Southeastern Deaf Golfers Association
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SOUTHEASTERN DEAF GOLFERS
ASSOCIATION By-Laws (Effective for SEDGA 2008) ARTICLE 1
Name 1.1 The
name of this organization is the Southeastern Deaf Golfers Association
(SEDGA). SEDGA is a non-profit organization. 1.2 SEDGA
is incorporated under the laws of the State of ARTICLE
2
Objectives 2.1 The
objectives of the organization are: a) To have an
annual golf tournament in the region known as the southeastern section of the
United States (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia). b) To provide
the membership the opportunity to socialize and share their mutual interest
of golf. 2.1
The
following golf organizations are affiliated with SEDGA; ALDGA (Alabama), FDGA
(Florida), GDGA (Georgia), KDGA (Kentucky), MDDGA (Mason-Dixon), NCDGA (North
Carolina), SCDGA (South Carolina), and TDGA (Tennessee). If a club doesn’t
donate, this club shall not be eligible to get any donations from the clubs
when they host the next SEDGA event. 2.2 Each
affiliated organization shall host the SEDGA event in its own state. An
expectation can be make for a hosting organization to ask another
organization for permission to host the event in its state. ARTICLE 3
Membership 3.1 Membership
is open to all deaf men and women providing they have reached their sixteenth
(16th) birthday by the first day of June preceding the tournament
in which they participate. ARTICLE
4
Entry Fees
and Dues 4.1
The
annual dues shall be fifteen-dollars ($15.00) for all members payable with
the entry fee as established by the host of the annual tournament. For the senior citizens (55 years of age or
older), the dues shall be ten-dollars ($10.00). 4.2
The
registration package shall include membership dues, registration fee,
greens/cart fees, and entry fee. The group picture and banquet are optional
for members to purchase. The prices in registration package and optional
first have to be approved by the Executive Committee before the host can send
out the flyer/registration packages to golfers. 4.3
The
entry form and payment shall be mailed to the SEDGA treasurer. 4.4
If
a member has paid an entry fee to participate in the annual tournament and
finds that he/she is unable to attend, a refund is possible if the host is
not bound by contractual agreement with golf course or caterer. All monies may be refunded except for
annual dues and registration fee. 4.5
The
surcharge of three-dollars ($3.00) from the registration fee shall go to Hall
of Fame proceedings. 4.6
If
a member withdraws or is disqualified during a tournament, he/she is
ineligible to receive any prize except those, which were given prior to
his/her withdrawal or disqualification. 4.7
A
non-golfer may attend an annual meeting of the SEDGA by paying one-dollar
($1.00). They shall be given privilege of the floor but cannot vote. 4.8
Defending
champions in all three (3) divisions are waived from paying for the greens
fees. They are responsible for all other fees, though. SEDGA shall pay for
each defending champion’s greens fees for three (3) rounds if there were at
least twelve (12) golfers, two (2) rounds if there were less than twelve (12)
and at least eight (8) golfers, one (1) round if there were less than eight
(8) golfers and at least four (4) golfers and none for less than four (4)
golfers. This applies to all divisions. 4.9
Affiliation
organizations except for the host shall pay $125 (one hundred twenty five
dollars) to SEDGA by April 15th of each year. $100 (one hundred dollars) will be
forwarded to the host organization while $25 (twenty five dollars) will be
used to spend on miscellaneous expenses.
ARTICLE 5
Officers 5.1
The
officers of the SEDGA shall be a President, a Vice President, a Secretary,
and a Treasurer. 5.2
Any
member of the SEDGA in good standing is eligible to run for an office
provided that he/she is present at the meeting and he/she has played in two
of the last three SEDGA tournaments. 5.3
The
officers are elected to a two-year term. Elections shall be held during even
numbered year. 5.3.A .Executive
committee shall be officers, current and next year's chairpersons of SEDGA
tournaments, SEDGA Master, and have representation from the following: one
(1) member from each affliated association;
participant in the Open division, participant in the Senior Open division,
and participant in the Women division.
