WELGA Bylaws

ARTICLE I - Name

The name of this organization shall be The Water’s Edge Ladies Golf Association, referred to as WELGA hereafter.

ARTICLE II - Objective

The objective of WELGA is to promote a fun and friendly environment for its members. Creating learning opportunities and an encouraging atmosphere, the WELGA aims to enhance enjoyment of golf regardless of individual skill level. The WELGA offers to educate members about golf rules and etiquette. The WELGA is dedicated to building lasting friendships among members, both on and off the golf course.

ARTICLE III - Membership

Section I.  A member of WELGA shall be defined as a lady who has an active golf membership, who has paid annual dues, and who complies with these By-laws.  In order to compete as a WELGA member, the player must have an established handicap.

Section II.  For continuing members, dues are collected annually at the beginning of the year. For new members, dues are collected when a member joins WELGA. The amount of dues shall be determined annually by the WELGA Board during the December Board meeting.  A member shall be dropped from the roster for non-payment of dues one month after the due date.

Section III.  Membership includes 9-hole golfers, 18-hole golfers, and non-golfers so all are welcome at WELGA events and activities. 

ARTICLE IV - WELGA Board

Section I.  The WELGA Board is comprised of Officers and Board Members. Officers shall be Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. Committee chairs are Board Members.

Section II. The duties of the Officers shall be:

• The Chair shall preside at all WELGA Board and membership meetings.  The Chair shall be an ex-officio member of all committees, except the nomination committee. When a new chair is elected to replace her, she shall be an ex-officio Board Member until the next chair is elected.
• In the absence of the Chair, the Vice Chair shall perform the duties of that office.  In the event that another officer is absent during a Board meeting, the Vice Chair shall perform the duties of that officer, e.g., read the treasurer's report for the Treasurer, take notes for the Secretary and read the minutes of the previous meeting.
• The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all WELGA Board and membership meetings. She shall present these minutes at both Board and membership meetings for approval. In addition, she shall distribute copies to the Board members and place a copy of such minutes in a designated area for all members to view after approval.
• The Treasurer shall keep full and accurate accounts of all monies received and shall deposit same in the name of the WELGA in such depositories as she and the Chair so designate. She shall disburse all monies under the direction of the WELGA Board. She shall present and submit a written financial report at all the meetings. The financial records shall be reviewed by a third party every two years or each time a new Treasurer is elected.

Section III.  The officers shall be elected at the fall meeting, by a simple majority vote of members present, to serve for a period of at least one year. The term of office shall begin at the close of the meeting at which they are elected.

Section IV. The Chair shall appoint a nominating committee to have responsibility for presenting nominees for committee chairs at the fall meeting.  Additional candidates, with previous consent to being named on the ballot, shall be accepted from the floor. 

Section V.  If a vacancy occurs in the Chair’s position, the Vice Chair moves into that position. If a vacancy occurs in any other officer position, the WELGA Board shall select someone to fill that position.

Section VI. The WELGA Board shall have overall supervision of WELGA affairs, make recommendations to the full membership, and perform such duties as specified in the By-laws.

Section VII. The WELGA Chair shall appoint Committee Chairs. Committee Chairs shall appoint committee members.

ARTICLE V - Meetings

Section I.  There shall be three general membership meetings during the year: Spring – to coincide with Opening Day, Summer – to coincide with a Major Tournament, and Fall – to coincide with Closing Day. The WELGA Board shall meet prior to these meetings to set the agenda for general membership meetings. 

Section II.  The Chair shall call the WELGA Board together for meetings, as necessary, to handle affairs of the WELGA.  At a minimum, the WELGA Board will meet prior to each general membership meeting and in December to plan for the upcoming year. 

Section III. A special meeting may be called at the discretion of the Chair, as deemed necessary, if notice is given one week prior to such meeting.

Section IV.  Members present shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the WELGA Board or the general membership.  A simple majority of votes shall constitute a decision on any motion.

ARTICLE VI - Committees

Section I. Committee Chairs

Committee Chairs are appointed by the Officers and shall follow the budget guidelines established by the Board. Committee chairs are members of the WELGA Board. Committee chairs are responsible for submitting a written report at the end of each year. 

Section II. Standing Committees

Standing Committees are permanent committees of WELGA. Committee responsibilities are included in these By-laws as general descriptions.

• Annual Awards:  This chair shall be responsible for selecting the annual awards presented at the finale.
• Birdie Tree: This chair shall be responsible for tracking birdies made by members during the official golf season, for presenting birdie pins to those making birdies, and for determining the winner of most birdies made during the season.
• Guest Day:   This chair shall be responsible for establishing the guest day date(s) and awarding prizes. 
• Historian:  This chair shall be responsible for photographing WELGA events and creating an annual album.
• Instructional:  This chair shall be responsible for proposing a schedule and instructional topics to the Pro Shop and for promoting attendance of members at golf clinics.
• Invitational:  This chair, or a representative from the Board, shall attend the January planning meeting of the Roanoke Valley Invitational Committee to establish a date for The Water’s Edge invitational and to communicate the WELGA Member/Guest date. This committee shall be responsible for working with the other ladies golf associations located inside and outside of Roanoke Valley, e.g., Danville, Martinsville. 
• Ladies Day:  This chair, in cooperation with the Pro Shop, shall be responsible for establishing ladies day game formats.
• Member/Guest:  This chair shall be responsible for selecting the theme; preparing invitations; computing the entry fee; acquiring decorations, favors, and awards; and collecting all monies for this event. The Pro Shop selects the pairings unless a  member has requested pairing with another member and her guest. 
• Mixed Couples Member/Guest:  This chair shall be responsible for selecting tournament dates for this two-day event.  The chair shall work with the Pro Shop and the Men’s Golf Association to agree a reasonable entry fee that covers invitations, food, favors, and awards. The chair shall be responsible for selecting menus, acquiring awards, and collecting all monies.
• Mermaid Event:  This annual event involves the ladies of The Water’s Edge, The Waterfront, and The Westlake Country Clubs with each club taking a turn hosting the event.  When the event is not hosted by WELGA, the chair shall be responsible for posting a sign-up sheet, promoting the event, and providing the host club with the names of WELGA team members. When the event is hosted at The Water’s Edge, this chair shall be responsible for fielding a team, selecting breakfast and lunch menus, acquiring prizes, and decorating. The Pro Shop does the pairing according to handicaps and flights.
• Nine Hole Liaison:  This chair shall be responsible for communication between the 9 holers and 18 holers, including promoting 9-hole activities and events.
• Opening/Closing Events: This chair shall be responsible for decorating, selecting menus, and announcing the events.
• Parliamentarian: This chair shall be responsible for assuring that meetings are conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order.
• Ringer Board:  This chair shall be responsible for providing the ringer cards to each member at the beginning of the golf season, for collecting data at the end of the year to compute a set of winners in several flights, and for providing the list of winners to the WELGA Chair and the Annual Awards Chair.
• State Representative:  This Chair shall be responsible for promoting participation in the state tournaments, posting notices of such, and handling any pertinent correspondence.

Section III. Additional Committees

Additional committees may be established by the WELGA Chair as deemed necessary.

ARTICLE VII - Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern WELGA, unless they are inconsistent with these By-laws.

ARTICLE VIII - Amendments

The By-laws may be amended at any Board meeting by a 2/3 vote of the members present provided said amendment has been posted for Board review two weeks prior to the meeting.

Adopted unanimously on March 3, 2011: