Bylaws

LAND PARK WEEKENDERS GOLF CLUB 

BY-LAWS

(Adopted March 22, 2014, Revised March 13, 2021)

NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT

The Land Park Weekenders Golf Club, in connection with its membership practices, shall not discriminate against any member or prospective member on the basis of age, gender, race, color, national origin or ancestry, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or golfing ability.

EXECUTIVE BOARD

The officers on the Board of Directors shall consist of the Captain, Secretary, Treasurer, Tournament Chair, Starter/Membership Chair and Handicapper.

These officers shall constitute the Executive Board and shall be responsible for administering the By-Laws and activities of the Land Park Weekenders [hereafter “the Club”].  New officers will begin their duties on the first of January of each calendar year.

CAPTAIN:  The Captain shall be responsible for chairing all Club meetings and shall represent the Club whenever necessary.

The first of August, the Captain shall appoint a nominating committee consisting of three persons to select new officers for the following year.  The Captain will call a meeting in September at which time the officers will be elected.  The Captain shall appoint all committee chairs as needed. 

SECRETARY:  The Secretary shall take minutes at each meeting and prepare copies for distribution to all officers and be available for other duties as needed.

TREASURER:  The Treasurer shall be responsible for depositing all dues, keeping financial records, paying all bills approved by the Captain and/or the Executive Board, and providing a new budget for the year including a year-end report for the Board.

TOURNAMENT CHAIR:  The Tournament Chair shall be responsible for conducting all Club tournaments, awarding prizes and securing tournament dates for the following year.  The Tournament Chair shall be given a stipend of no more than $100.00 at the end of her/his term.

STARTER/MEMBERSHIP CHAIR:  The Starter/Membership Chair shall be responsible for sign-ups for the weekly tournaments and notifying, in a timely manner, the appropriate golf course of the number of players participating in each weekly tournament.  The Starter/Membership Chair shall be given a stipend of no more than $100.00 at the end of her/his term.

All persons interested in becoming a member of the Land Park Weekenders will be directed to the Starter/Membership Chair who will sign the individual up to play with a board member if the individual DOES NOT have a GHIN number.  If the prospective member already has a GHIN number, it is not necessary for them to first play with a board member.  It is, however, strongly recommended that they play as a guest before joining the Club.  The Starter/Membership Chair will provide prospective new members with the proper procedures to be followed in order to join the Club.

It is the responsibility of the Starter/Membership Chair to send notification in September to current members instructing them to submit a new application to the Treasurer for the next year’s annual dues.  Members should be reminded to send payment to the Treasurer by November 1.  If the dues are paid after November 1, a late fee will be charged.  Dues will include the cost for all weekly and major tournaments as well as NCGA membership.  Members who have not paid their dues for that calendar year will not be eligible to play in any Club tournament until their dues are paid, including the late fee.  New members without a handicap or GHIN number will be required to play ten 9-hole rounds or five 18-hole rounds of golf to obtain a temporary handicap. New members must be a member of the Club for at least four months before being eligible for any Tournament where a trophy is awarded.  Anyone joining the Club AFTER July 1 of any year will be required to pay the annual NCGA dues at that time but will be charged only half of the Club dues.  Anyone joining the Club AFTER September 1 of any year will not be required to pay the annual dues at that time, but rather an administrative fee of $10.00 until such time as the Club fees become due on October 1.  Anyone who has paid their dues in full by February 1 is entitled to a refund of club dues if they notify a board member by March 1 to cancel their membership.

The Club will permit a player to join as an Associate Member for the purposes of obtaining a GHIN number and establishing a handicap through the Northern California Golf Association (NCGA).  An Associate Member will be eligible to play in NCGA Play Days and, at the discretion of the Club Starter, could play with the Club if a tee-time is available, but would not be eligible for any of the weekly or trophy Tournaments.  Annual dues for an Associate Member would be the current NCGA charge, plus $10 that would go to the Club.

HANDICAPPER:  The Handicapper shall be responsible for computing and posting monthly handicaps.  Handicaps will be based on all scores posted during the month. Among each foursome, two complete scorecards signed and attested shall be submitted each week at the end of Club play.  Each player completing a round of golf is responsible for positing their gross score on the weekly tournament sheet, and posting the adjusted score [if necessary] in the clubhouse, unless otherwise directed by the Handicapper.  All members must have an established handicap to compete in tournaments.

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

The following Committee Chairs are appointed by the Captain and are not members of the Board of Directors and are therefore ineligible for participation in the annual Officers’ Tournament.

