About Indus Golf

By-Law

 

Article I - PURPOSE

The Indus Golf Association (referred to Indus Golf as well) is established for the purpose of promoting the game of golf to the South Asian community in North Texas by sponsoring recreational and competitive golf tournaments for its members.

The Association will conduct two tournaments (Spring & Fall) and a Monthly League from May through September of that year.

Indus Golf members range in ability from near-scratch golfers to those with handicaps approaching 30. Tournaments and League will be divided into handicapped flights, so members are competing more evenly against players of comparable ability.

To become a member of Indus Golf Association, go online to http://indusgol.ipower.com/membership-form.html, submit a completed form and pay the $55 by clicking on Membership 2009 tab.

Article II -BOARD OF OFFICERS

Section 1:

The Board of Officers of Indus Golf will consist of Five Members of good standing and they shall exercise all powers of management not specifically excepted by thee by-laws. The Board of Officers shall consist of the following:

• Chairman:
• Elected
• Captain - Competition Secretary:
• Elected
• Treasurer:
• Elected
• Handicap Secretary:
• Elected
• Web Administrator:
• Elected
• Public Relations Secretary:
• Elected
• 

The Committee has full responsibility to conduct all applicable activities on behalf of The Association.

CHAIRMAN:
Responsibilities:
The Chairman shall be responsible and accountable for all Indus Golf Association activities. All decisions regarding association business, including finance, event organization, scheduling, winner selection, as well as others yet unforeseen but anticipated, shall pass before the Chairman prior to approval. This individual will be the primary holder of the Indus Golf Association bank account.

In addition, the Chairman will have the goal to:
1. Raise awareness and brand of Indus Golf Association through multi-faceted marketing campaign
2. Increase Indus membership
3. Develop partnerships with private entities who support the Indus cause
4. Enhance Indus sponsorship from individuals and corporations

The Chairman will be the voice for the Association and will have access to all the external communications. This individual will help the Captain in coordinating the golf events.
Skills:
- Good interpersonal and networking skills
- Ability to communicate effectively with people, including at executive level
- Should be able to multi-task and organize events/people
- Strong educational background and excellent computer skills
Time Commitment:
- A minimum of 20 hours/month
This is an elected position.

CAPTAIN :
Responsibilities:
In the absence of the Chairman, this individual shall act as the Chairman on his behalf. The Captain will be the Indus Golf liaison with all event hosting golf courses. Some of the key responsibilities include:
1. Responsibility to request quotes from golf courses and negotiate event fees
2. Set the yearly golfing events schedule in consultation with the committee
3. Work with the Handicap Secretary to set event pairings, and
4. Coordinate all activities during the day of the event, including solving and managing attendance shortcomings the day of the event, and event cancellation due to inclement weather.

In addition to the Chairman, the Captain will have access to all external communications.
Skills:
- Good interpersonal and networking skills
- Ability to communicate effectively with people, including at executive level
- Should be able to multi-task and organize events/people
- Strong educational background and excellent computer skills
Time Commitment:
- A minimum of 20 hours/month
This is an elected position.

TREASURER:
Responsibilities:
The Treasurer shall manage and document all financial records of the association. Responsibilities will include collection of membership dues, such as tournament fees via Paypal and or via checks and depositing it into the bank and disbursement of funds on behalf of the Association. This individual will maintain a detailed spreadsheet of Indus budget and expenses and will be the secondary holder of the Indus Golf Association bank account.
Additional responsibilities include:
- Helping the Captain in coordinating the golf events
- Making cold calls to existing and new members, as needed
Skills:
- Good financial management skills
- Proficient in Microsoft Excel
Time Commitment:
- A minimum of 10 hours/month
This is an elected position.

HANDICAP SECRETARY:
Responsibilities:
The Handicap Secretary shall be responsible for recording and maintaining handicaps for all Association members. Handicaps will be maintained in accordance with USGA regulations with any variation as defined by the Indus Golf committee. Handicap Secretary shall be responsible for setting up tournament pairing, collecting scorecards, calculating Gross/Net scores and determining event winners. The Handicap Secretary is responsible to maintain overall points table and determine the winners for the golf events.
Additional responsibilities include:
- Helping the Captain in coordinating the golf events
- Making cold calls to existing and new members, as needed
Skills:
- Proficient in Microsoft Excel
Time Commitment:
- A minimum of 10 hours/month
This is an elected position.

Web Administrator:
Responsibilities:
The Web Administrator shall be responsible for the design and maintenance of the Indus Golf website. Responsibilities will include posting yearly tournament schedule, monthly tournament signups using Paypal, posting donor ads, posting tournament scores, winners, event photographs, updated points table and updated handicap spreadsheet. The Web Administrator will be the Indus Golf liaison with external web hosting companies, and will have access to all the website passwords and related confidential information.
Additional responsibilities include:
- Helping the Captain in coordinating the golf events
- Making cold calls to existing and new members, as needed
Skills:
- Proficient in Html design
- Web development
- Prior experience with hosting providers
- Knowledge Transfer
Time Commitment:
- A minimum of 15 hours/month
This is an elected position.

