The purpose of the organization is to promote good fellowship and sportsmanship among its members by promoting, fostering, and encouraging the playing of golf and participation in related social activities.

The name of the organization shall be The East Hartford Men's Golf Club.

There shall be two types of membership:

1) Active
2) Honorary

An active member (member in good standing) is a member who has paid his dues for the golfing season. Active membership shall be limited to three hundred (300) persons, age 16 or older. Active membership shall entitle the individual to all privileges of the Club including the right to vote at any general meeting of the Club membership and the right to vote on any question otherwise presented to the general membership by the Executive Board.

An appointed-honorary member is a person who shall be designated as such for meritorious contributions to the Club or its objectives. Appointed-honorary membership shall be conferred by the majority vote of the E- Board. An honorary membership may be assigned for life or a period of years. Those appointed honorary membership by the general membership shall not be subject to membership fees or dues.

Honorary membership will automatically be granted to any members who reach the age of 70 by April 1st and have been a member in good standing for ten (10) continuous years. Honorary membership shall entitle the individual to all privileges of the Club and he will pay 90% of the membership dues required for an Active Member.

Active members of the Club who are called into service with the Armed Forces of the United States shall automatically be designated honorary members until their discharge from active duty and shall not be subject to membership fees or dues until the year following their discharge.

Honorary membership shall not exceed fifty percent of the active membership.

An active membership shall be for a period of one year, renewable for a like period at the beginning of each year at the option of the member upon payment of his annual dues. In the event of a waiting list for membership, the Executive Board reserves the right to consider the petitioning member's previous years' participation as a qualification for membership. A minimum of 33% of the Men's Club sponsored tournaments during the course of the preceding season, or in the alternative, fifty percent (50%) of the Monday evening golf competitions, may be required. For purpose of meeting participation requirements, two (2) Monday evening tournaments will be credited as equal to one (1) Sunday tournament.

Any candidate for active membership in the Club shall submit a membership application, accompanied by the required initiation fee and initial annual dues. The Executive Board may perform a review of all applications to insure credibility of the new applicant. A two-thirds affirmative vote of the members of the Executive Board, present and voting on the question will be necessary to elect the applicant to Club membership. Such vote shall take place on the next regular meeting of the Executive Board following receipt of the application. Notification in writing of acceptance or declination for membership shall be promptly given the candidate. If a candidate is declined for membership, his membership application, initiation fee, and initial dues will be returned.

The dues for active members, and the fee and initial dues for applicants for membership shall be in such amounts as established by the Executive Board. Dues of active members must be paid no later than the date determined by the Executive Committee and communicated to the membership in a newsletter a minimum of thirty (30) days prior to the specified date. Such date shall be no earlier than February 1st or no later than March 1st. (this requirement is necessary due to billing changes that the USGA has imposed for handicap cards) if dues are not fully paid for the year by that date, the member will be terminated from the membership rolls. For good and sufficient reasons, the Executive Board may accept a late remittance of annual dues if accompanied by an application for reinstatement of membership. All applications for reinstatement will include a five-dollar ($5.00) reinstatement fee. This fee may be waived by as determined by the Executive Board.

Only active or honorary members of The East Hartford Men's Golf Club (or their guests in Member-Guest Tournaments) shall be eligible to win any prize, award or trophy in any golf Tournament, event or competition that the Club sponsors and for which it furnishes such prizes.

Any credit certificate, note, or memorandum awarded as a prize for golf competition by the Club will be valid only if used prior to December 31st of the year following the date of issue.

A printed copy of the By-Laws will be available at all times during the season at www.ehmensgolfclub.com and/or on the Club Bulletin Board at the East Hartford Golf Club. Upon special request, a copy can be obtained from the President or Recording Secretary. Notices of coming events, competitions, awards, dates, and agendas of the general and special membership meetings will be posted on our Website and/or the Men's Club Bulletin Board at East Hartford Golf Club. Such notices as deemed to be of special significance by the Executive Board will be mailed or E-Mailed to each member at his home or business address. A summary of the club business transacted at each Executive Board meeting will be posted on the bulletin board within two weeks of the date of the meeting.

