The GCWGA Purpose & By-Laws

The purpose of the Greater Cincinnati Women’s Golf Association (GCWGA) is to collect and distribute among member clubs information of mutual interest, promote regulation 18-hole competitions, conduct tournaments and championship events, and establish and maintain high standards of sportsmanship throughout its Membership.

This organization of women from the greater Cincinnati area’s private clubs was founded in 1935 as a result of the women golfers of that time splitting from the men’s golfers league. It was initially a group of about 10 clubs and has now grown to 25 clubs.

The Association is governed by an Executive Board of eight, which is elected by club delegates at the Fall Delegates’ Meeting. Board members serve a term of no longer than 3 years, unless exceptions. In addition to the Executive Board, the GCWGA also includes the Long-Range Planning Committee and the Course Rating Committee.

The GCWGA has forged a partnership with the Greater Cincinnati Golf Association (GCGA) to present two major area events:
– The Women’s Metropolitan Amateur Championship
– The Women’s Metropolitan Senior Championship

The GCWGA sponsors the following competitions and events each calendar year.
– Spring & Fall Team Play Competition
– The 2 Kent Memorials – High and Low handicap
– The Crystal Bowl
– 9, Wine & Dine
– S.H.E. Cup Foundation Tournament

In 2008, the GCWGA implemented its Jr. Scholarship Foundation to award college scholarships to female junior golfers in the Tri-State. The Scholarship for Higher Education (S.H.E. ) Cup Tournament is key to funding the Foundation.

BY-LAWS
GREATER CINCINNATI WOMEN’S GOLF ASSOCIATION
Approved November 3, 2000
Amended 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2015, 2017

Article I – Name

This Association shall be called the Greater Cincinnati Women’s Golf Association.

Article II – Purpose

This Association shall be a non-profit organization comprised of Member Clubs. The purpose of this Association is to develop, organize, and conduct activities and tournaments that promote golf among women; to develop a knowledge and appreciation of the rules, traditions, and etiquette of golf while maintaining high standards of sportsmanship; to create a social atmosphere for the enjoyment of golf.

Article III – Membership

a. Membership in GCWGA is limited to private Clubs. A private club is defined as one that is comprised of individual dues-paying members, governed by a periodically elected Board of Directors or a controlling body.

b. Qualifications: Any private eighteen (18) hole club maintaining a golf course for the exclusive use of its members and their guests and which is located in Hamilton, Warren, Butler or Clermont counties in Ohio and Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties in Kentucky may be eligible for Membership. Those clubs who are members as of the date of these amended by-laws and who do not meet the qualifications of an eighteen (18) hole Club are not required to meet this standard, nor shall they be required to do so in the future. They shall be “grandfathered” into the GCWGA.

c. Requirements: Clubs must host tournaments on a rotating basis. The conduct and maintenance of the club and golf facility must meet standards of quality for golf and related functions as approved by the GCWGA and as stated on the Application for Membership.

d. Application: The written application of any private Club desiring admission to the Association must be received by the Secretary of the Association. Only those applications received by May 1 will be presented to the delegates at the fall meeting. The Secretary will advise the Delegates in writing three (3) weeks prior to the fall meeting that said applications will be presented and voted upon. If the applicant club does not meet the GCWGA criteria, said club will be notified in writing as soon as possible and informed of the reasons why their application was not accepted.

e. Voting: If a quorum is present and three-fourths (3/4) of the delegates of the Association present vote favorably, the applicant shall be deemed elected to Membership. Upon payment of the yearly fee hereinafter provided for, the applicant shall be entitled to Membership in said Association. Voting shall be by closed ballot.

f. Delegates: Each Member Club is entitled to two (2) official Delegates at each meeting. They are the voting members of the Association. Each Member Club may also appoint one (1) Alternate Delegate who may also attend all meetings and who may vote in the absence of a regular Delegate. The Delegates are to be appointed annually by the Member Club, and their names are certified to the Secretary of the Association. A Delegate must have an established handicap and agree to support the Association.

g. Honorary Member: All former Presidents of the Association shall be Honorary Members of the Association and shall be used in an advisory capacity. No Honorary Member shall be entitled to vote at the Association or Executive Board meetings but shall be welcome at all regular meetings of the Delegates and allowed to speak. Former Presidents may be appointed by their Clubs to serve as either a delegate or an alternate.

Article IV – Uniform Handicapping

It has been determined by the Association that all Member Clubs must belong to the GHIN Handicap System, with the cost of the same being borne by the respective Association members. All Member Clubs must be sloped and rated by a GCWGA/USGA-approved Committee.

Article V – Dues

There shall be no admission fee for Membership. Still, annual dues for each member Club shall be an amount established by the Executive Board, payable on March 1, or in the case of new member Clubs, immediately after the election to Membership.

Article VI – Meetings

a. Meetings: The semi-annual meetings of the Association will be held in the spring and the fall. Board Members will be elected at the fall meeting. A quorum must be present to have a meeting.

b. Special Meetings: Special meetings may be held at the call of the Executive Board or upon written request signed by at least fifteen (15) of the Delegates of the Association or 25% of the current number of delegates.

c. Notices: Written notices of the date of each meeting shall be given three (3) weeks in advance by the Secretary, and if a special meeting, shall also state the purpose for which said meeting is called.

d. Quorum: Representation by a majority of Member Clubs shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

e. Voting: The official Delegates will be the only voting members of the Association. The alternate Delegate may vote only in the absence of an official Delegate. Any question under consideration must be approved by a majority of the voting Delegates present except in the case of a by-law change or revisions or new membership approval, where a three-fourths (3/4) vote is required. Voting by ballot may be used at the discretion of the Board. No written proxy will be accepted.

