Article 1 – Name

The official name of this organization is the “Men’s Nine-Hole Golf Club.”  It is also known as the “Pinseekers.”

Article II – Purpose

The club’s purpose is to provide an opportunity for Villages men to play nine holes of competitive golf as an organized group on a regular basis.

The club is an officially sponsored organization within The Villages Golf and Country Club (VG&CC), and is subject to all rules and regulations set forth by the VG&CC Board of Directors and has all rights granted by The Villages Golf Committee to the six golf clubs of the VG&CC.

Article III – Governing Body

The Pinseekers Board of Directors shall consist of a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Tournament Director (or Events Coordinator). They shall be elected by vote of club members and shall serve one-year terms, starting at the annual membership meeting and continuing until the membership meeting in the following year.

Each year in May, the club President shall appoint a Nominating Committee to seek candidates for the following year. Nominees will be presented to the membership at the club’s annual membership meeting in June, and voting will take place at that time.

The Board of Directors may at any time appoint individuals or small groups to administer tournaments, special events or special functions.

It is the President’s responsibility to regularly attend meetings of the Villages Golf Committee and its subcommittees. The President may appoint a substitute delegate to these meetings if he is unable to attend.

Club monies shall be maintained on a separate bank account, under the control of the club Treasurer. All expenses over $100 must be approved in advance by the Pinseekers’ President.

The Board will maintain the club’s plaque on the Bistro Sports Wall and the photos in the Posting Room. Unless otherwise specified by the Board, this function shall be the Secretary’s responsibility.

The Board shall review the club Bylaws and Rules of Play every year in April, and any proposed changes shall be presented at the annual membership meeting. If changes are proposed at any other time by a majority vote of the Board, they may be presented to the members for an email vote of acceptance. A majority of the members responding within 2 weeks shall determine the result.

Article IV – Membership

Membership is open only to all men residing in The Villages.

Any Villager may play once with the group on a regular play day without joining the club. If he plays a second time within a year, except as a guest on a Guest Day, he will be added to the membership list, and annual dues will be assessed.

Any member who moves out of The Villages or fails to pay dues as described herein will have their membership automatically terminated. Membership may be terminated by vote of the Board of Directors for failure to comply with VG&CC or Pinseekers rules or for failure to comply with the general rules of behavior and golf etiquette.

The Secretary shall maintain a current club membership list and make it available to any interested member on request.

Article V – Dues and Fees

Annual dues are established by the Board of Directors no later than November of each year and are payable in January. Dues are automatically charged to the member’s house account by the VG&CC Accounting Office.

On every play day, members with established handicaps will be assessed a tournament fee of $1 for “sweeps”, in addition to the regular greens fees, and these monies shall be accumulated for prizes in the form of credit at the Golf Pro Shop. (See Article VI below.)

Article VI – Handicaps and Competition

Members who wish to participate in the competition for sweeps must obtain a “GHIN- Handicap Index” from the Northern California Golf Association (NCGA) by joining that group and meeting its requirements. A member will not pay sweeps or be eligible for prizes unless his handicap is established , but he is still welcome to join the play.

Prizes on regular play days will be as follows: First lowest net score gets $4, Second gets $3, Third gets $2, Fourth gets $1. In case of ties, each player gets the full amount for the position which he is tied (If there are two members tied for first, each will receive $4 sweeps  points and four Championship Points, the next lowest score shall be third and receive $2 sweeps and two Championship Points, in a case of a tie for fourth, each member in the tie shall receive $1 sweeps and one Championship Point.) A minimum of 10 members with GHINs must play for any sweeps to be charged and prizes awarded.

Each dollar awarded as sweeps will count as one point. On days where the number of players is insufficient to pay sweeps, one member of each twosome, threesome or foursome will be assigned as group scorekeeper. Each group’s scorecard must be submitted to the pro shop at the end of the round and the cards will them be retrieved by a member of the board for recording on the annual summary of weekly scores. Should a member or group fail to submit their scorecard to the pro shop at the end of their round, that member or group shall be deemed as disqualified for that day’s play.

Championship Points earned in non-sweep  rounds will be added to the sweeps points earned to compute each member’s annual total Championship points. The member earning the highest total of Championship Points between July 1^st and June 30th will be honored as the Pinseekers Club Champion for the closing year! The Secretary will keep the record of points awarded and their totals.