Each member is entitled to a Connecticut State Golf Association Handicap Card which is computer prepared from scores submitted during the current and previous golfing seasons. The member's handicap will be revised and posted after each handicap revision, in the GHIN System, throughout the season. The GHIN System is an electronic handicap posting system, administered by the USGA throughout the USA, where scores may be entered at home or any participating club. Scores may also be entered via the Internet by logging on to the GHIN Web Site. The specific rules regarding handicaps are available upon request of a member of the Rules and Handicap Committee.

Each member is entitled to be certified as a Club member for competitions held by the United States Golf Association and other Associations of which the Club may be a member. The club member must have a valid handicap to participate in certified events.

Each active member shall be eligible to attend all regular or special meetings of the General Membership and shall have the right to vote on all items of business coming before such meetings. The honorary membership is included in items of business upon which active members are entitled to vote.

The acceptance of membership in the Club shall bind each member to uphold all the provisions of the By-Laws and other duly enacted rules of the Club and to accept and enforce all Rules and Decisions of the Executive Board acting within its jurisdiction.

Members shall be subject to suspension or expulsion for unbecoming conduct detrimental to the game of golf, to the good name of the Club, or to proper functioning and administration of the Club.

Any member charged with having engaged in such unbecoming conduct shall be entitled to a Written Notice of the specific offense or offenses which he is alleged to have committed. The member shall be given the opportunity to be heard in his own defense at a meeting of the Executive Board at a specified date. The date set will be such as to afford the member a reasonable time to prepare to meet the written charges.

By a majority vote of the members of the Executive Board present at such hearing, the member may be expelled or suspended from membership or the charges may be voided, in which case all reference thereto will be expunged from the record.

Any member suspended or expelled by vote of the Executive Board may appeal from its decision in writing addressed to the general membership and directed to the Club President. Upon receipt of such written appeal, the President shall appoint nine (9) active members in good standing to meet in special session to hear such appeal. The matters presented to the Executive Board will be presented to the appellate body by the Club Vice-President. The member charged with misconduct shall have a right to be present and to be represented at the session by another active member of the Club in good standing. The decision of the appellate body shall be final. A member expelled or suspended will forfeit any dues, fees, or other assessments previously made to the Club.

When a member signs up to play in a tournament and subsequently finds that he cannot play, he has the responsibility to inform the Pro Shop prior to the tournament of their withdrawal. Failure to do so will result in a penalty equal in amount to that of the tournament fee. This fee must be paid before the member can play in another tournament.

Regular meetings of the general membership shall be held at least two times each year; one at the beginning of the golfing season, and one at the end of the season. All proper matters of unfinished and new business may be brought up at such meetings.

Special Meetings of the general membership may be called by the Club President, by a majority of the Executive Board, or upon a written request of not less than ten (10) percent of the active members in good standing. The business of the special meeting shall be confined to the matter set forth in the notice of the meeting.

Written or printed notice stating the place, day, and hour of the meeting and in the case of a special meeting, the purpose or purposes for which it is called shall be mailed or E-Mailed to each active member not less than ten (10) days before the date of the meeting. A notice of such meeting will also be posted on the official bulletin board.

The presence of at least ten percent (10%) of the active members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the General Membership.

At all meetings of the general membership, all questions shall be determined by a majority of the members present and entitled to vote. Each member may cast only one vote on each matter properly brought before the meeting.

