treasurer and Match Secretary may be Honorary or otherwise, as the Committee may determine. The remaining members of the Committee shall be elected for a term of three years, one third to retire annually and be eligible for re-election.
4.4 The Committee shall hold meetings from time to time as may be required for the despatch of all competent business. Seven shall form a quorum.
4.5 The Committee shall have the authority to co-opt adult members to fill any vacancies in their number during the year. Members so elected may retain office until the next A.G.M. where they shall be eligible for re-election.
4.6 There shall, as required and when feasible, be the following sub-committees of the Club, which shall incur no abnormal expenditure:
4.6.1 Match & Handicap – with authority to regulate handicaps, order of play, matches and competitions
4.6.2 Greens – to supervise greenkeeping staff duties and to carry through construction and alteration to the course
4.6.3 Finance – to look after the finances and accounts of the Club
4.6.4 House – general maintenance and order of the Clubhouse
4.6.5 Social – to organise all social activities of the Club
The Committee may appoint other sub-committees and Conveners from their members, with or without powers. These sub-committees may request the assistance of adult members of the Club. The Office Bearers shall be ex officio members of all sub-committees.
4.7 The Captain or, in his absence, the Vice Captain, or, in the absence of both, a member chosen by the members present shall be Chairman of all General and Committee meetings. At any sub-committee meeting, the Convener shall take the chair, failing which the Committee shall elect a Chairman. The Chairman shall have a casting vote.
4.8 The Secretary shall keep a record of all proceedings of the Club at their General and Special meetings and call the meetings of the Club. The Secretary has responsibility for keeping records of all members and all other paperwork as required by the Club.
4.9 The Treasurer shall receive and disburse all monies due to and by the Club and keep accounts showing the financial affairs of the Club. The examined annual accounts shall be sent to each member by email along with the notice calling the A.G.M.
4.10 The Club’s accounts shall be independently examined by a company of professional accountants, to be appointed annually at the A.G.M.
4.11 The Club’s financial year shall run from 1st March to 28th February
4.12 The Treasurer shall ensure that all monies are banked in the name of the Club and make all payments due by the Club. All payments shall be authorised by the Committee or Convener. All cheques or BACS payments shall require two signatures/authorisers. Signatories shall be the Treasurer, Captain and Secretary. Other Committee members may also be appointed signatories by the Committee.
4.13 The Committee shall have the power to spend up to £12,000 on any one item of extraordinary expenditure, provided this expenditure does not require the raising of a levy.
4.14 The Office Bearers, as Trustees for the Club, with the approval of an 80% majority of the members present at a General Meeting shall have the power to:
• Purchase, sell, mortgage, rent, lease or sub-lease lands of any tenure
• Borrow for the purpose of the Club and to grant Bonds and Dispositions in security for such borrowings.
• To erect, lease, sub-lease, pull down, repair, alter, rebuild or otherwise deal with any building belonging to or leased by the Club.
4.15 The Committee may not accept or consider offers for the sale or exchange of land belonging to the Club for a period of ten years from the date forward (28/2/2018 to 28/02/2028)
5.1 The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held on or before 31st October, the date to be fixed by the Committee. Seven days notice shall be given to the members.
5.2 A special General Meeting may be convened on seven days notice whenever the Committee considers it necessary, or on a requisition signed by twenty adult members stating the purpose of the Meeting and also the exact motion to be placed before the Special General Meeting.
5.3 Twenty eight days written notice must be given to the Secretary of any resolution or instruction to be proposed at any Special or General Meeting.
6.1 Alterations to the Constitution shall be made by resolution at the A.G.M. or at a Special General Meeting convened for that purpose. The resolution shall be carried by two thirds of the members present.
6.2 Except when submitted by the Committee, notice of a resolution to alter the Constitution shall be given to the Secretary at least 28 days prior to the date of the A.G.M.
7.1 The Committee shall have power to make Byelaws which shall be binding on every Member. A copy of all the byelaws of the Club shall be permanently shown on the website.
7.2 The Committee may alter and add Byelaws as circumstances require. Byelaws so altered and any additional Byelaws shall be intimated to the members by email. These Byelaws will remain binding upon the members until rescinded by the Committee or until the first Meeting, Special or General of the Club when any alteration or addition shall be ratified by the Members.
7.3 The members at any meeting may, by a resolution carried by a majority of the voting members present, alter any of the byelaws.
8.1 Applicants for membership shall complete an application form. Applicants shall not be eligible for election as adult members until they attain eighteen years of age.
8.2 The Committee shall have the power to refuse membership to any person it thinks unfit to be a member of the Club. The Committee shall not be required to give reasons for it’s decision.
8.3 On receipt of an application form, the Secretary shall confirm admission to the Club and request payment of the entry money and annual subscription.
9.1 Any member wishing to withdraw from the Club, shall notify the same in writing to the Secretary prior to the AGM, in default of which, he shall be liable for the subscription for the current year; the Club year being held to begin on 1stNovember and end on 31st October.
10.1 The Annual Subscriptions shall be fixed at the Annual General Meeting. The Entry Fee shall be fixed by the Committee. The Committee may, at their discretion, choose to permit deferred payment of the Entrance Fee provided an appropriate payment plan is agreed.
10.2 Annual Subscriptions, Locker Rents and Trolley Store Rents require to be paid by 31st March.
10.3 The Committee may allow visitors to use the course and determine any conditions.
10.4 Annual Subscriptions may be suspended for 12 months only at the discretion of the Committee. Suspended Subscriptions shall be fixed by the Committee.