PUBLIC RELATIONS SECRETARY:
Responsibilities:
Public Relation Secretary shall help the Chairman in developing and managing relationships with key sponsors including private entities and individuals. Some of the key responsibilities include:
- Help in developing Indus marketing campaign, including designing banners, advertisements, membership survey etc.
- Work with local Indian radio stations and websites in promoting Indus Golf
- Approach DFW Indian businesses for Indus Golf sponsorship
Additional responsibilities include:
- Helping the Captain in coordinating the golf events
- Making cold calls to existing and new members, as needed
Skills:
- Good interpersonal and networking skills
- Excellent computer skills
Time Commitment:
- A minimum of 10 hours/month
This is an elected position.

Note:
Any and all of the elected officials can be asked to man the desk on the day of the golfing event by the Captain.
The Board of Officers will serve a One (1) year term till December 31 of the Calendar Year.

A new Board will be elected at the Annual Members Meeting.

In case of a Committee member resigning / retiring from a post, the remaining Committee members will appoint an appropriate replacement to continue duties till the end of the term of office. In case a Committee member cannot perform the above mentioned duties due to unforeseen reasons the remaining committee members have the authority to ask the concerned member to either resign or dismiss that member from the board. This process will be handled via voting by each performing committee member

Article III - MEMBERSHIP

The Indus Golf Association of North Texas is open to anyone of any ability as long as they meet eligibility requirements. Membership is for one calendar year and expires December 31.

Article IV - MEMBER ELIGIBILITY

Any person who meets the following requirements shall be eligible to participate in any and all events as a member of Indus Golf:
1. Must have annual dues paid in full.

Article V - RIGHTS & PRIVELEGES

All members are granted full rights and privileges to vote, hold office, and participate in any or all events and are expected to abide by the Indus Golf By-Laws

Article VI - COMMUNICATIONS

An annual Indus Golf meeting will be held by February to elect officers for that year, discuss Indus Golf business. Up-to-date information on Indus Golf announcements, scheduled tournaments, member handicaps, and tournament starting times during the year will be made available on the Indus Golf's website. The web address http://www.indusgolf.com/

A tournament schedule will be posted on the website.

Article VII - FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Membership is required for all Indus Golf sponsored outings and activities. The annual membership fee is $55. Guests can be allowed to participate in the Indus Golf events at an additional charge.
Each member of Indus Golf is responsible for the following:
Annual Membership Fee:
- Each eligible candidate must be registered with Indus Golf and pay a membership fee once each calendar year
Event Participation Fee:
- Event Fee will include Green & Cart Fees as well as Prize Fund and Catering Fees, where applicable
If you cancel after the sign-up deadline, you will forfeit the Event Participation Fee.

Article VIII - QUORUM

For all Indus Golf Meetings, it is agreed that a 'Quorum' will consist of all members present at the meeting.

Article IX - LIABILITY

Indus Golf shall not assume responsibility or be held liable for any injury to person, or damages or loss of property suffered by any member or guest, for any reason. Members are familiar with the risks and perils inherent in sports activities such as golf and associated activities. Further, the member is aware of the risk of personal injury to his or her self when undertaking such sports activities.

Therefore in consideration of being permitted membership in the Indus Golf Association the member hereby voluntarily assumes all risks of personal injury, property damage, and/or other damages to him/her resulting from or in any way associated with his or her participation in any of the activities sponsored by Indus Golf.

Further, the member hereby releases Indus Golf and its Board of Officers, and agents from every claim, liability, or demand of any kind, or on account of any personal injury, property damage, or other damages resulting from or in any way associated with the members participation in said activities.

Article X - HANDICAPS & FLIGHTS

Indus Golf will use the latest U.S.G.A. method, factoring the course rating, the course slope, and the player's stroke controlled score, for computing a player's handicap index. Handicap indices will be typically calculated prior to each Indus Golf sponsored event. Players should turn in scorecards for all rounds played to the handicap secretary or assigned committee member for the event.

General Information on filling out scorecards:

• Write the players name, and handicap for the course*.
• Sign and date the scorecard.
• 

* To determine your handicap for a particular course multiply your U.S.G.A. handicap index by the quantity (course slope/113), and round to the nearest whole number.

Indus Golf league play will be flighted as follows:

• FLIGHT
• HANDICAP INDEX
• Flight A    Nelson
• 0 To 12.9
• Flight B     Hogan
• 13 To 19.9
• Flight C     Sekhon
• 20 To 30
• 

30 is Maximum Allowable Handicap.

HANDICAP CONTROL

Indus Golf League handicaps adheres to the USGA Handicap rules, with the noted exceptions listed below.

The USGA Handicap SystemT enables golfers of all skill levels to compete on an equitable basis.