Article VII – Officers

The Officers of the Association shall be a President, Secretary, Treasurer, Tournament Chairwoman, Assistant Tournament Chairwoman, Spring Team Play Chairwoman, Fall Team Play Chairwoman, and Publicity Chairwoman. One of the above officers shall be appointed Vice President by the incoming Board.

Article VIII – Election of Officers

Elections of all officers of the Association shall be held at the fall meeting, and they shall serve a term of three (3) years. An officer may be elected to serve up to three (3) additional years at the discretion of the Executive Board.

As deemed necessary for the good of the Association, the Board may approve a club member to serve as a Consultant for as long as needed. The Consultant has no voting rights on the Board.

b. Thereupon, it shall be the duty of the President to call for the election of said officers, and the nominees receiving the highest number of votes shall be elected.

c. Voting shall be by closed ballot. In the event that only one nominee is presented for each office, Voting may be done by a show of hands.

d. Vacancies occurring in any office shall be filled by the President of the Association with the approval of the Executive Board, The President shall consult with the Nominating Committee to ascertain the names of those considered by that Committee and select someone from that list, if at all possible, before considering anyone not on the list.

e. If a Board Member is elected or appointed to fill an unexpired term, then that person is eligible at the end of the term to which she is appointed to be considered for three (3) additional consecutive years.

Article IX – Duties of Officers

a. President: It shall be the duty of the President to call and preside at all meetings of the Association. She shall be an ex-officio member of all Committees unless otherwise ordered by the Delegates to the Association. She shall perform all duties usually performed by Presidents of similar organizations.

b. Vice-President: The Vice-President shall perform the duties of the President in her absence.

c. Secretary: The Secretary shall keep a record of the proceedings of the Association, shall take care of all correspondence, and shall perform the usual duties of such office and such other duties as the Association, from time to time, may require of her. In addition, the Secretary will provide a written copy of the minutes of the previous meetings, which shall be submitted to each Delegate.

d. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall collect and dispose of the Association’s funds. She shall keep regular accounts and shall perform other duties as may be required by the Board of the  Association. In addition, she shall submit an annual financial report to each Delegate.

e. Tournament Chairwoman: The Tournament Chairman shall be responsible for conducting all Tournaments sponsored by the Association. She may appoint a Tournament Committee to assist in the duties usually assigned to the Tournament Chairman and shall oversee the performance of those on the Committee. She shall be responsible for securing the sites and scheduling the dates for all GCWGA-sanctioned golf events.

f. Assistant Tournament Chairwoman: The Assistant Tournament Chairman shall assist the Tournament Chairman in conducting all tournaments sponsored by the Association.

g. Fall Team Play Chairwoman: The Fall Team Play Chairman shall be responsible for all arrangements pertaining to Fall Team Play.

h. Spring Team Play Chairwoman: The Spring Team Play Chairman shall be responsible for all arrangements pertaining to Spring Team Play.

i. Publicity Chairwoman: The Publicity Chairman shall be in charge of all publicity, including website and social media platforms.

j. These duties may be adjusted or combined at the discretion of the Board.

Articles X – Committees

There shall be two (2) standing committees:

a. Long Range Planning Committee: There shall be a Long Range Planning Committee composed of six (6) members. The President of the Executive Board shall serve as an ex-officio member. There shall be five (5) other members of the Committee whose terms of office shall be staggered so that each year, one (1) member’s term expires. The Committee members shall elect a chairman, ideally the member with the longest tenure. One new member shall be elected annually by the Delegates at the fall meeting. If a vacancy occurs, the President shall appoint a replacement to serve the remainder of that term. This Committee shall, from time to time, make recommendations to the Board and/or Delegates and shall meet whenever the majority of the Committee indicates the need to do so or at the request of the Executive Board.

b. Nominating Committee: The Nominating Committee shall consist of seven (7) members. Five (5) Delegates from Member Clubs are to be selected at the spring meeting by nominations from the floor. The President shall appoint the other two (2) members. One of these appointees should be the past President of the Board. No two (2) of those selected and/or appointed shall be members of the same club. It shall be the duty of this Committee to see that the Secretary notifies in writing each Delegate, at least three (3) weeks prior to the fall meeting, the slate of Candidates nominated for the open Board positions. The Delegates from the floor may present additional nominations. The Nominating Committee shall serve until a new committee is appointed at the next spring meeting. The President shall designate the Chairman of the Nominating Committee, and she shall maintain minutes of the Committee meetings, along with a list of those considered for office in the GCWGA. She will provide her successor with both the minutes and the list of those considered for office.

Article XI – Affiliates

The GCWGA Scholarship Foundation will be the charitable arm of the organization. As a 501c3 not-for-profit, it operates as a separate entity. It is funded through donations, member contributions, and various fundraising activities throughout the year – the primary event being the SHE (Scholarship for Higher Education) Tournament.

Article XII – Amendments

These by-laws may be repealed or amended by the vote of three-fourths (3/4) of the Delegates present at a regular Delegates’ meeting of said Association, or by the same vote at any special meeting. The Executive Board will provide a three (3) week written notice shall be given to each Delegate concerning any proposed change of the by-laws. The Board will review the by-laws’ relevancy every five years or as needed.

Article XIII– Robert’s Rules of Order

Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the proceedings of all meetings of the Association and the Executive Board when not inconsistent with the by-laws of the Association.