CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
OF
Georgia Deaf Golfers’ Association
Revised for 2008 Golf Season
ARTICLE 1
NAME-LOCATION
The name of this organization shall be known as “Georgia Deaf Golfers’ Association” (GDGA). This association shall be a non-profit organization. The association’s address shall be the same as that of the current secretary’s home address.
ARTICLE 2
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this organization are; to sponsor monthly golf tournaments, to promote mutual interests of its membership, and to provide the membership with the opportunity for socialization and entertainment.
ARTICLE 3
MEMBERSHIP
3.1: Membership in this association is open to all deaf men and women. Membership shall be automatically granted to any member’s spouse regardless of whether they are deaf or hearing.
3.2: The minimum age is eighteen (18) years old.
3.3: Membership dues for all members will be twenty dollars ($20.00). The dues are good for the current year and thus not pro-rated.
3.4: Any member’s child or relative, deaf or hearing, who is eighteen (18) years of age or older may become a member of GDGA under Article 3.3
ARTICLE 4
GOLF SEASON
4.1: A golf season is a period of time in which the GDGA host monthly tournaments. The time period is from March to October. There will be no tournament in September due to the Deaf Peach Cup (DPC).
4.2: The tournament format for the monthly golf tournament shall be stroke play with handicap.
4.3: Awards shall be given out to golfers for their accomplishments during the Golf Season. They shall consist of “Golfer of the Year” and “Most Improved Golfer”.
4.4: The “Golfer of the Year” award is given to any member who has accumulated the most points overall out of all the tournaments over other members. See Article 4.6 and the attached sheet in back for Points System
4.5: The “Most Improved Golfer” shall be based on the member’s improvement in his/her game from the beginning of the golf season to the end of the golf season in the current year.
4.6: Golfer shall have played at least four (4) monthly tournaments to qualify for the GDGA Championship. The GDGA Championship shall be held on the first or second weekend in November.
4.7: "The Dinner/Awards Night shall be held in April after the monthly tournament. The "Golfer of the Year" and "Most Improved Golfer" awards from the previous season will be presented at this time. The Hall of Fame inductions will also take place at the Dinner/Awards Night.
4.8: Point system is set up to assure that every member in every tournament obtains points for playing in that tournament. See the attached sheet in the back of this By-Laws.
4.9: There shall be Bonus Contests for Closest to the Pin on all Par 3 holes and one (1) contest per 9 holes for Longest Drive. All contests are worth 5 bonus points.
4.10: Bonus Contests (Closest to the Pin and Longest Drive) will be sponsored by the golfers. If there are no sponsors, points will still be awarded to the winners of these contests.
ARTICLE 5
OFFICERS
5.1: The officers of the GDGA shall consist of a President, a Vice President, and a Secretary and a Treasurer.
5.2: Only Georgia resident member in good standing and who has been a member of GDGA for at least one (1) year is eligible to run for an office.
5.3: The officers shall be nominated by a member of this association and elected by the majority vote from the membership at the time of the elections.
5.4: The term for the officers is for one (1) year.
5.5: Nominations and elections shall be held at the annual meeting in February.
ARTICLE 6
DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS
6.1: The President shall preside at all meetings, enforce order and strict observance of the By-Laws. He/she shall appoint two (2) trustees before every meeting. At the tournaments, he/she shall supervise and give approval to the prize amounts set forth by the treasurer.
6.2: The Vice President shall preside at meetings in the absence of the president, ascend to the presidency shall it become vacant prior to the elections in February. He/she shall be in charge of the By-Laws. At the tournaments, he/she shall supervise and give approval to the final standings set forth by the secretary.
6.3: The Secretary shall maintain and update list of members and their addresses, draw up the minutes after each meeting and make copies for the membership, keep records of all minutes, keep records of all monthly tournaments’ results and update the points standing, and maintain the handicap system. At the tournaments, he/she shall collect all signed scorecards, determine the final standings in accordance to the rules of golf.
6.4: The Treasurer shall have a basic knowledge of accounting principles in order to maintain and update the bi-annual (February and August) financial reports, collect dues, and keep track of receipts and expenditures. At the tournaments, he/she shall collect greens fees receipts, entry fees, and determine the prize amounts for each golfer according to his/her place in the final standings set forth by the vice president.
6.5: The Trustees shall audit and examine the quarterly financial reports from the treasurer right before every meeting, and sign the reports with approval.
6.6: All officers have the authority to be in charge of the monthly golf tournaments’ activities.
ARTICLE 7
MEETINGS
7.1: There shall be one (1) business meeting every year on the second or third Saturday of February.
7.2: Members shall be notified of the annual meeting by e-mail and /or mail at least four (4) weeks prior to the date of the meeting.
7.3: The President may call an emergency meeting at any time during the golf season provided that he/she sends an announcement to the membership by e-mail and /or mail at least two (2) weeks prior to the date of the meeting.
7.4: For a meeting (both business and special) to be official, 1/3 of the members shall be present for the meeting..
7.5: The order of business at annual meeting shall be in this sequence:
A. A. Call to order
B. B. Roll call
C. C. Donations
D. D. Reading of the minutes
E. E. President’s report
F. F. Vice President’s report
G. G. Secretary’s report
H. H. Treasurer’s report
I. I. Trustees’ report
J. J. Committees’ report
K. K. Unfinished Business
L. L. New Business
M. M. Bidding for hosting tournaments.
N. N. Election of officers
O. O. Announcements
P. P. Adjournment
7.6: The installment of new officers along with pledge shall be done at the annual meeting every year.
7.7: All elected officers, before holding the office, shall pledge to the following obligation: “I, _______, hereby pledge to perform to the best of my ability the duties of the office to which I was elected and to uphold the By-Laws of the GDGA”.
ARTICLE 8
AMENDMENTS
8.1: Proposed changes to the By-Laws shall be made in the form of writing via e-mail and /or mail to the vice president.
8.2: The e-mail and/or mail shall be postmarked two (2) weeks prior to the date of the annual meeting.
8.3: Amendments to the By-Laws shall be amended by two-thirds (2/3) of the total accounted votes.
8.4: All approved changes to the By-Laws shall become effective immediately after the current meeting.
ARTICLE 9
FUNDS
9.1: All money and funds of the association shall be the property of GDGA.
9.2: Only the board of trustees has the authorization to withdraw any funds for prizes, and/or expenses under one-hundred-dollars ($99.99). The membership shall be notified of this matter in the quarterly financial report at the next business meeting.
9.3: For any withdrawal of over one-hundred-dollars ($100.00), the president and treasurer must ask the membership for approval of such withdrawal except GDGA Championship Fund which will be withdrawn only at the time of the GDGA Championship Tournament.
9.4: The treasurer shall retain all receipts, invoices, and vouchers for any purchases, withdrawals, and/or deposits.
9.5: The treasurer shall maintain the bi-annual (February and August) financial reports. The auditors shall audit them right before the meeting for approval. The membership shall have the chance to review the quarterly financial reports and put in a vote of approval.
9.6: All membership dues (100%) shall go into the GDGA Fund.
9.7: All other incoming money and donations shall be spilt equally (50%) into two (2) funds; GDGA Fund and SEDGA Fund.
9.8: Championship Fund shall be used for the award prizes at the GDGA Championship tournament. All donations and fund raising are welcome for this certain fund.
9.9: Treasurer shall retain all receipts, invoices, vouchers of all purchases and keep record of all transactions in the ledger.
ARTICLE 10
HOSTING TOURNAMENT(S)
10.1: Bidding on hosting monthly tournaments shall be done at the annual meeting.
10.2: Monthly tournaments shall be held on either the 2nd or 3rd Saturday or Sunday of the month. Unless there is a conflict in schedule with any other event, the host shall present a proposal to the membership on the date of his/her choice at anytime the GDGA has a gathering. Thus, a voting shall take place at this gathering to approve the proposal.
10.3: Only a Georgia resident member in good standing can bid for hosting a monthly tournament or more.
10.4: Host is responsible for reserving Tee-Times with the golf course management for the outing he/she is in charge of.
10.5: Host shall have the current president approves all confirmations made by host for the outing he/she is hosting.
10.6: Host shall send all confirmations and a map or directions to the golf course to the secretary at least four (4) weeks prior to the outing.
10.7: The secretary shall draw up and e-mail and /or mail the flyers out to the members at least three (3) weeks prior to the outing.
10.8: Host shall pair up golfers into groups along with the supervising and approval from the president at the outing.
10.9: The minimum yardage from the men’s tees shall be five-thousand-five-hundred (5,500) yards.
10.10 The host shall, at his discretion, set up a contest for most birdies, most eagles, lowest number of putts, etc. Participation will be voluntary.