Executive committee shall have at least seven (7) members.Executive Committee shall be part of the Law
Committee. B. EC shall play an
early morning practice round on
Monday of the tourney week together. 5.4
The
officers shall be reimbursed from the SEDGA treasury for any meetings or
other activities that occur between the annual tournaments. 5.5
SEDGA
shall cover the costs for each officer and his/her guest to attend the
banquet and awards presentation and one practice round of golf 5.6
Each
officer of the SEDGA is mandated to attend the tourney unless there is an
emergency excuses like a death in the family, is seriously ill or is in
school. 5.7
A
standing committee called “SEDGA Master” is a position in which the person is
solely responsible and in charge of our web site. This person is part of the
Executive Committee. 5.8
The
officers can’t be a chairman of the SEDGA event. 5.9 An officer must be a
member of an affiliated organization and a resident of any state under the
SEDGA umbrella. ARTICLE 6 Duties of the
Officers 6.1
The
president shall preside at all meetings; appoint committees; approve of all
SEDGA expenses; and make decisions with the consultation of the Executive
Committee when necessary. The
President is an ex-officio member of all committees. 6.2
The
Vice President shall take the place of the President when he/she is not
available; chair the law committee; maintain an updated version of the
by-laws; serve on the Hall of Fame committee; and perform other duties as
requested by the Executive Committee. 6.3
The
Secretary shall keep an up-to-date list of all members; shall keep minutes of
meetings (he/she may ask a member for assistance); take care of
correspondences related to the affairs of the SEDGA; and serve on the Hall of
Fame committee. 6.4
The
Treasurer shall collect dues; keep track of expenditures and expenses; and
submit a financial report, which shall be audited by two members at the
annual meeting. ARTICLE 7
Meetings 7.1
There
shall be two (2) meetings on Monday evening of the tournament week; Executive
Committee (E.C.) and general meeting. E.C. meeting shall run from 3:00 p.m.
to 5:00 p.m. and the general meeting shall start right after the E.C. meeting
(7:30 p.m.). The president when necessary may call an emergency meeting. For
a more urgent matter, the E.C. may cast vote by mail. 7.2
Executive
committee will meet to discuss pressing issues, review proposals, and prepare
for the general meeting. 7.3
Local,
SEDGA and USGA rules will be discussed and clarified during the general
meeting. The host committee shall produce and distribute the copies of the
local and SEDGA rules to the members in the registration packet. 7.4
The
order of business of all SEDGA annual meetings shall be as follows: A.
Call
to order B.
Invocation C.
Pledge
to the flag D.
Roll
Call E.
F.
President’s
report G.
Vice
President’s report H.
Secretary’s
report I.
Treasurer’s
report J.
Committees
reports K.
Unfinished
business L.
New
Business M.
Selection
of SEDGA tournament site N.
Election
of officers (even year only) O.
Announcements P.
Adjournment 7.5
The
quorum for the annual meeting shall be the number of members present at the
time the meeting is called to order. 7.6
All
elected officers before entering upon their duties, shall subscribe to the
following obligation: “I ____________, hereby pledge to perform to the best
of my ability the duties of the offices to which I was elected, and to uphold
the by-laws of the SEDGA.” New officers’ pledge shall be made during the
banquet night. ARTICLE 8
Amendments
8.1
Amendments
to the by-laws shall be by two-thirds (2/3) vote of members at the annual
meeting. The written proposing amendment to By-Laws shall be in the Vice
President’s hands by 3:00 p.m. on Monday of the event week. The proposals can
be dropped off at the registration desk at the headquarters hotel. All
approved changes to the by-laws except for Article X take effect at the next
tournament. Members may propose
changes in the by-laws during new business at the annual meeting, which shall
be referred to the law committee for action at the next annual meeting. 8.2
Article
X (Standing SEDGA Tournament Rules and Regulations) will become effective
immediately. A two-thirds (2/3) vote is required. 8.3
A
copy of the new updated SEDGA By-Laws shall be sent to each affiliated golf
organization under SEDGA by September 1st. ARTICLE 9
Tournament
Host 9.1
Any
group wishing to sponsor a tournament shall submit their bid at least four
(4) years preceding their tournament date. Bidders must verify their intent