At all meetings of the Club, the order of business shall be as follows:

A) Call to order
B) Proof of notice of meeting
C) Submission of roster of members entitled to vote
D) Roll call of officers
E) Reading of minutes of previous meetings and reading of communications and bills
F) Applications for membership (Executive Board Meetings)
G) Reports
H) Election of Officers and Executive Committee last regular meeting of year.
I) Unfinished business
J) New Business
K) Adjournment

Complete minutes must be kept of all meetings. Minutes of Executive Board meetings will be summarized and posted for the information of the active membership. Any member in good standing may request and shall be granted the right to inspect the minutes of the general membership meeting.

The Executive Board shall consist of Eleven (11) voting members, all of whom must be active members in good standing.

Four (4) of these Board members will be members of the Executive Committee.
Five (5) members of the Board will be the Club Officers.
One (1) member will be the Handicap Chairman
One (1) will be the Tournament Chairman

It will be possible for a member to serve in up two (2) Executive Board positions or any of its committees in a given year, however, each Committee will be limited to a maximum of two (2) votes.

The term of each member of the Executive Committee shall be two (2) years from the date of election.

The term of Club Officers shall be from January 1 to January 1 of the following year. Term of membership on the Executive Board will coincide with the terms of office on the Executive Committee or as a Club Officer. Two members of the Executive Committee will be elected each year.

To be eligible for membership on the Executive Board any person shall have been an active member in good standing for at least one year before his election.

The incumbent Executive Board shall arrange in such a manner as it deems appropriate for the nomination of persons to fill vacancies created by reason of the expiration of terms of the Executive Committee or Club Officers. Any members wishing to decline nomination for office shall have the privilege of withdrawing his nominations. Nominations may also be made by active members. See Section 5.7.

At the last regular meeting of the General Membership, election of the Executive Committee and Club Officers shall be held. The secret ballot shall be used at all regular elections. Only active members in good standing shall be entitled to vote. A check list of all members entitled to vote will be available at the time of election.

In the event that any vacancy shall occur in the membership of the Executive Committee or Club Officers for any reason other than expiration of term, the remaining members of the Executive Board shall elect, by majority vote, a replacement to fill the vacancy until the next regular election.

A notice shall be posted on the official bulletin board of nominations for Executive Committee and Club Officers which have been made by the Executive Board. Such notice will be given at least two weeks prior to the regular election meeting. Each active member may submit additional nominations by a written memorandum to the Executive Board at least one week prior to the regular election meeting.

The duties of the Executive Board shall be generally to control and supervise the internal affairs of the Club for the best interest of all members. The Executive Board will decide on new memberships, and is charged with nominating persons for Club offices. The Board may consider any and all matters presented to the Board in the regular course of business or in any emergency which may arise and shall take necessary action or recommend appropriate action by the General Membership on all matters brought to the Board's attention.

The Executive Board will hold regular meetings, bi-monthly, as closely as possible to the fourth weeks of March, May, July, September and November. Special meetings shall be called by the Club President or a quorum of the Executive Board at such times and places as he or the Board shall deem necessary. Notice of regular and special meetings shall be given each member of the Board.

Items of business to be discussed in a special meeting shall be stated in the notice.

A majority of the Executive Board shall be necessary to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the Board, but less than a quorum may adjourn any meeting to another time or place (or both).

Each member of the Executive Board shall be entitled to one vote upon any matter voted upon by the Board except that the Tournament and Handicap and Rules Committees will be limited to a maximum of two (2) votes each. The Executive Board shall consist of eleven (11) voting members.

Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Executive Board may be taken without a meeting, if a written consent to such action is signed by all members of the Board and such written consent is filed with the minutes of the proceedings of the Board.

Any member of the Executive Board may resign by giving notice in writing to the Club President.

The elected officers of the Club shall be a President, a Vice-President, a Recording Secretary, a Corresponding Secretary, and a Treasurer. The offices of Recording and Corresponding Secretary may be held by one person, if determined to be in the best interest of the Club membership by the Executive Board. These officers shall be elected annually by the general membership, and they shall hold office until their successors have been elected.