ARTICLE 11
TOURNAMENT RULES
11.1: Tournaments shall be open to all members and non-members.
11.2: Non-members are allowed to play a maximum of two (2) golf tournaments in the current golf season.
11.3: All golfers are responsible for paying their own greens and/or cart fees.
11.4: Up to three (3) times in a golf season we will be allowed to play at golf course with greens fee over fifty-dollars ($50.00).
11.5: There shall be no prize fee for monthly tournaments. All members shall pay a five-dollar ($5.00) surcharge for the Championship Fund. The entry fee for the GDGA Championship tournament shall be thirty dollars ($30.00). The fees shall be paid to the treasurer at least thirty (30) minutes before the first tee-time (cash only)
11.6: Male golfers may choose which men’s tees to play from and as for the ladies, they can choose whichever tees to play from. The proper Course Handicap will be given to the golfers per their choices of tees.
11.7: The host and officers shall do the pairing of golfers with the host to be in the first group and that he/she shall collect scorecards and check for any errors in the scoring.
11.8: The pairings shall be announced and/or posted at least fifteen (15) minutes prior to the first tee-time.
11.9: There shall be two (2) scorecards for each group of foursome. Each scorecard shall contains two (2) players’ names on it of the other half of the group in another cart, while it is the same for the other scorecard of the other half in another cart of the group.
11.10: Golfers shall be at the first (#1) hole tee box and be ready to play at the announced tee time. (For ruling, see GDGA Rules Article 13.4)
11.11: All golfers in a group shall sign the scorecard. (For ruling, see GDGA Rules Article 13.6)
11.12: All signed scorecards shall be given to the host in the first group to do addition of the scores with help of an official in that group. Then, the scorecards shall be given to secretary who will determine the final standing along with the breakdown of the prizes.
11.13: Prizes shall be given out to golfers by the president and treasurer.
11.14: The secretary shall retain all scorecards and final standings for record keeping. The secretary will type up and post the tournament results along with the updated points standing and the flyer of the upcoming tournament to the GDGA website.
11.15: Non-participants shall not bother the participants during the tourney. The non-participants shall play along with the participants without any disturbance. If the non-participant bother or disturb the participants, he/she shall be removed from the golf course.
11.16: Fans are welcome to watch, but they shall not disturb the golfers during the outing. They shall stay behind the group of golfers at least 25 feet.
ARTICLE 12
RULES OF PLAY
The rules of play shall be governed by the USGA rules except for the following modified rules:
12.1: Winter play shall be enforced at all tournaments, meaning the ball can be moved anywhere except in the hazards. Ball shall not be moved more than six (6) inches of the spot and no nearer the pin.
12.2: Lost ball, out-of-bound, or unplayable lie may be played with one (1) of the following three (3) options:
1. You may drop the ball as near as possible at the spot you played your original balls.If the original shot was a tee shot, you may re-tee a new ball.
2. You may drop the ball within two (2) club-lengths of the spot where the ball lies in any direction, but not nearer the hole.
3. You may drop the ball on an imaginary line extending from the hole to the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of the “boundary” with no limit of how far back you go.
Note: Each option carries a one (1) stroke penalty.
12.3: Ball in either water hazard (yellow stakes) or water lateral hazard (red stakes) may be played with one (1) of the following four (4) options:
1. You may drop the ball as near as possible at the spot you played your original ball. If the original shot was a tee shot, you may re-tee the new ball.
2. You may drop the ball within two (2) club-lengths of the spot where the ball lies in any direction, but not nearer the hole.
3. You may drop the ball on an imaginary line extending from the hole to the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of the “hazard” with no limit of how far back you go.
4. Play the ball as it lies.
Note: Each option carries a one (1) stroke penalty, except for #4.
ARTICLE 13
GDGA RULES
13.1: Each golfer will obtain a GDGA Handicap Index after played a round or more of GDGA tournaments. This handicap index shall be used to determine the golfer’s Course Handicap for a specific tournament day. The Course Handicap shall be used at eighty percent (80%).
13.2: A golfer may use his/her official USGA Handicap Index and the determined Course Handicap shall be used at one hundred percent (100%).
13.3: Slow play will not be tolerated. Forget about honor, play your ball when you are ready, except on the green.
13.4: If a golfer fails to show up at the first (#1) tee box at the announced tee time, he/she shall be penalized two (2) strokes. If he/she fails to show up on time again, he/she shall be disqualified from the tournament and forfeit the entry fees. But he/she may play along with us for fun.