11.1 No Office Bearer, member of the Committee or employee shall have any personal interest in the sale of alcohol or the profits arising therein.
11.2 The hours during which alcohol may be sold or supplied shall be fixed by the Committee and subject to the provisions of the Falkirk Council Licensing Board, Licencing Scotland Act (2005)
12.1 Privileges of the Club shall not be permitted until members have paid their Annual Subscriptions.
12.2 Members may have their privileges limited or wholly suspended at such times and for such periods as the committee consider expedient.
12.3 No Office Bearer shall rent or lease land to the Club.
12.4 No Office Bearer shall be a relative, business partner or person acting under the direction of any person leasing or renting land to the Club.
12.5 No Office Bearer shall be a relative, business partner or person acting under the direction of any person associated with the Club who receives remunerations based on the turnover of any aspect of Club activity.
13.1 Complaints must be submitted in writing/email to the Secretary. The Committee shall review and respond appropriately.
13.2 The Committee shall have the power to deal with any member whose conduct is deemed to be, in its opinion, injurious to the character or good order of the Club, or the interests of its members.
13.3 In dealing with any such member the Committee may terminate his or her membership or suspend his or her membership for such period of time as they think fit or give him or her a reprimand or warning.
14.1 The Club is non-profit making and all profits and surpluses will be used to maintain and or improve the Club facilities or to carry out the objectives of the Club.
14.2 Except as forementioned, the property, effects and monies of the Club belong to the members equally during their membership. The rights and interests of every member shall be personal and limited to himself and shall expire with this membership and shall not be assignable or arrestable or pass to heirs or executors. No profits or surpluses will, at any time, be distributed to members and if upon winding up or dissolution of the Club there remains, after the satisfaction of all debts and liability, any property whatsoever this shall be transferred either to another association to which the Club is affiliated or, to some other organisation or organisations having objectives similar to the Club. This organisation shall be determined by the members of the Club by resolution passed at a General Meeting.
15.1 Members paying their entrance fees and subscriptions thereby submit themselves to the Constitution and Byelaws and on these conditions alone are entitled to the advantages and privileges of the Club.
Members are themselves responsible for the insurance cover of any personal effects at the club.
Sub-Committees shall incur no abnormal expenditure unauthorized by the General Committee. The following shall be permanent Sub-Committees:
The rules of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews shall be the rules of play except in so far as these rules may be modified by any local rules adopted by the Match and Handicap Committee.
Competitions shall be arranged and controlled by the Match and Handicap Committee. All competitions and Club matches shall have priority on the course, and the first tee shall be closed 15 minutes before the start of any competition or match. The committee reserves the right to start team matches (Ladies and Gents) on the 5th tee as well as the 1st tee. Club match play ties shall not have priority on the course at any time and shall not be allowed on the course on any evening in which a team match (Ladies or Gents) is being played.
Members may introduce visitors to the course on payment of the visitor’s fee fixed by the General Committee. Members are responsible for entering the name(s) of visitor(s) in the book and placing visitor’s fees in the visitor’s box before commencing play. Failure to comply with this procedure will result in severe disciplinary action being taken against any member concerned. Visitors must be accompanied by a playing member unless prior permission has been granted by the General Committee.
Junior and Juvenile members may not introduce an adult visitor.
Junior and Juvenile members may be permitted to join the club to a total of 50. Such members must be under 18 years of age. Youth membership is from the age of 18-23. No denim jeans will be permitted during the playing of club competitions.
Junior and Juvenile with the permission of the general committee can compete in an adult competition but must be partnered by an adult member and have a current playing handicap of 10 or under. Junior or Juvenile member must be a home player at Bonnybridge Golf Club and have supported the junior section prior to reaching a playing handicap of 10 or under and continue to support the junior section whilst playing in any adult competition. (Played a minimum of 2 junior medals a month)
Juvenile members of the club may introduce up to three juvenile members as visitors at any one time.
Juvenile members must be off the course by 6.30pm unless accompanied by an adult or another juvenile that has a handicap permitting them to play in adult competitions. Juveniles who have a handicap permitting them to play in adult competitions are not required to be off the course by 6.30pm.
All requests or complaints must be lodged with the Secretary in writing. Verbal requests or complaints will not be entertained.
No dogs allowed in clubhouse except assistance dogs. All dogs on course must be kept on a leash.
The maximum number of players playing together at any one time shall be four.
On Tuesday evenings on which a Ladies Competition is being played Junior and Juvenile members must be off the course by 4. 30pm.Adult male members shall not start a game until after 8pm.
Practice is not allowed in the area between the clubhouse and the practice fairway in either direction. Practice putting is not allowed on the 4th or 9th greens out with the normal playing of the course.
All members and their visitors must comply with current Club dress rules at all times.
The spouse/partner of all adult members can be registered as non-playing members, allowing them full use of all clubhouse facilities.
Country members are covered by the following Club Byelaws;
The committee may impose a Bar/Kitchen levy applicable to all members except juniors/juveniles. The amount of such a levy will be set at the Club Annual General Meeting at the same time as the fees are set.
A current constitution to be displayed in Clubhouse within 28 days of an Annual General Meeting for all to see.
Where a member wishes to retain their continuous membership the annual subscription of an individual Member may be suspended for up to one year due to a member’s inability to play golf. Cost of suspension is currently £68 plus the cost of retaining locker and/or trolley store space. The member must write/email the Club with details of the circumstances. Reasons considered include, ill health, a close family member’s ill health and temporary financial position. This list is not exhaustive, each application will be considered on its merit.