The President shall call regular and special meetings of the members of the club and the Executive Board in accordance with these by-laws. He shall, when present, preside at all meetings of the members and Executive Board, and he shall have a deciding vote at any meeting in the event of a tie. The President shall appoint such committees and auditors as necessary for proper conduct of the Club and shall be a member, ex-officio, of all committees of the Club. The President, when directed by the Executive Board, shall have authority to sign and execute, in the name of the Club any agreements or other instruments and shall countersign all checks drawn by the Treasurer. He shall enforce these by-laws and perform such other duties as are incident to the position and office or as he may be directed to perform by the membership or Executive Board.

The Vice President shall perform all duties of the President in his absence. He shall also assist in maintaining order at all meetings. The Vice President will be an active member of each of the Club's standing committees and he shall perform such other duties as assigned by the Club President.

The Recording Secretary shall maintain full and correct records of all meetings of the general membership and of the Executive Board. He shall read the minutes of the meetings of the general membership at the next regular meeting of the Club for proper action. He shall summarize the minutes of the Executive Board and see that they are posted on the official bulletin board for the information of the general membership, and he shall perform such other duties as assigned by the Club President.

The Corresponding Secretary shall maintain an accurate roster of the names addresses and E-Mail addresses of all active and honorary members. He shall maintain a file on the applications for membership which have been submitted until action has been taken thereon. He shall be responsible for the distribution to the general membership of all notices, memorandum, and announcements. He shall perform such other duties as assigned by the Club President.

The Treasurer shall have custody of all funds, securities, and valuable papers. All checks will be countersigned by at least two authorized executive board members.

The Treasurer shall provide and maintain full and complete records of all assets and liabilities. He shall be responsible for the collection of fees, dues, and Assessments from the members. He shall prepare and submit to the Executive Board at E-Board meetings and to the General Membership, a Treasurers Report showing the financial condition of the Club.

He shall also perform such additional duties as assigned by the Club President.

The elected committees of the Club are the Handicap Committee and the Tournament Committee. The Chairman of these two Committees shall be elected annually by the general membership to terms of one (1) year. In lieu of a quorum for a general election, any vacancies may be filled by members of the Executive Committee on either an ongoing or rotational basis.

The Tournament Committee shall consist of the Tournament Chairman, the Club Vice President and one (1) additional active member to be appointed by the Club President. A member of the Executive Board is eligible to be appointed to serve on the Tournament Committee.

The Handicap Committee shall consist of the Handicap Chairman, the Club Vice President and one (1) additional active member to be appointed by the Club President. A member of the Executive Board is eligible to be appointed to serve on the Handicap Committee.

These committees may appoint additional members to their committee with the approval of the Club President. These appointed members may not be members of the Executive Board.

The Club President may appoint such other temporary or special committees, as he may deem necessary to carry out the purpose of the Club, including but not limited to a Banquet Committee and Nominating Committee.

The Handicap Committee's duties shall be to monitor the validity of score posting in the GHIN system for the purpose of obtaining a valid USGA handicap.

Each member is responsible for posting 18 and 9 hole scores, other than Club sponsored Tournaments, as defined by the USGA Handicap System. The Handicap Chairman may assign temporary handicaps to any new members until five scores have been posted in GHIN and become available. The Committee may assign a new handicap to any member when GHIN data does not reflect a current true handicap for various reasons. The full committee must unanimously agree on a handicap assigned other than under the normal GHIN revisions.

Handicap Rules shall be prominently posted on the Club Bulletin Board at all times. Member handicaps are available for viewing in the GHIN System. Each new member will be supplied a written set of local rules or receive an email with a link to the local rules in our Web Site when he joins the Club. If a new member has not submitted a minimum of five (5) current season 18-hole score cards necessary for GHIN handicap generation by June 15th, they will only be eligible for gross tournament prizes until such time as the required number of scores are submitted.

