Constitution

NORTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE FOURSOMES LEAGUE

The running of the League is vested in the Chairman and the Secretary/Treasurer, who are both elected annually at each AGM.

Structural changes of the League can only be made at an AGM – each club present is allowed one vote. Proxy votes are not accepted.

During the season, the Chairman and Secretary/Treasurer are responsible for settling any disputes that may arise.

Applications to join the League in any season will only be considered at the previous year’s AGM.

Fixtures are issued by the Secretary/Treasurer. These fixtures are calculated by reference to a grid – the number allocated to each team is decided by the finishing position in the previous season. However, dates of matches will be notified two or three years ahead.

Matches consist of twelve players in a team, playing six foursomes’ match play games off scratch and is open to any male golfer who is a paid-up member of the club he represents.

There is no specific order of play, but current County players are expected to play in the first three games.

In any season, once a player has represented a club in a League match, he may not represent another club in the League.

Positions in each Division are decided by the total number of points. Where teams have an equal number of points, their positions are decided by the difference between games won and games lost (often referred to as ‘goal difference’!). If there is still a tie, their positions are decided by the individual matches played between the clubs affected, firstly on points gained, then on ‘goal difference’.

Matches are generally played at 2 pm on a Saturday afternoon. In the event that a club wishes to alter the time of a match, it is the club’s responsibility to notify the opposition. If a club wishes to alter the date of any fixture, this can only be done with the mutual consent of the opposition. If the date of a fixture is changed in this manner, and the agreed date is later than the date of the original fixture, then the League Secretary/Treasurer must be informed – otherwise the home team will be fined (see next paragraph).

Results must be notified to the Secretary/Treasurer within nine days of the date on which each match is due to be played. This can either be done on the result card supplied to each club at the beginning of each season, by e-mail (alancale1@msn.com), by fax (01452-412948) or by phone (07740-416220). Failure to notify the Secretary/Treasurer within the prescribed time will result in the home club being fined £2.

On the same day of each League match, there is a reciprocal friendly ‘B’ team match.

At the end of each season, it is customary for the winners of each division to invite a pair from each of the other teams in the division, together with the League Chairman and Secretary/Treasurer, to play a celebratory match and receive the trophy. The normal procedure for this event is annexed to these generally accepted principles.

In order to promote the social side of golf, as well as the competitive side, it is generally accepted that the home club provides a light meal after each match. This does not have to be elaborate. In fact the League encourages clubs to keep the cost as low as possible. The League also encourages clubs to provide this meal as soon as possible after the match has finished. The League suggests that if any club wishes to provide a different form of refreshment (such as sandwiches), this is notified to the opposition before the season starts, in order that a reciprocal arrangement may be put in place if required.

The League’s suggestion regarding payment for meals is that each club charges a match fee to each player in the team - this would probably be equal to the cost of the food. The home club keeps the home teams match fees and the away team takes its own match fees back to its own club. The ‘B’ team, who are playing away, bring back the match fees they have collected. This way, each club receives twenty-four match fees even if all players in a team do not stop for the meal (a good bargaining point when discussing the cost of meals with the caterers, and trying to keep these costs down).

An annual subscription to cover administration costs such as postage, photocopying and engraving is decided at an AGM.

The NGFL Cup is played at the end of each season. This is a scratch medal foursome’s event in which each club enters four pairs, with the best three scores to count and the fourth score used to decide in the event of a tie (similar to the Lister Cup). The order in which each club is requested to host this event is alphabetical.

Once a suitable date has been agreed, the club sends out invitations. Normally this would be for one pair from each of the clubs in the division. However, If the club would like to play more than ten home players, it may consider inviting more than one pair from another one or two teams. It may even consider inviting a pair from a team in another division.

In addition, if the club would like to get its hand on the divisional trophy, it is customary to invite the League Chairman and League Secretary! Normally the club would arrange for the Club Captain and another official or representative to play with these two guests.

Normally, the main match would be played as foursomes, but there is nothing to prevent the match being played as fourball if preferred. The match with the league officials would normally be played as a fourball over nine holes. As the main match is usually played as foursomes, it saves the players having to wait for an 18-hole fourball match to finish!

After the match, the club provides a meal for all the participants. This would usually be a fairly light two-course meal plus coffee, but the club has total choice over what it provides. In addition, the provision/non-provision of wine is totally at the club’s discretion.

After the meal, the League Secretary commences proceedings by inviting the League Chairman to say a few words before asking the guests to toast the winners and presenting the team captain with the divisional shield.

After accepting the shield, the winning team captain would reply on behalf of the club before asking his own team to toast the guests.

Pre-arranged by the home team captain, one of the guests would get up and thank the club for its kind invitation before asking everyone present to toast the North Gloucestershire Foursomes League.

Finally, the League Secretary would normally ask the winning Club Captain to say a few words before closing the proceedings.