The USGA Handicap Manual can be found at the following link:
http://www.usga.org/playing/handicaps/manual/handicap_system_manual.html

Two basic premises underlie the USGA Handicap System, namely that each player will try to make the best score at every hole in every round, regardless of where the round is played, and that the player will post every acceptable round for peer review. The player and the player's Handicap Committee have joint responsibility for adhering to these premises.

Under the USGA Handicap rules, The Handicap Index formula is based on the best Handicap Differential(s) in a player's scoring record. If a player's scoring record contains 20 or more scores, the best 10 Handicap Differentials of the most recent 20 scores are used to calculate the Handicap Index. As the number of scores in the scoring record decreases the percentage of scores used in a scoring record decreases from the maximum of the best 50 percent. If the scoring record contains 9 or 10 scores, only the best three scores (30 to 33 percent) in the scoring record will be used. Thus, the accuracy of a player's Handicap Index is directly proportional to the number of acceptable scores posted. A Handicap Index must not be issued to a player who has returned fewer than five acceptable scores.

A player who has posted fewer than 20 scores has a Handicap Index that is based on a lower percentage of scores than the 50 percent ideally used (best 10 of the last 20). The accuracy and reliability of the USGA Handicap System improves as the number of acceptable scores approaches 20. A handicap based on 20 acceptable scores is more representative of a player's potential ability than one based on fewer than 20.

An alternate calculation is used to determine the Handicap Index of a player who has two or more eligible tournament scores with tournament score differentials at least 3.0 better than the player's Handicap Index. (See Section 10-3.)

The Handicap Committee is authorized to modify or withdraw a Handicap Index of a player who does not return all acceptable scores, or does not otherwise observe the spirit of the USGA Handicap System. The Handicap Committee has the authority to increase the Handicap Index of a player who, because of exceptional circumstances, has a Handicap Index that is too low. The Handicap Committee must review a Handicap Index that is modified, reduced, or withdrawn at each revision.

Indus league exceptions are as follows:

Exception #1:

a) Indus League only maintains 18 hole handicap indexes, 9 hole handicap index for it's members are not maintained. (See Table #1)

TABLE 1

• # of 18 hole rounds turned in
• # of scores used in Handicap Calculations
• 1
• 1
• 2
• 2
• 3
• 2
• 4
• 3
• 5
• 3
• 6
• 3
• 7
• 4
• 8
• 4
• 9
• 4
• 10
• 5
• 11
• 6
• 12
• 6
• 13
• 7
• 14
• 7
• 15
• 8
• 16
• 8
• 17
• 8
• 18
• 9
• 19
• 9
• 20
• 10
• 

Indus Golf has the responsibility to promote fairness among all payers of varying levels(i.e varying handicap ). With the large variance of players (i.e handicap 2 - 30), it becomes more important to continually review the fairnesss of our method for Handicap calculations, while maintaining a close correlation to the USGA Handicap calculations. Exception #2 below describes instances where a modified method has to be done.

• # of 18 hole rounds turned in
• Handicap Variance between your last round vs your handicap Index
• # of scores used in Handicap Calculations
• 1 – 6
• > = 4
• Best 2 scores
• 7-10
• > = 6
• Best 3 scores
• 11 – 14
• > = 8
• Best 3 scores
• 15 – 19
• > = 9
• Best 5 scores
• 

Example: Handicap used to calculate handicap Index are:

• 1    2    3    4     5 
• Handicap Index   
• Your Last round  
• 25.2  29.7  32.3  20.5  34.2
• 27.24
• 19.06
• 

• Based on Exception #1 (5 rounds turned in, 3 best scores used) = 27.24
• Handicap for this players last round is 19.06, hence based on exception #2, the last round variance and his handicap index is > than 4 (19.06 - 27.24 = 8.18) thus we would use his best 2 scores as his handicap index.
• New handicap index would be : 20.5 + 19.06 = 39.56/2 * 0.96 = 18.99
• 

   ESC (Equitable Stroke Control) applies to all Indus Golf Association sanctioned events(tournamnets, league rounds etc).

To determine the Equitable Stroke Control limits for your round, you must first know your course handicap. Once you've determined your course handicap, you can check the chart down below (which should also be available at golf courses) to determine the ESC limits.

Your course handicap will be listed in your scorecard, based on your handicap, you max score will be determined by the table below.

Eg. Vish has a 17 handicap listed on his score card, he is on a par 3. If Vish has reached 7 strokes, please pick the ball and proceed to the next hole. Mark 7 down on your score card. On any hole, if you have a 7 please pick your ball up and proceed to the next hole.

Here is the chart that shows Equitable Stroke Control limits:

Equitable Stroke Control Chart

• Course Handicap
• Maximum Score
• 0-9
• Double Bogey
• 10-19
• 7
• 20-29
• 8
• 30-39
• 9
• 40 or more
• 10
• 

Exception #3:

Max handicap for Indus golf association members will be 30.