Bylaws
CURRENT BY-LAWS (Revised – November 2014)
Adopted: June 12, 1919
Revised: December 1, 1950, December 10, 1960, December 7, 1970, December 8, 1976, March 15, 1988, December 12, 1992, November 14, 2014
ARTICLE I – NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Fairway Club.
ARTICLE II – OBJECTS
Its objects are to promote sociability and to provide opportunities for its members to enjoy the game of golf at various courses. Members shall be expected to participate in, and contribute to, both the social and the competitive aspects of the Club, and to honor the history and tradition of the organization.
ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP
Membership shall initially consist of the sixteen charter members whose names are appended hereto, and shall include all others who may be subsequently elected as hereinafter provided, to a total number of Active Members of not over 36. Inactive members shall be those former Active Members who shall request transfer to the Inactive List, or those who have been transferred to the Inactive List by the Executive Committee because of poor attendance. An additional membership category to be called “Members-in-Waiting” shall include up to 6 fully approved and duly elected members, above and beyond the 36 authorized above, who are awaiting an opening in the Active Membership. Members-in-Waiting shall incur all of the costs and shall have all privileges of an Active Member, except for the right to vote on the business issues of the club.
ARTICLE IV – MEETINGS
Business meetings shall be held at least once a year. A majority shall constitute a quorum. The time and place of a Business Meeting shall be determined by the Executive Committee, and due notice given all members.
ARTICLE V – EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
(a) The business and affairs of this Club shall be controlled as provided by these By-Laws by an Executive Committee comprised of five members elected annually by the Club.
(b) A nominating committee shall be appointed at time of the last Club outing. The most immediate and available past president shall be named as Chairman of the Nominating Committee. He shall be authorized to select two additional members to serve on his committee. This Committee shall submit nominations of competent and willing members to serve as the Executive Committee.
(c) These nominations shall be voted on at the Annual Meeting.
(d) The Executive Committee will select one of its members for each of the following offices: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Membership Chair.
(e) The Executive Committee shall meet at the call of the President, Vice-President or Secretary. It shall have the power to fill vacancies in any office or in its own ranks. A majority shall constitute a quorum.
ARTICLE VI – DUTIES OF OFFICERS
(a) The President (or in his absence, the Vice-President) shall preside at all meetings of the Club or the Executive Committee.
(b) The Secretary shall have charge of sending out all notices and keeping the records of matches and all business transacted. An Annual Report shall be provided to all members.
(c) The Treasurer shall have charge of collecting, holding and disbursing all dues and other funds, of which accurate accounts are to be kept and an annual report presented to the Club.
ARTICLE VII – NEW MEMBERS
(a) The Executive Committee shall have power to elect new members to the Club.
(b) Applications for admittance of new members must be made in writing to the Membership Chair.
(c) In addition to a completed application from the proposer, candidates shall speak directly with the Membership Chair and other members of the Executive Committee, as the Membership Chair deems appropriate. The Committee should ascertain, among other things, as to whether the applicant can be expected to attend regularly, and the candidate shall be presented with all expectations associated with membership.
(d) Applicants for membership must attend a regular function of the Fairway Club as a guest of the proposer before their candidacy will be formally presented to the membership as a whole. Following such “guest event”, the candidate must be personally known to at least two members of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall determine whether the candidate meets the criteria for membership and will be an asset to the club. Those candidates who meet this standard, and are thereby approved by the Executive Committee, shall be presented by written correspondence to the entire Active membership for consideration. Two or more negative votes will bar admission.
(e) In an effort to optimize the breadth of both playing and social opportunities for the membership, the Executive Committee will make best efforts to minimize member concentration at any single private club. Unless there are compelling and extraordinary reasons, the Membership Chair will not accept, and the Executive Committee will not consider, applications for new members that represent home clubs where there are four (4) or more current Fairway Club members, whether Active, In-Active or In-Waiting.
ARTICLE VIII – SCHEDULE
The Club shall, from time to time, hold golf matches at various golf courses selected by the Executive Committee. Notice of the time, place, etc., shall be sent to each member at least one week ahead of time.
ARTICLE IX – POSTPONEMENTS
In case of unsettled weather the Executive Committee may postpone the match at any time before the first man tees off on the day scheduled. In case of uncertainty, members are requested to contact the Professional at the Host Club for instructions as to the Committee’s decision. If the Committee has not ruled to postpone the match, it will be considered official in spite of how the weather may turn out, if four or more full scores are turned in.
ARTICLE X – ATTENDANCE
Members are expected to play in at least 4/10ths of the regular matches during the season. Failure to do so may be cause to be transferred to the Inactive Roll. Exceptions in special cases may be allowed at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE XI – ARRANGEMENTS
A member is to be especially appointed by the Vice President to take charge of the arrangements for each match, including procuring permission for the use of the course, locker accommodations, caddies, paying greens fees, etc.
ARTICLE XII – HANDICAPS
a) The Secretary shall act as handicap chairman and will award handicaps, based on the previous performance of each member.
b) The current approved USGA Handicap method will be utilized.
c) Net medal winner in each regular match is to have his handicap index automatically reduced by 1.6 strokes.