13.5: Score for each hole shall be limited to a triple bogey (i.e. par 3 = 6, par 4 = 7, and par 5 = 8). And if a golfer fails to finish the hole, he/she shall add a stroke (1) to the score and record the number of putts as four (4) for the hole.
13.6: If a golfer fails to sign the scorecard, he/she shall be penalized two (2) strokes to the score. If he/she fails to sign the scorecard again, he/she shall be disqualified from collecting the prizes.
13.7: If a golfer fails to sign the scorecard and left for home, he/she shall be disqualified from collecting the prizes.
13.8: If a golfer loses his/her temper and/or behaves in an un-sportsmanlike manner, he/she shall be penalized two (2) strokes for each violation to the final score.
13.9: Any complaints or protests regarding the conduct of any golfer(s) on the golf course shall be submitted to the secretary in writing with the signatures of two (2) or more witnesses. The secretary shall notify the officers (president, vice president and treasurer) and a decision shall be made at the moment for any effect on the final score and standing.
13.10: In the event of a tie for first place (1st), the tiebreaker will be determined by the player’s or team’s lowest score on the toughest hole according to the handicapping of each hole on the golf course, HCP 1. If the players’ or teams’ scores are the same, then the tiebreaker will go onto the second toughest hole, HCP 2. The tiebreaker shall go on until a winner is declared. If in the event that the players or teams have shot the same scores on every hole, then a sudden death playoff shall used to begin on the first (#1) hole until a winner is declared.
ARTICLE 14
HANDICAP SYSTEM
The handicap system is based on the system created by USGA with some modifications being made just for GDGA membership and that those handicap shall be used only in GDGA tournaments.
14.1: The Georgia Deaf Golfers’ Association Handicap System utilizes the best half (1/2) differentials out of the player’s last total number of rounds up to five (5) rounds. The differential is the difference between the player’s score and the course rating. The system is based on the assumption that every player will endeavor to make the best score he/she can at each hole in every 18-hole round and that this score, modified in accordance with the Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) below, will be reported for handicap purposes in the GDGA tournaments.
EQUITABLE STROKE C0NTROL
Course Handicap
Maximum Number
On Any Hole
9 or less
Double Bogey
10 through 19
7
20 through 29
8
30 through 39
9
40 or more
10
Once the gross score has been adjusted in accordance with ESC, it is posted to the player’s record. The following chart will indicate the number of scores to be used in determining an average differential.
Differentials Differentials
Available To Be Used
1 or 2………………………………………………1
3 or 4………………………………………………2
5…………………………………………………...3
14.2: A GDGA Handicap Index is determined as follows:
Subtract the USGA Course Rating from the adjusted gross score, multiply the difference by 113 and divide the result by the slope rating of that course. Round off to the nearest tenth. Select the proper number of lowest differentials to be used (see chart above), total the differentials and divide by the number of differentials used to attain the average. Multiply this result by .96 and delete all the numbers after the tenths digit (do not round off). This figure is a GDGA Handicap Index.
14.3: To use a GDGA Handicap Index to determine the Course Handicap, locate the range in which the index falls on the Course Handicap Table and read from it the Course Handicap.
The Course Handicap Table is developed by multiply the GDGA Handicap Index by the USGA Slope Rating and dividing by 113. The resulting figure is rounded off to the nearest whole number.
14.4: For the tournament, the course handicap shall be used at one hundred percent (100%) for every individual golfer using GDGA Handicap Index.
14.5: The maximum Handicap Index for men and women are 36.4 and 40.4 respectively.
14.6: A Statute of Limitation is put on all scores and differentials from within the last two (2) years to be calculated for handicap purpose.
ARTICLE 15
HALL OF FAME
15.1: Golfers who have played the game of golf and contributed to the GDGA for many years may be considered for induction into the GDGA Hall of Fame.
15.2: Honorary inductees into the Hall of Fame shall be part of the Dinner/Awards Night in April. Dinner for the inductee and spouse will be paid by the GDGA Fund.
15.3: Name of inductee(s) will be placed on a big Hall of Fame plaque.
15.4: A Hall of Fame induction plaque will be given out to the inductee(s) by GDGA.
15.5: The officers after they select inductee(s) shall present their choices to the members for their approval by voting to be inducted into the GDGA Hall of Fame.
15.6: GDGA Hall of Fame members are automatically qualified to play in the GDGA Championship tournament.