The Tournament Committee shall supervise the conduct of all tournaments, special golfing events and the weekly club competition by working with the East Hartford Golf Club professional in formulating necessary local rules compatible with the rules and policies of the United States Golf Association and shall be the arbiter in all disputes arising from golf play sponsored by the Club.

The Tournament Committee shall be responsible for informing the club members of the dates of golfing events, the special rules which will apply to the event, the prizes to be awarded and the determination of winning scores. The Committee shall be the contact group with all other organizations in tournament and related golfing matters and shall be responsible for the notices of the time and place of all events, and results of competition to be posted on the Club Bulletin Board and Club Website for information of the General Membership.

Local Rules shall be prominently posted on the Club Bulletin Board and Website at all times.

Only active or honorary members of the East Hartford Men's Golf Club and their guests in Member-Guest Tournaments will be eligible to win any prize, award or trophy in any Golf Tournament, event or competition sponsored by the Club. All competitions shall be played under in accordance with the Rules of Golf as approved by the United States Golf Association and as supplemented by local Club rules.

In dealing with questions involving the amateur classification of a member (through the Tournament and Handicap Committee), the Club shall be guided by the rules of the United States Golf Association.

Only an amateur as so defined shall be qualified for any prizes or awards in tournaments or in competitive events sponsored by the Club. Any designated Open Event will not be so limited. Past Club Champions, who are active members, will be automatically qualified for participation in the Club Championship Tournament for one year following their win.

An active member will be qualified for the Club Championship only when he has competed in a minimum of five (5) Club Tournaments prior to the Club Championship. For the purpose of meeting this minimum 5 Club Tournament requirement for the Club Championship, playing in two (2) of our Monday Night events shall be equal to one (1) Tournament. In addition, participation in Club Trophy Tournaments prior to the Club Championship are worth double and shall count as two (2) Tournaments towards meeting this minimum requirement. The Executive Board will only consider an exception to this minimum 5 Club Tournament requirement for an Active Member in the case of an unusual circumstance or significant hardship.

No indebtedness or liability shall be incurred by members of the Executive Board, individually or collectively, or by any other Club member as agent for the Club, which will exceed the amount of funds on hand in the Club Treasury.

The President, or, in his absence, the Executive Board shall appoint three members of the Club who are not members of the Executive Board to examine the books of account of the Treasurer and to make a report of such audit to the general membership. The regular audit of the club account books shall take place during the last thirty days of the golfing season. Special audits may be directed by the President, or, in his absence, the Executive Board, whenever, in his judgment, this action is warranted.

The Club President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, and Tournament Committee will be responsible for maintaining club records. Such records will consist of Treasurer's Reports, Prize Distribution, Tournament Formats, and Meeting Minutes. These records will be available for all members to review, and will be maintained in the Club Website or at the East Harford Golf Club.

The East Hartford Men's Golf Club is a non profit recreational organization and as such the Treasurer shall file annual reports as required using state and federal forms.

Any amendment to the by-laws must be presented to the general membership in writing and accepted by a majority vote at a meeting of such membership before becoming effective. No part of these by-laws shall be repealed, amended or suspended unless the proposed change has been submitted in writing to the general membership and posted on the official bulletin board at least two weeks before the general meeting at which a vote of the change is to be taken.

The Executive Board may promulgate such rules and regulations, which it deems necessary to implement the by-laws of the Club. These supplementary rules and regulations may be challenged as contradictory to the by-laws by an instrument in writing, signed by at least ten (10) active members. When and if a rule is so challenged, the matter will be presented to the General Membership under new business at the next regular or special meeting of the members.

The Club may adopt distinctive stationery and other colorful insignia and crests bearing the name of the Club on such conditions and under such circumstances, as the Executive Board deems appropriate.

Roberts Rules of Order shall be the recognized authority on all points of procedure not covered by the by-laws or other rules and regulations of the Club.

The by-laws will be interpreted in such manner as will more nearly effectuate the purpose of the Club.