by officially presenting a letter from the sponsor. There must be at least (3) residents of the
bidding state participating in the tournament at which the bid is
presented. After winning the bid,
successful bidders must pay one-hundred-fifty-dollars ($150.00) for security
deposit on the spot. The deposit shall be refunded to the same organization
providing that all of the requirements as stipulated in Article IX of the
by-laws have been satisfied. 9.2
The
host must send at least three (3) representatives that are residents of the
host state to the SEDGA events during a requirement period, which is the year
before hosting, year of hosting and year after hosting the SEDGA event in
order to obtain the security deposit back as well. 9.3
The
tournament shall be held three consecutive days in which the event would
begin on Tuesday after the third Sunday of June. Executive Committee can approve changes in
dates if needed. 9.4
The
host shall pay SEDGA five-dollars ($5.00) for each golfer entered in the
tournament. This shall be in addition
to the SEDGA annual dues. The host may
donate any profit that it realized to the SEDGA. 9.5
Merchandise
and/or cash prizes must be totaled at least $2,000(effective in 2009) in
addition to the total prize fees. 9.6 :The inspection of the golf course and
facilities by the inspection committee for next year’s tournament shall take
place preceding the upcoming event. 9.6.1 The inspection committee
shall be made up of three (3) members; at least one (1) member of current
SEDGA officers, one (1) former SEDGA officer who has played in SEDGA
tournament(s) in the past 2 of 4 years and if needed, an at-large member can
be selected by president with Executive Committee’s approval. The committee members can not be part of the
host committee, too. 9.6.2 Signing of the contract
with the golf course personnel shall take place at the end of the inspection
with the inspection committee present provided that the golf course and facilities
passed the inspection. 9.6.3 A copy of the signed
contracts shall be sent to SEDGA secretary for his/her records. 9.6.4 Each member of the
inspection committee shall be reimbursed of fifty-dollars ($50.00) for
his/her expenses by SEDGA. 9.7 The chair of the host
committee shall submit the final prize breakdown of all three divisions to
the SEDGA President and Treasurer no later than ninety (90) days after the
tournament. This report shall be
audited by two members serving on the host committee. 9.8 The host shall include an
updated copy of the results of the last event in the program book. 9.9 The host shall report the
final tournament results to the Secretary of the SEDGA. It shall also turn over all official
scorecards to the Secretary on the last day of the tournament. 9.10 In the event that there
is no bid from a group to host the annual tournament, the Executive Committee
of the SEDGA shall be responsible for hosting the tournament at a site
determined by this committee. 9.11 The name of each golf
tournament divisional shall read as “Southeastern Deaf Open” (SE Deaf Open),
“Southeastern Deaf Senior Open” (SE Deaf Senior Open), and “Southeastern Deaf
Women Open” (SE Deaf Women Open). 9.12 The breakdown of the
prizes money by the host shall be distributed equally to each division
according to the number of participants in each division out of the grant
total of entrees. And that one hundred percent (100%) of the golfer’s entry
fee shall goes with him/her to his/her division in which he/she is participating
in. The formula shall be: entry fees shall go to the golfer’s flight and the
host’s prize fund divided (/) by the total number of golfers. 9.13 For more details, refer
to Tournament guidelines ARTICLE 10
Standing
SEDGA Tournament Rules and
Regulations 10.1
Administration of play during the annual three (3)
day stroke play tournament shall be the responsibility of the Executive
Committee and a member of the host committee.
Any decision made by this body shall be final. 10.2
In general, the latest USGA rules apply to all SEDGA
sponsored tournaments with the following exceptions: a. Winter
rules are in effect at all tournaments. b. The
procedure for hitting the golf ball into water hazard (yellow stakes) calls
for the golfer to go around the hazard to drop and play his/her next ball
from the Drop Area at the front and side of the hazard nearest to the cart
path set up by SEDGA’s EC. A penalty of one (1)
stroke shall be assessed to the score of the hole. c. Lost
balls, unplayable lie, out-of-bounds, and balls in lateral water hazards are
played with one of the three options listed below. Each option carries a penalty of one (1)
stroke. I.