OF
Georgia Deaf Golfers’ Association
Revised for 2008 Golf Season
ARTICLE 1
NAME-LOCATION
The name of this organization shall be known as “Georgia Deaf Golfers’ Association” (GDGA). This association shall be a non-profit organization. The association’s address shall be the same as that of the current secretary’s home address.
ARTICLE 2
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this organization are; to sponsor monthly golf tournaments, to promote mutual interests of its membership, and to provide the membership with the opportunity for socialization and entertainment.
ARTICLE 3
MEMBERSHIP
3.1: Membership in this association is open to all deaf men and women. Membership shall be automatically granted to any member’s spouse regardless of whether they are deaf or hearing.
3.2: The minimum age is eighteen (18) years old.
3.3: Membership dues for all members will be twenty dollars ($20.00). The dues are good for the current year and thus not pro-rated.
3.4: Any member’s child or relative, deaf or hearing, who is eighteen (18) years of age or older may become a member of GDGA under Article 3.3
ARTICLE 4
GOLF SEASON
4.1: A golf season is a period of time in which the GDGA host monthly tournaments. The time period is from March to October. There will be no tournament in September due to the Deaf Peach Cup (DPC).
4.2: The tournament format for the monthly golf tournament shall be stroke play with handicap.
4.3: Awards shall be given out to golfers for their accomplishments during the Golf Season. They shall consist of “Golfer of the Year” and “Most Improved Golfer”.
4.4: The “Golfer of the Year” award is given to any member who has accumulated the most points overall out of all the tournaments over other members. See Article 4.6 and the attached sheet in back for Points System
4.5: The “Most Improved Golfer” shall be based on the member’s improvement in his/her game from the beginning of the golf season to the end of the golf season in the current year.
4.6: Golfer shall have played at least four (4) monthly tournaments to qualify for the GDGA Championship. The GDGA Championship shall be held on the first or second weekend in November.
4.7: "The Dinner/Awards Night shall be held in April after the monthly tournament. The "Golfer of the Year" and "Most Improved Golfer" awards from the previous season will be presented at this time. The Hall of Fame inductions will also take place at the Dinner/Awards Night.
4.8: Point system is set up to assure that every member in every tournament obtains points for playing in that tournament. See the attached sheet in the back of this By-Laws.
4.9: There shall be Bonus Contests for Closest to the Pin on all Par 3 holes and one (1) contest per 9 holes for Longest Drive. All contests are worth 5 bonus points.
4.10: Bonus Contests (Closest to the Pin and Longest Drive) will be sponsored by the golfers. If there are no sponsors, points will still be awarded to the winners of these contests.
ARTICLE 5
OFFICERS
5.1: The officers of the GDGA shall consist of a President, a Vice President, and a Secretary and a Treasurer.
5.2: Only Georgia resident member in good standing and who has been a member of GDGA for at least one (1) year is eligible to run for an office.
5.3: The officers shall be nominated by a member of this association and elected by the majority vote from the membership at the time of the elections.
5.4: The term for the officers is for one (1) year.
5.5: Nominations and elections shall be held at the annual meeting in February.
ARTICLE 6
DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS
6.1: The President shall preside at all meetings, enforce order and strict observance of the By-Laws. He/she shall appoint two (2) trustees before every meeting. At the tournaments, he/she shall supervise and give approval to the prize amounts set forth by the treasurer.
6.2: The Vice President shall preside at meetings in the absence of the president, ascend to the presidency shall it become vacant prior to the elections in February. He/she shall be in charge of the By-Laws. At the tournaments, he/she shall supervise and give approval to the final standings set forth by the secretary.
6.3: The Secretary shall maintain and update list of members and their addresses, draw up the minutes after each meeting and make copies for the membership, keep records of all minutes, keep records of all monthly tournaments’ results and update the points standing, and maintain the handicap system. At the tournaments, he/she shall collect all signed scorecards, determine the final standings in accordance to the rules of golf.
6.4: The Treasurer shall have a basic knowledge of accounting principles in order to maintain and update the bi-annual (February and August) financial reports, collect dues, and keep track of receipts and expenditures. At the tournaments, he/she shall collect greens fees receipts, entry fees, and determine the prize amounts for each golfer according to his/her place in the final standings set forth by the vice president.
6.5: The Trustees shall audit and examine the quarterly financial reports from the treasurer right before every meeting, and sign the reports with approval.
6.6: All officers have the authority to be in charge of the monthly golf tournaments’ activities.
ARTICLE 7
MEETINGS
7.1: There shall be one (1) business meeting every year on the second or third Saturday of February.
7.2: Members shall be notified of the annual meeting by e-mail and /or mail at least four (4) weeks prior to the date of the meeting.
7.3: The President may call an emergency meeting at any time during the golf season provided that he/she sends an announcement to the membership by e-mail and /or mail at least two (2) weeks prior to the date of the meeting.
7.4: For a meeting (both business and special) to be official, 1/3 of the members shall be present for the meeting..
7.5: The order of business at annual meeting shall be in this sequence:
A. A. Call to order
B. B. Roll call
C. C. Donations
D. D. Reading of the minutes
E. E. President’s report
F. F. Vice President’s report
G. G. Secretary’s report
H. H. Treasurer’s report
I. I. Trustees’ report
J. J. Committees’ report
K. K. Unfinished Business
L. L. New Business
M. M. Bidding for hosting tournaments.
N. N. Election of officers
O. O. Announcements
P. P. Adjournment
7.6: The installment of new officers along with pledge shall be done at the annual meeting every year.
7.7: All elected officers, before holding the office, shall pledge to the following obligation: “I, _______, hereby pledge to perform to the best of my ability the duties of the office to which I was elected and to uphold the By-Laws of the GDGA”.
ARTICLE 8
AMENDMENTS
8.1: Proposed changes to the By-Laws shall be made in the form of writing via e-mail and /or mail to the vice president.
8.2: The e-mail and/or mail shall be postmarked two (2) weeks prior to the date of the annual meeting.
8.3: Amendments to the By-Laws shall be amended by two-thirds (2/3) of the total accounted votes.
8.4: All approved changes to the By-Laws shall become effective immediately after the current meeting.
ARTICLE 9
FUNDS
9.1: All money and funds of the association shall be the property of GDGA.
9.2: Only the board of trustees has the authorization to withdraw any funds for prizes, and/or expenses under one-hundred-dollars ($99.99). The membership shall be notified of this matter in the quarterly financial report at the next business meeting.
9.3: For any withdrawal of over one-hundred-dollars ($100.00), the president and treasurer must ask the membership for approval of such withdrawal except GDGA Championship Fund which will be withdrawn only at the time of the GDGA Championship Tournament.
9.4: The treasurer shall retain all receipts, invoices, and vouchers for any purchases, withdrawals, and/or deposits.
9.5: The treasurer shall maintain the bi-annual (February and August) financial reports. The auditors shall audit them right before the meeting for approval. The membership shall have the chance to review the quarterly financial reports and put in a vote of approval.
9.6: All membership dues (100%) shall go into the GDGA Fund.
9.7: All other incoming money and donations shall be spilt equally (50%) into two (2) funds; GDGA Fund and SEDGA Fund.
9.8: Championship Fund shall be used for the award prizes at the GDGA Championship tournament. All donations and fund raising are welcome for this certain fund.
9.9: Treasurer shall retain all receipts, invoices, vouchers of all purchases and keep record of all transactions in the ledger.
ARTICLE 10
HOSTING TOURNAMENT(S)
10.1: Bidding on hosting monthly tournaments shall be done at the annual meeting.
10.2: Monthly tournaments shall be held on either the 2nd or 3rd Saturday or Sunday of the month. Unless there is a conflict in schedule with any other event, the host shall present a proposal to the membership on the date of his/her choice at anytime the GDGA has a gathering. Thus, a voting shall take place at this gathering to approve the proposal.
10.3: Only a Georgia resident member in good standing can bid for hosting a monthly tournament or more.
10.4: Host is responsible for reserving Tee-Times with the golf course management for the outing he/she is in charge of.
10.5: Host shall have the current president approves all confirmations made by host for the outing he/she is hosting.
10.6: Host shall send all confirmations and a map or directions to the golf course to the secretary at least four (4) weeks prior to the outing.
10.7: The secretary shall draw up and e-mail and /or mail the flyers out to the members at least three (3) weeks prior to the outing.
10.8: Host shall pair up golfers into groups along with the supervising and approval from the president at the outing.
10.9: The minimum yardage from the men’s tees shall be five-thousand-five-hundred (5,500) yards.
10.10 The host shall, at his discretion, set up a contest for most birdies, most eagles, lowest number of putts, etc. Participation will be voluntary.
