CHMGA Bylaws

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The following set of Bylaws govern the operation and decision making for the Cinnabar Hills Men’s Golf Assocation (CHMGA). Questions regarding any of the Bylaws should be sent to the CHMGA Board of Directors at info@chmga.club

ARTICLE 1 - Name and Headquarters

The name shall be the Cinnabar Hills Men’s Golf Association (formerly named the Coyote Creek Men’s Golf Association, and the Riverside Men’s Golf Association).

ARTICLE 2 - Purpose and Objectives

The purpose of the Association is to stage golf tournaments and social events for members of the Association.

The objectives of the Association are to (1) provide members with the opportunity to play competitive golf in a variety of formats; (2) create a enjoyable environment for members and promote friendship/social interaction across membership; and (3) to advance the game of golf in our communities.

ARTICLE 3 - Board of Directors

The powers governing and managing the Association, except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws, shall be vested in, exercised, conducted and controlled by a Board of Directors, herein referred to as the Board, who shall be members of the Association. The Board shall consist of four Officers and up to four Chairmen. The Board shall be elected by the general membership.

The term for Officers shall be for one year and the term for Chairmen shall be for two years. Officers and Chairmen shall serve no more than two consecutive terms in the same role, after which they must either 1) run for another position on the board, or 2) step down from the Board for at least two years before being eligible for re-election.

Elections for Board positions shall be held annually at the beginning of December, with terms to begin in January of the following year. Sixty days prior the elections, the Secretary will convene and chair a Nominating Committee for the purpose of nominating Officers and Directors for election to the Board.

Whenever a vacancy on the Board occurs, the remaining Board members have the option of filling that position by a majority vote of the remaining Board members. If a person is so elected, they shall hold office until the next annual election, regardless of whether that position normally has a 1-year or 2-year term.

The majority of the Board has the option to replace any Officer or Chairman who misses three consecutive business meetings.

The Board shall conduct, manage, and control the affairs and business of the Association and make any rules and regulations, not inconsistent with these Bylaws, as are proper and necessary. No expenditure of monies, except that are common and necessary for ordinary operation of the Association, shall be incurred without the prior approval of the membership at an annual or special membership meeting, or by three-fourths of the complete Board at a regular or special board meeting.

ARTICLE 4 - Officers

The Officers of the Board shall be President, Tournament Director, Secretary, and Treasurer.

The President shall serve as Chief Executive Officer of the Association and preside over all meetings of the Association and the Board. In addition, they will (1) investigate how to improve the Association for the benefit of the membership; (2) drive the marketing of the Association to increase membership; (3) appoint new committees (beyond those established in these Bylaws) required to manage the Association; and (4) ensure all Bylaws and Association policies are enforced. When required, they shall represent the Association at any USGA and NCGA meetings. At the annual meeting, the President shall report to the membership on the status of the Association’s activities and events.

The Tournament Director shall plan, schedule and coordinate with the Golf Course staff the Association’s yearly tournament schedule. As such, they will (1) work with the Board to determine the number, types, and dates of tournaments to be held each year; (2) establish the conditions under which each tournament is to be played (i.e., rules, flights, scorecards, payout schedules) using guidelines approved by the Board; (3) coordinate the registration process for tournament sign-ups; (4) finalize and publish tournament results; (5) acquire and present tournament awards and trophies; and (6) utilize the Associations’ tournament management system and website to manage the tournament schedule. The Tournament Director shall serve as acting President in the absence or disability of the President and otherwise replace the President when necessary.

 The Secretary shall keep minutes of the proceedings of all Association Board and membership meetings and provide a monthly written report of the proceedings to the Board. In addition, they will manage (1) the regular publication of an Association newsletter informing membership about topics of interest to the Association (frequency as determined by the Board); (2) the annual membership meeting; (3) the annual elections process for the Board, including convening and chairing the Nominating Committee; and (4) required NCGA communications.

The Treasurer shall serve as Chief Financial Officer managing the Association’s financial planning, scheduling, receipt, and disbursement of funds, with oversight provided by the Board. The Treasurer shall receive all dues, fees, and other receipts and deposit them in the name of the Association in such bank or banks as the Board designates. Their signature or electronic authorization shall be necessary on all Association disbursements (checks, electronic payments, etc). In the absence or inability of the Treasurer to function, the Board may authorize the President or Secretary to perform the Treasurer’s responsibilities. The Treasurer shall provide: (1) a monthly written status report of the Association finances; (2) prepare an annual financial report; and (3) file all necessary Federal and State income tax returns; all of which shall be approved by the Board and available upon request to Association membership.

ARTICLE 5 - Committee Charimen

The Chairmen of the Board of Directors shall consist of the Handicap Chairman, the Rules Chairman, the Operations Chairman, and the Membership Chairman.

The Handicap Chairman shall be responsible for ensuring the handicaps used by Association members are honest and accurate for Association tournaments, in accordance with NCGA/USGA and Association guidelines. As such, the Handicap Chairman will (1) establish, maintain and update the handicaps used by all members in Association’s tournaments; (2) provide updated membership handicaps to the Tournament Director prior to each tournament; (3) regularly review all members’ handicaps and provide recommendations to the Board for appropriate action related to handicap discrepancies, posting, and irregularities; and (4) address membership inquiries, complaints, and adjustment requests regarding their handicaps.