SOCIAL CHAIR:  The Social Chair shall be responsible for arranging all social activities including the annual Holiday Party.  The Social Chair will be responsible for preparing the necessary fliers for such event(s), distributing a flier to each member, and collecting all fees related to the event.  Upon the collection of all money, it will be turned over to the Treasurer who will in turn write the necessary checks for the event.

RULES CHAIR/COMMITTEE: The Rules Chair/Committee shall be well versed in the USGA official rules of golf and provide guidance to Club members upon request or when deemed necessary. Further, the Rules Chair/Committee can rule on disputes during or after tournament play.

PWGA REPRESENTATIVE:  The NCGA Representative shall act as the liaison between the Club and the Officers and Directors of the NCGA.  The NCGA Representative will receive an instruction kit from the NCGA containing information and forms pertaining to the procedures, duties and responsibilities to the NCGA.

TOURNAMENTS

WEEKLY TOURNAMENTS

All weekly play will be considered a weekly tournament, with the exception of trophy Tournaments.  Trophies and/or merchandise orders will be awarded to winners of major tournaments.  Information and rules as to the type of tournament will be posted.  Directions for scoring and procedures to follow will also be shown.  USGA rules shall govern all play, except as modified by local rules adopted by the Club.

YEARLY TOURNAMENTS

PRO POINTS:  This tournament will be held on the first Saturday of each month beginning in April and ending in October.  The Pro Points perpetual plaque will be awarded to the member who has accumulated the most points during that period.  This is an over-the-field competition and is not divided into handicap flights.  It is based on low NET score.  Each month the player with low net over-the-field receives five (5) points, the next low net receives four (4), the next three (3) and etc, until one (1) point.  Fifteen points are awarded in all.  The plaque is awarded to the winner at the Holiday party.  Pro Points Putts is calculated in the same manner, but based on the lowest number of putts.  There is no plaque or trophy for this category but a merchandise award will be given.

ECLECTIC TOURNAMENT- ECC:  The ECC tournament will begin the first Saturday in April and will end the last Saturday in October for all Club play at Land Park Golf Course.  All Club play scores turned in during that period of time will be counted toward ECC.  Seventy-five percent of a player’s handicap will be used in computing the final ECC score.  The handicap used will be the handicap the player has when the LAST game is posted.  A plaque will be awarded to the over-the-field winner, along with a merchandise award.  Merchandise awards will be awarded to 2nd place, 3rd place, etc.  The number of places to receive awards will be determined by the Tournament Chair.  Members wishing to participate in ECC will be assessed a small fee when paying their annual dues.

ARCADE CREEK ECC:  Members will also have the option of participating in ECC for those rounds of golf played on the Arcade Creek Front Nine course, and a small fee will be collected from those wishing to participate.  The above rules for ECC will apply but only merchandise awards will be given as there is no plaque or trophy for this category.                                            

MAJOR TOURNAMENTS & AWARDS

To be eligible for the Low Net Tournament and the Club Championship Tournament, a member must have been a member for four (4) months, must have a permanent 18-hole USGA handicap index at the time of the tournament of 54.0 or less, and must have played three (3) times in the two (2) preceding months.  Members with more than the maximum  handicap index may play on a space available basis but shall compete against the field using the 24 handicap or lower.

LOW NET TOURNAMENT:  This tournament consists of three rounds of golf played on three consecutive Saturdays (unless cancelled due to weather conditions).  A member must play in only two rounds to qualify, but if the member plays in all three rounds, the Tournament Chair will count the best two rounds.  The player with the lowest net score over-the-field will be determined to be the winner and will be presented a plaque at the Holiday party along with a merchandise award. Individual merchandise awards will be presented to winners in each flight.  (Note: The lowest net score will be determined by adding together the player’s net scores of their best two rounds.)

CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP:  The rules for the Low Net Tournament also apply to this tournament, except that the over-the-field winner will be based on the best low gross score (the total of the best two rounds). The winner will be awarded a trophy along with a merchandise award at the Holiday party. Individual merchandise awards will be presented to winners in each flight.

SPECIAL TOURNAMENTS:  A Special Tournament is one in which a trophy is awarded to the winner or one in which a special scorecard is prepared for each golfer indicating the number of strokes she can subtract from her score on each hole based on her handicap index.   Members with more than a 54 handicap index may play in Special Tournaments, but they shall compete against the field to a maximum 24 handicap or lower.