ARTICLE 11
TOURNAMENT RULES
11.1: Tournaments shall be open to all members and non-members.
11.2: Non-members are allowed to play a maximum of two (2) golf tournaments in the current golf season.
11.3: All golfers are responsible for paying their own greens and/or cart fees.
11.4: Up to three (3) times in a golf season we will be allowed to play at golf course with greens fee over fifty-dollars ($50.00).
11.5: There shall be no prize fee for monthly tournaments. All members shall pay a five-dollar ($5.00) surcharge for the Championship Fund. The entry fee for the GDGA Championship tournament shall be thirty dollars ($30.00). The fees shall be paid to the treasurer at least thirty (30) minutes before the first tee-time (cash only)
11.6: Male golfers may choose which men’s tees to play from and as for the ladies, they can choose whichever tees to play from. The proper Course Handicap will be given to the golfers per their choices of tees.
11.7: The host and officers shall do the pairing of golfers with the host to be in the first group and that he/she shall collect scorecards and check for any errors in the scoring.
11.8: The pairings shall be announced and/or posted at least fifteen (15) minutes prior to the first tee-time.
11.9: There shall be two (2) scorecards for each group of foursome. Each scorecard shall contains two (2) players’ names on it of the other half of the group in another cart, while it is the same for the other scorecard of the other half in another cart of the group.
11.10: Golfers shall be at the first (#1) hole tee box and be ready to play at the announced tee time. (For ruling, see GDGA Rules Article 13.4)
11.11: All golfers in a group shall sign the scorecard. (For ruling, see GDGA Rules Article 13.6)
11.12: All signed scorecards shall be given to the host in the first group to do addition of the scores with help of an official in that group. Then, the scorecards shall be given to secretary who will determine the final standing along with the breakdown of the prizes.
11.13: Prizes shall be given out to golfers by the president and treasurer.
11.14: The secretary shall retain all scorecards and final standings for record keeping. The secretary will type up and post the tournament results along with the updated points standing and the flyer of the upcoming tournament to the GDGA website.
11.15: Non-participants shall not bother the participants during the tourney. The non-participants shall play along with the participants without any disturbance. If the non-participant bother or disturb the participants, he/she shall be removed from the golf course.
11.16: Fans are welcome to watch, but they shall not disturb the golfers during the outing. They shall stay behind the group of golfers at least 25 feet.
ARTICLE 12
RULES OF PLAY
The rules of play shall be governed by the USGA rules except for the following modified rules:
12.1: Winter play shall be enforced at all tournaments, meaning the ball can be moved anywhere except in the hazards. Ball shall not be moved more than six (6) inches of the spot and no nearer the pin.
12.2: Lost ball, out-of-bound, or unplayable lie may be played with one (1) of the following three (3) options:
1. You may drop the ball as near as possible at the spot you played your original balls.If the original shot was a tee shot, you may re-tee a new ball.
2. You may drop the ball within two (2) club-lengths of the spot where the ball lies in any direction, but not nearer the hole.
3. You may drop the ball on an imaginary line extending from the hole to the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of the “boundary” with no limit of how far back you go.
Note: Each option carries a one (1) stroke penalty.
12.3: Ball in either water hazard (yellow stakes) or water lateral hazard (red stakes) may be played with one (1) of the following four (4) options:
1. You may drop the ball as near as possible at the spot you played your original ball. If the original shot was a tee shot, you may re-tee the new ball.
2. You may drop the ball within two (2) club-lengths of the spot where the ball lies in any direction, but not nearer the hole.
3. You may drop the ball on an imaginary line extending from the hole to the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of the “hazard” with no limit of how far back you go.
4. Play the ball as it lies.
Note: Each option carries a one (1) stroke penalty, except for #4.
ARTICLE 13
GDGA RULES
13.1: Each golfer will obtain a GDGA Handicap Index after played a round or more of GDGA tournaments. This handicap index shall be used to determine the golfer’s Course Handicap for a specific tournament day. The Course Handicap shall be used at eighty percent (80%).
13.2: A golfer may use his/her official USGA Handicap Index and the determined Course Handicap shall be used at one hundred percent (100%).
13.3: Slow play will not be tolerated. Forget about honor, play your ball when you are ready, except on the green.
13.4: If a golfer fails to show up at the first (#1) tee box at the announced tee time, he/she shall be penalized two (2) strokes. If he/she fails to show up on time again, he/she shall be disqualified from the tournament and forfeit the entry fees. But he/she may play along with us for fun.