The Rules Chairman shall be responsible for ensuring all members of the Association are familiar with and follow the Rules of Golf as established by the USGA, and modified by the Board, for Association tournaments. The Rules Chairman shall (1) maintain a working knowledge and understanding of the USGA Rules of Golf; (2) work with the Board to establish and publish any local rules to be used for Association tournaments; (3) work with the Tournament Director to establish and publish any tournament specific rules to be used; and (4) coordinate training opportunities to help educate membership on how to interpret and apply the rules.

The Operations Chairman shall be responsible for ensuring the Association’s website is operational and up to date. As such, they shall (1) oversee the design, and manage changes to the design, of the website, (2) manage updates of the content of the website; and (3) liaise with the website platform provider/operator to ensure proper operation of the website. In addition, the Operations Chairman shall be responsible for managing any Special Events the Board conducts; such as Association sponsored (1) invitationals, including mid-week tournaments; and (2) social events.

The Membership Chairman shall be responsible for managing the overall Association membership roster. As such, they will (1) monitor the Association’s primary public email box for new member requests and public queries about the Association; (2) manage new member onboarding (payment of dues, handicap assignment, platform onboarding, etc); (3) manage the annual membership renewal process; (4) manage the overall membership roster; and (5) conduct the annual membership survey.

ARTICLE 6 - Membership

Any person 18 years of age or older shall be eligible for regular membership in the Association after completing an application form, submitted to the Board via the Association website, paying the dues as determined by the Board, and being approved by the Membership Chairman. Exceptions may be requested through any Board member and will be presented to the Board for discussion and vote at the next scheduled Board meeting.

Any action contrary to the spirit of the game such as abusive language, throwing of clubs, cheating, or other disruptive behavior, will not be tolerated, and depending on the severity of the breach, may result in a warning, disqualification, suspension, or expulsion, or a combination of these, at the sole discretion of the Board. Upon review and consideration of a contrary action the Board will send notification by e-mail within ten (10) days of the incident to the member informing him of its decision regarding the violation.

A player may appeal any suspension or expulsion at a hearing with the Board upon written request to the Board. The Board shall notify and confirm, with all parties involved, the time and place of the hearing by e-mail not less than ten (10) days prior to such hearing. The decision of the Board shall be final.

ARTICLE 7 - Meetings

There shall be a regular annual membership meeting, held midway through the tournament season, for the purpose of (1) sharing and obtaining membership feedback on future directions and plans for the Association; (2) reviewing the Association’s financial health for the current and future year; (3) voting on changes and amendments to the Bylaws; and (4) obtaining membership feedback on Board and Association activities.

There shall be a regular monthly Board meeting to be held on the second Tuesday of each month or such other day as the Board deems appropriate. Such meetings shall be for the purpose of reviewing Association activities and events, expenditures, tournaments, membership data, and Chairmen reports on related responsibilities. A Board meeting is official only if 50% or more of the Board is present at the meeting, and the meeting is properly documented with minutes. Decisions requiring a Board vote require at least 50% of the complete Board to vote in the affirmative, by proxy or during the meeting.

Special meetings of the membership may be called and held at any time on seven days’ notice by order of the President or any three members of the Board.

ARTICLE 8 - Dues

The Association’s fiscal year runs from January 1 through December 31.

An initiation fee, to be determined by the Board, shall be charged to all new members, and their membership shall not be effective until the dues are paid.

Annual dues for regular members shall be determined by the Board and communicated to membership by November 1st of each year.

All dues shall be payable on December 1st and shall be delinquent 30 days thereafter. No individual who is delinquent in his dues or any other obligation owed to the Association is eligible to play in any Association golf tournaments or enjoy other Association privileges. If a member is delinquent in his dues, their membership shall be automatically suspended, and if they rejoin the Association, they may be subject to payment of a new initiation fee. A member in good standing may apply to the Board for a withdrawal for good cause and be eligible for reinstatement at a future date.

The Association will pay each member’s annual NCGA dues as required by the NCGA.

ARTICLE 9 - Amendments to Bylaws

These Bylaws may be amended, or new Bylaws adopted at the Annual Membership Meeting, or a Special Membership Meeting, by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) in the affirmative of those present, provided proper notice as described below, has been duly given; or by an affirmative vote of not less than three-fourths of the complete Board at a regular or special meeting of the Board.
Amendments or modifications to the Bylaws may be proposed by any Board member by providing the proposed change or amendment to the Secretary at least 30 days prior to the meeting where they will be voted on. The Secretary will communicate and publish any proposed amendments and modifications to the membership and Board at least 20 days prior to the meeting to allow for comment from membership.

Previous Bylaw Revisions
11/25/2008hp – non-substantive wording changes to clarify board position duties.
11/25/2008hp – adjust quorum size to reflect current peak membership of ~200.
12/19/2009hp – non-substantive typo, grammar, and punctuation corrections.
12/08/2011tl – non-substantive typo corrections and clarifications.
04/22/2025 – update to multiple sections to add/modify: (1) terms of board members, (2) roles and responsibilities of officers and chairmen, (3) financial audit/disclosure, (4) inclusion of women in the association, and (5) process for bylaw updates.