MOST IMPROVED GOLFER:  The Most Improved Golfer will be determined by the Handicapper.  To be eligible for Most Improved Golfer, a player must have a Club handicap of 18 or LOWER during the current year and must have played with the Club at least 16 times before October 31 of the current year.  A perpetual trophy along with a merchandise award will be presented at the Holiday party.

HOLE IN ONE:  One dollar will be collected from each member with the annual dues until the fund reaches $200.00.  Thereafter, one dollar will be collected with the annual fee from only new incoming members.  If a player gets a Hole-in-One she (or he) will be awarded $100.00.

TROPHIES:  All trophies are perpetual trophies and can be retained by the winners for the entire year following receipt of the awards. Trophies and plaques must be returned to the Tournament Chair one month prior to the Holiday party to allow time for the engraving of the new winners’ names.

LOCAL RULES

For rules concerning registering with the starter and losing pace with the group ahead, please see the back of the current scorecard for Land Park Golf Course.

  1. Out of bounds defined by street curbing and fenced areas. All paved roads are out of bounds All other roadways and walks are considered part of the course – ball must be played as it lies. Golfers are not permitted to hit golf balls from one side of a street to another at any time. Golf balls that cross streets are considered out of bounds.

  2. Out of bounds: roadways left of hole 2 defined by street curbing and inside fenced maintenance area right of #2 green.

  3. On holes 4 and 5, the lake is played as a lateral water hazard.

  4. So as to avoid slow play, each player must have his/her own set of clubs. No more than one ball may be played by each player.

LAND PARK WEEKENDERS GOLF CLUB RULES

(Adopted March 22, 2014, Revised July 15, 2021)

The Club Plays Under NCGA’s Rules Except the following Local Club Rules:

1. Winter Rules: Land Park Weekenders adopted the use of “winter rules” for year-round play. This means that a player may lift, clean, and place their ball no further than 6 inches from where it lands and no closer to the hole.

2. Leaf Rule: When playing William Land Park Golf Course, if a player hits their ball “in the leaves” and all members of the foursome are unable to locate it, the player may drop a ball in the likely area where it landed and not incur a penalty.

3. Measuring Devices: Devices for measuring distance will be allowed during Club play IF they can be used without slowing down the pace of play. If using the device slows down the pace of play DO NOT take the extra time to use it.

4. Lost Ball: In order to speed up play in the event of a LOST ball, the following procedure may be followed. Instead of going back to the place where the ball was last hit, the player may drop a ball in the vicinity where the ball was lost and count a TWO-stroke penalty. (For example: normally in the case of a lost ball, the rule is “stroke and distance,” so if the player cannot locate the tee shot, the player may return to the tee box to hit a second ball which would be the THIRD the shot.) The Executive Board adopted the “stroke and distance” optional rule, which means that the player drops a ball in the likely area where the lost ball is, and counts a two-stroke penalty. This local rule was adopted as a time saving technique.

5. If your ball comes to rest on the street or crosses the street and lands off the golf course, it is out of bounds. Drop your ball 2 club lengths from the point of exit.  No closer to the hole, 2 stroke penalty.

6. If your ball lands in the corporation yard, it is out of bounds. Drop a ball 2 club lengths from the point of entry, no closer to the pin, 2 stroke penalty.

7. If your ball lies in the bushes, trees or fences and is considered unplayable, drop a ball 2 club lengths from where your ball lies and continue to play, 1 stroke penalty.

8. If you hit a ball beyond the paved area on the ninth green (this includes the paved area, flower beds, patio area, and cart barn), you are required to go back to the original spot and replay the ball. If you are not sure whether the ball went out of bounds or not, you should hit a provisional ball, stating to the others in the foursome that you are hitting a provisional. If your first ball is found to be inbounds, you can play that ball with no penalty. Otherwise, you are required to go back to the original spot and rehit the shot. 1 stroke penalty.

Land Park Weekenders Play Ready Golf:

On The Tee

  • The player who is ready should hit
  • Shorter hitters should hit first
  • Tee off as soon as the group ahead is clear
  • Carry an extra ball in your pocket

On The Fairway

  • Hit when ready & safe; do not use the honor system
  • Take appropriate clubs to your ball and hit without delay
  • Have your group watch where each shot goes
  • Limit search for lost balls to 3 minutes

On The Green

  • Place your clubs between the green and the next tee
  • Study your putt while others are putting
  • Continue putting until holed out
  • Leave the green immediately after holing out and proceed to the next tee
  • Complete your scorecard after you’re off the green

LPW members are encouraged to download USGA app for detailed 2019 Rules of Golf.