ARTICLE XIII – PRIZES
Suitable trophies and prizes will be purchased under the direction of the Executive Committee, and awarded according to these By-Laws and other rules which may be adopted by the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE XIV – DUES
Dues to be paid by Active Members and Members-in-Waiting shall be fixed by the Executive Committee, and shall be sufficient to cover the cost of administering the Club, purchase prizes, and subsidize a portion of costs incurred for Active Members and Members-in-Waiting that attend an event. Caddies, if taken, shall be paid by individual members at time of the match. Dues for Inactive members shall also be fixed by the Executive Committee at an amount sufficient to cover clerical expenses, etc. Inactive Members who play golf with the Club at an event shall pay the full cost of the event, without any subsidy from dues.
ARTICLE XIV – AMMENDMENTS
These By-Laws may be amended by a majority vote of all the members of this Club, voting either at a stated meeting or by letter.
CHARTER MEMBERS
H. E. Baton I. H. Boston M. E. Cassell J. S. Clement
C. H. Cox I. G. Darlington L. W. Darlington L. P. Gleg
A. H. Jenkins J. B. Myers J. I. Peiste H. M. Selser
J. C. Swayne J. A. Turner W. K. Woolman Barclay White
PLAYING RULES
Unless otherwise indicated herein, current USGA Rules shall govern Club play. Local rules, where appropriate, will supersede USGA Rules. Certain FC rules, specified in the original By-Laws and provided herein for their historical context are as follows:
- HANDICAPS
In match play, handicaps used shall be equal to three-quarters of the difference between the handicaps of the two players. Each member shall elect a tee (Middle or Forward) at the start of each season and changes to this election will not be permitted.
- LOST BALLS, OUT OF BOUNDS, ETC.
a) Current USGA rules shall apply. (Example: Drive out of bounds, tee up and play three or drop near boundary (not discretionary) and play three.)
b) Balls in unplayable lies within bounds may be lifted under penalty of one stroke.
c) Balls imbedded in soil (plugged) on putting greens or fairways may be lifted and mud adhering to ball may be removed.
- STYMIES
d) No stymies shall be played without lifting.
- PACE OF PLAY
For the enjoyment of the membership as a whole and out of respect for the members of host venues, Club members are expected to use best efforts to play quickly and efficiently.
COMPETITION AND RULES FOR AWARD OF PRIZES
GENERAL
At each event members shall be paired and foursomes set by the Secretary in advance of each regular match, and pairings shall, as far as possible, be made so that no two members will play each other twice in any one season. Any member who expects to be over one-half hour late, or who is unable to be present at a match, should notify the Secretary and/or the Pro Shop so that another match may be arranged. No matches will be considered as won by default and substitute pairings shall constitute official matches. Each match will afford the competitors the opportunity to win as many as 3 “Match Points”, 1 point for the front nine holes (as they fall on the card), 1 point for the back nine holes, and one point for the 18 hole match. Half points will be awarded for ties.
- THE FAIRWAY CLUB CUP
The Fairway Club Cup will be awarded at the end of the golfing season to the member having won the most regular outings with LOW NET. In cases of Low Net score ties in regular matches (outings) each tying member shall be credited with a win. In cases of ties for the season, the tying member with the largest number of match points shall be declared the winner.
- MATCH PLAY PRIZE
The winner of the most Match-Play points during the regular season shall receive the Match Play prize. If the season should end with a tie for first place, the player who reached their tying Match Point total by competing in the fewest events shall be declared the winner. If a tie still exists after this comparison, all tied contestants shall be declared winners.
- LOW GROSS AVERAGE PRIZES
To be awarded at the end of the season to the members who, having played in at least 50% of the official matches, have made the best gross score average for the year (in regular matches only). One award shall be presented to the player with the best Low Gross Average from the Middle Tee and another shall be presented to the player with the best Low Gross Average from the Forward Tee.
- LOW NET AVERAGE PRIZE
To be awarded at the end of the season to the member who, having played in at least 50% of the official matches, has made the best net average for the year (in regular matches only).
- THE VANDERBECK TROPHY
This prize shall be awarded to the member making the best improvement in gross score average from the preceding year, provided that he has played in at least 4/10ths of the official matches each year.
- CHAS. H. COX MEMORIAL TROPHY
This prize shall be awarded to the member that achieves the lowest “combined” net score at two “William Flynn” designed courses, to be chosen at the outset of the year by the Executive Committee. In the event that the Club does not play two Flynn Courses, the Executive Committee shall choose alternative venues.
- SKYTOP TROPHY
This prize shall be awarded to the member that achieves the lowest “combined” net score at Aronimink Golf Club and the Philadelphia Cricket Club. In the event that the Club does not play one or more of these courses in a particular season, the Executive Committee shall choose alternative venues.
- THE MCKEON CUP
This prize shall be awarded to the two-man team that wins the Annual Better Ball of Partners (full handicap) tournament named in honor of 50-year member, Edwin McKeon.
- ONE PRIZE RULE
Prizes are intended to be valued in the order listed above, and with the exception of the McKeon Cup, because it is shared, or no member shall be eligible to receive more than one of the trophies listed above in a single season. In the event that a member performs in a manner to “win” more than one award, the Secretary, at his sole discretion, shall choose which trophy to award to the multiple winner and shall subsequently choose the 2nd place performer in the remaining award category as it’s winner.
- TROPHIES
a) Other trophies may be designated and awarded under conditions approved by the Executive Committee.
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