You may play as near as possible at the spot you
played your original shot. (If the
original shot was a tee shot, you may retee the
ball.) II.
You may drop the ball within two club-lengths of the
spot where the ball lies in any direction but not nearer the hole. III.
You may drop a ball on an imaginary line extending
from the hole to the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the
“hazard” with no limit on how far back you can go. IV.
If a Drop Area has been established by either golf
club or SEDGA’s EC, drop and play your next ball
from this area. NOTE: If a golfer declares a ball unplayable in a
bunker, he MUST drop within the bunker unless he/she chooses option I. 10.3
If a golfer uses profanity or shows disrespect for a
marshal, a local committee member, or an officer of the SEDGA who attempts to
give advice to the golfer on the course, the penalty is two (2) strokes. 10.4
Any complaints or protests regarding the conduct of
any SEDGA member on the course must be submitted to the secretary in writing
with signatures of two (2) witnesses.
The Secretary shall notify those members of the Executive Committee
who are nearest to the situation. If
the problem is not solved immediately, the Executive Committee shall conduct
an investigation and take whatever action it deems necessary. 10.5 Any violation(s) of USGA rules that calls for
disqualification of a golfer shall be instead penalized four (4) strokes for
each violation with an exception that if a golfer is found to purposely lower
the score on a hole, he/she shall be disqualification as written in USGA
Rules Book. Executive committee has the right to modify penalties if needed. 10.6 The
maximum strokes for Par 3, 4, and 5 are to be 6, 8, and 10, for the whole
tournament (1st, 2nd, and final round). If the golfer
fails to finish the hole, add an extra stroke and as for the number of putts,
it shall be counted as four (4). ARTICLE 11
Hall of Fame 11.1 The purpose of the SEDGA
Hall of Fame is to recognize and honor those golfers and golf leaders who
have established outstanding records as participants in SEDGA tournaments
and/or who have contributed exceptional services to the SEDGA. 11.2 Hall of Fame committee shall
consist of officers and hall of fame members.
Each member shall vote once on the list of eligible Hall of Fame
inductees. Top five Hall of Fame
eligible members shall move on to the second round. Committee will then vote again to induct
one member into the SEDGA Hall of Fame.
A Hall of Fame member can nominate and explain why a golfer shall be
in the Hall of Fame even when he/she does not meet the points
requirement. 11.3 SEDGA shall reimburse the
Hall of Fame committee members for reasonable expenses incurred in the
performance of their duties. 11.4 The Chairman shall report
to the members of the SEDGA at the annual meeting regarding activities of the
Hall of Fame Committee. 11.5 A candidate for the Hall
of Fame must have entered at least ten (10) tournaments, held an office in
the SEDGA or served on a local tournament committee and accumulated
seventy-five (75) points in order to be eligible for nomination to the Hall
of Fame. The committee may waiver this
requirement for exceptional individuals whose names may be placed on the
ballot by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the committee. 11.6 Points are awarded as
follows: Each tournament participated in
2 points Tournament Champion 10 points Tournament Runner-up 5 points Played in Championship Flight
3 points Flight Champion
5 points Flight Runner-up
2 points Tournament Chairman 10 points Tournament Committee Member 3
points SEDGA President (per term)
5 points SEDGA Vice President (per term) 5
points SEDGA Secretary (per term)
5 points SEDGA Treasurer (per term)
5 points SEDGA Committee 3
points EDITOR of SEDGA News
5 points SEDGA Master (every 2 years) 5 points 11.7 The person who is
selected to the Hall of Fame shall be awarded lifetime membership in the
SEDGA and receive free admission to the banquet. This does not include green fees, prize
fees and other costs that the host may decide upon. ARTICLE 12
Dissolution
of Organization Dissolution of Organization” and a
statement to read “In the event that SEDGA ceases to exist, any monies left
behind are to be divided equally among the affiliated organizations. In the
event of no affiliated organization being in existence, monies shall be given
to a charity with strong ties to the Deaf community. |
