1. MEMBERSHIP

1.1 While membership was originally limited to principals of the Horticultural and Allied Trades
or their nominees, it shall now be open to golfers who are or have been engaged in Horticulture
or an Allied Trade, together with other golfers with a declared and acknowledged interest in
Horticulture. All candidates for membership shall be members of a Golf Club recognized by The
Royal and Ancient Golf Club.

1.2 Every application for membership shall be proposed and seconded by a Horticultural
member, and shall be subject to approval of the Committee. New Horticultural members shall be
entitled to join at any time during the year but Non Horticultural members will only be
considered and approved for membership at the AGM, although they will be encouraged to
participate in society events as guests prior to the consideration of their application.

1.3 Members shall be designated as either Horticultural or Non Horticultural. Horticultural
members will be those who are or have been directly involved in Horticulture and any Allied
Trades. Non Horticultural members will be those with no immediate connection to the trade. For
the purpose of eligibility for the Reed Trophy for Growers, it shall only be those members who
are, or have been, directly involved in the growing or selling of flowers, flower seeds, plants, fruit
or vegetables.

1.4 Non Horticultural membership numbers shall be limited to a maximum of 40 percent of the
total Society membership. Membership from any one Golf Club shall be limited to 20 percent of
the total Society membership.

1.5 Corporate Membership

1.5.1 Corporate membership shall be open to an organisation engaged in the Horticultural
Industry, whose application for membership shall be treated in the same manner as that for a
Horticultural Member under paragraph 1.2 hereof

1.5.2 The annual subscription payable by a Corporate Member shall be twice that for an
individual member.

1.5.3. The Corporate Member shall be entitled on payment of its annual subscription to nominate
two of its officers or employees who are members of a Golf Club recognised by the Royal and
Ancient Golf Club and with a handicap index of not more than 24 to represent it throughout the
following year. In the event of the Nominee leaving the employment of the Corporate Member or
ceasing to play golf during the year in question the Corporate Member may nominate an alternate
Nominee.

1.5.4. A Corporate Member shall be entitled to one Member’s Vote

1.5.5. Save as appears herein, each Nominee will enjoy the same benefits of membership and be
subject to the same obligations as an individual member.

1.5.6 Guests of a Corporate Member must be accompanied by at least one of its Nominees

1.5.7. A Corporate Member shall provide each of its Nominees with a Society’s tie.

2. OFFICERS

2.1 The Officers of the Society shall be President, Vice President(s), Captain, Vice-Captain,
Secretary, Treasurer, and Auditor.

2.2 All officers shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Society following written
nomination not less than 14 days before the Meeting with confirmation of the candidate’s
willingness to stand.

2.3 The President shall be elected for the term of three years but shall be eligible for re-election
for a further term of a maximum of three years.

2.4 The Captain, Vice Captain, Secretary, Treasurer and Auditor shall hold office for one year but
shall be eligible for re-election.

2.5 The Vice-Captain shall succeed the Captain as captain of the Society and shall take office
from the moment of the election of his successor at the Annual General Meeting

2.6 Vice- Presidents shall serve in that capacity for so long as they remain members of the
Society

3. COMMITTEE

3.1The Committee shall comprise the President, Captain, Vice- Captain, Immediate Past Captain,
and a member elected at the Annual General Meeting (normally the prospective Vice-Captain for
the following year) to serve for the term of one year. Three members shall constitute a quorum.

3.2 In the event of a vacancy arising on the Committee, or among the officers, the Committee
may appoint a member of the Society to fill that vacancy until the next Annual General Meeting

3.3 The general management of the Society shall, subject to control of a General Meeting, be
vested in the Committee which shall have all powers necessary for the full and efficient conduct
of the affairs of the Society in accordance with this Constitution and Rules

4. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

4.1 The Annual General Meeting of the Society shall be held on the occasion of the Society’s
first meeting of each calendar year of which not less than 14 days’ written notice shall be given.

4.2 The accounts of the Society for the previous calendar year shall be presented at the Annual
General Meeting

5. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION AND JOINING FEE

5.1 The Annual Subscription for an individual member for each calendar year shall be the sum of
£50 or such other sum as shall be fixed at an Annual General Meeting and shall be due for
payment on the next following 1 st January.

5.2 The Annual Subscription for a Corporate member organization shall be 2 times the individual
members annual subscription, which would currently be £100 per annum.

5.3 New members shall pay a joining fee of the amount of the annual subscription and the price
of the society’s tie. Nominated Corporate members will be expected to purchase a society tie.

6. HONORARY LIFE MEMBERSHIP

The Committee shall have power to elect to Honorary Life Membership such persons as they
consider to have merited the honour for special service or unique distinction. An honorary
member shall continue to have the privileges of an ordinary member

7. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS

A Special General Meeting may be called by the Committee or requisitioned in writing by ten
members of the Society, and of which not less than 14 days written notice shall be given

8. MEETINGS

At all meetings of the Society or the Committee, the Captain or failing whom the Vice Captain
shall take the Chair. In the absence of the Captain and Vice Captain the meeting shall elect a
chairman. At all meetings the voice of the majority shall prevail, and the Chairman shall have a
casting vote in the case of equality.

9. ALTERATIONS TO RULES

This constitution and Rules shall not be altered, and no new rule shall be adopted except at a
General Meeting of the Society of which due notice of the proposal and meeting shall be given in
writing.

10. R&A RULES OF GOLF

The R&A Rules of Golf as varied by such local rules as may be in force on the course where a
competition is held shall apply

11. ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

In the case of all members who customarily receive communications from the Society’s Secretary
or Treasurer by electronic means rather than by post, electronic communication shall be treated in
all respects as written communication.

Notes
1. A retiring President of the Society shall be considered for Honorary Membership
2. The Committee has fixed 24 as the highest handicap index for any player under the age of
65 taking part in a Society competition; players aged 65 and over shall be able to use their
actual handicap index.
3.The winner of a principal Society competition at a one or two day meeting shall have his
handicap index reduced by two strokes from a double figure handicap index and one stroke
from a single figure handicap index for the remainder of that calendar year
4. Handicap adjustments of winners of competitions at the Society’s Four Day Event shall be
at the discretion of the Captain
5. The Committee would not encourage an application for membership from a prospective
member with a handicap index exceeding 24
6. It would not normally be acceptable for family members regularly to play together in
singles competitions
7. PLAY FROM A SHORTENED COURSE
Where a shortened course is available but no SSS exists for that shortened course, HGS
members aged 75 and over with a handicap of 19 or more will have the option to play off the
shortened course and they would receive a penalty of 1 shot and will be eligible to participate
in the competition and for prizes BUT will not be eligible to win any trophy.
Members that are aged 75 and over but have a handicap of 18 or less will also have the option
to play off the shortened course and participate as above but would receive a penalty of 2
shots i.e. one additional shot penalty BUT will not be eligible to win any trophy
In the event that shortened course has its own Standard Scratch Score (SSS), the penalty will
be the difference between the SSS for the normal course played and the SSS for the shortened
course, subject to conditions above.
If there are more than 3 members who wish to play on a shortened course, they will play in
their own competition with its own prizes.
These rules will apply to any course which we play where the Committee decide that the
carries to the fairway are of sufficient length to warrant the application of the rule and where
appropriate tees are available.