13.5: Score for each hole shall be limited to a triple bogey (i.e. par 3 = 6, par 4 = 7, and par 5 = 8). And if a golfer fails to finish the hole, he/she shall add a stroke (1) to the score and record the number of putts as four (4) for the hole.
13.6: If a golfer fails to sign the scorecard, he/she shall be penalized two (2) strokes to the score. If he/she fails to sign the scorecard again, he/she shall be disqualified from collecting the prizes.
13.7: If a golfer fails to sign the scorecard and left for home, he/she shall be disqualified from collecting the prizes.
13.8: If a golfer loses his/her temper and/or behaves in an un-sportsmanlike manner, he/she shall be penalized two (2) strokes for each violation to the final score.
13.9: Any complaints or protests regarding the conduct of any golfer(s) on the golf course shall be submitted to the secretary in writing with the signatures of two (2) or more witnesses. The secretary shall notify the officers (president, vice president and treasurer) and a decision shall be made at the moment for any effect on the final score and standing.
13.10: In the event of a tie for first place (1st), the tiebreaker will be determined by the player’s or team’s lowest score on the toughest hole according to the handicapping of each hole on the golf course, HCP 1. If the players’ or teams’ scores are the same, then the tiebreaker will go onto the second toughest hole, HCP 2. The tiebreaker shall go on until a winner is declared. If in the event that the players or teams have shot the same scores on every hole, then a sudden death playoff shall used to begin on the first (#1) hole until a winner is declared.
ARTICLE 14
HANDICAP SYSTEM
The handicap system is based on the system created by USGA with some modifications being made just for GDGA membership and that those handicap shall be used only in GDGA tournaments.
14.1: The Georgia Deaf Golfers’ Association Handicap System utilizes the best half (1/2) differentials out of the player’s last total number of rounds up to five (5) rounds. The differential is the difference between the player’s score and the course rating. The system is based on the assumption that every player will endeavor to make the best score he/she can at each hole in every 18-hole round and that this score, modified in accordance with the Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) below, will be reported for handicap purposes in the GDGA tournaments.
EQUITABLE STROKE C0NTROL
Course Handicap
Maximum Number
On Any Hole
9 or less
Double Bogey
10 through 19
7
20 through 29
8
30 through 39
9
40 or more
10
Once the gross score has been adjusted in accordance with ESC, it is posted to the player’s record. The following chart will indicate the number of scores to be used in determining an average differential.
Differentials Differentials
Available To Be Used
1 or 2………………………………………………1
3 or 4………………………………………………2
5…………………………………………………...3
14.2: A GDGA Handicap Index is determined as follows:
Subtract the USGA Course Rating from the adjusted gross score, multiply the difference by 113 and divide the result by the slope rating of that course. Round off to the nearest tenth. Select the proper number of lowest differentials to be used (see chart above), total the differentials and divide by the number of differentials used to attain the average. Multiply this result by .96 and delete all the numbers after the tenths digit (do not round off). This figure is a GDGA Handicap Index.
14.3: To use a GDGA Handicap Index to determine the Course Handicap, locate the range in which the index falls on the Course Handicap Table and read from it the Course Handicap.
The Course Handicap Table is developed by multiply the GDGA Handicap Index by the USGA Slope Rating and dividing by 113. The resulting figure is rounded off to the nearest whole number.
14.4: For the tournament, the course handicap shall be used at one hundred percent (100%) for every individual golfer using GDGA Handicap Index.
14.5: The maximum Handicap Index for men and women are 36.4 and 40.4 respectively.
14.6: A Statute of Limitation is put on all scores and differentials from within the last two (2) years to be calculated for handicap purpose.
ARTICLE 15
HALL OF FAME
15.1: Golfers who have played the game of golf and contributed to the GDGA for many years may be considered for induction into the GDGA Hall of Fame.
15.2: Honorary inductees into the Hall of Fame shall be part of the Dinner/Awards Night in April. Dinner for the inductee and spouse will be paid by the GDGA Fund.
15.3: Name of inductee(s) will be placed on a big Hall of Fame plaque.
15.4: A Hall of Fame induction plaque will be given out to the inductee(s) by GDGA.
15.5: The officers after they select inductee(s) shall present their choices to the members for their approval by voting to be inducted into the GDGA Hall of Fame.
15.6: GDGA Hall of Fame members are automatically qualified to play in the GDGA Championship tournament.