2009 NIST Golf Association By-Laws

Revised: April 2009

ARTICLE I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Golf Association (GA).

ARTICLE II. Purpose

The objectives of the NIST GA are to provide for competition amongst NIST employees in a friendly spirit, exercise and relaxation, and to promote an interest in golf.

ARTICLE III. Membership

A member of the NIST GA shall meet the following:

a. An active or retired NIST employee, a past employee of NIST, or an immediate family member (16 years old) of a current GA member.

b. A member of SEBA, if qualified to be, and

c. Has paid the annual GA dues.

d. A member is a senior member if that member is 60 years of age prior to the planned first day of play. (2008)

ARTICLE IV. Officers

l. List of Officers

a. President

b. Vice President (V/P)

c. Secretary/Treasurer (S/T)

d. Scorekeeper (S/K)

2. Duties of Officers

President - The President shall preside over all meetings of the GA, the Field Day Committee (FDC), and the Rules Committee and make appointments to Committees as necessary with representation from each division. The President, or his designate, shall decide if scheduled play is to be canceled because of inclement weather, at least one hour before scheduled tee time, or at the golf course, if necessary.

Vice President - The V/P shall assume the duties of the President in his absence and serve on the FDC.

Secretary/Treasurer - The S/T shall keep the records and proceedings of the meetings, collect and disburse all funds, submit an annual report to the Auditing Committee, and serve on the FDC.

Scorekeeper - The S/K shall assign teams to divisions, schedule match play, and compile and publish handicaps and standings on a weekly basis throughout the season, and serve on the FDC.

ARTICLE V. Meetings

The annual meeting shall be held during the month of February on a date specified by the President. Special meetings may be called by the President throughout the year. The President shall notify all members of any meeting at least two weeks in advance.

ARTICLE VI. Committees

1. List of Committees

Rules Committees (8)

Auditing Committee (2)

Field Day Committee (FDC) (4)

Nominating Committee (4)

2. All committees shall be appointed by the President prior to League play.

3. Duties of Committees

Rules Committee - the Rules Committee shall consist of eight members, the four Officers and a representative from each division. The Rules Committee shall meet at the request of the President and rule on all disputes and protests. Members involved in a dispute shall not serve on the Rules Committee.

Auditing Committee - The Auditing Committee shall consist of two members and annually audit the books of the S/T and report at the Annual Meeting.

Field Day Committee - The FDC, comprised of the four Officers, shall be responsible for the conduct and operations of all field day events, including but not limited to scheduling, banquet, trophies, and prizes.

Nominating Committee - The Nominating Committee shall consist of one representative of each division and submit a list of candidates to the President at least one week prior to the Annual Meeting.

ARTICLE VII. Finances

The annual dues shall be determined at the annual meeting and shall be paid, together with the annual greens fee, prior to the beginning of league play. The Officers shall not pay dues and the S/K shall not pay match play green fees.

ARTICLE VIII. Terms of Office

The Officers shall serve for approximately one year, commencing at the close of business at the annual meeting. The Officers may be reelected.

ARTICLE IX. Election of Officers

The nomination and election of Officers shall be as follows:

a. Nominations of candidates for each office may be made from the floor at the annual meeting, following the report of the Nominating Committee, provided that each nomination from the floor is seconded by at least two members,

b. No candidate may be nominated without their consent nor can any person may be nominated for more than one office.

c. Election of Officers, to be held at the annual meeting, shall be by a show of hands and a plurality of the members present and voting shall be necessary to elect.

ARTICLE X. Quorum

1. Twenty-five (25) per-cent of the membership shall be required at any annual or special meeting of the general GA membership. Business shall be conducted by a majority of those members present and voting.

2. Four members of the Rules Committee shall constitute a quorum. A majority of the members present and voting shall be necessary to rule on all disputes and protests and approve all rules of play.

ARTICLE XI. Parliamentary Procedure

Issues on parliamentary procedure are resolved according to Roberts Rules of Order.

ARTICLE XII. Changes to the By-Laws

Changes to the By-Laws shall be made at the annual meeting. A two-thirds majority of the members present and voting shall be necessary for adoption.

ARTICLE XIII. Formation of Leagues and Divisions

The GA shall consist of two leagues divided into two divisions each as follows:

a. League 1 comprised of Divisions A and B, and League 2 comprised of Divisions C and D.,

b. The S/K, before the start of each season, shall rank all of the team handicaps and divide the total ranks into quartiles, the top quartile being Division A, the second quartile Division B., the third quartile being Division C., and the fourth Quartile Division D. Team rankings will be determined based on a weighted average (number of rounds played in the previous year) of each member of the team. [Rev 4-2004]

c. A team shall consist of at least two and no more than 4 members.

ARTICLE XIV. Handicaps

1. New players should play 18 holes to determine their division and handicaps, if not already established. A new player with a USGA handicap may use 90% of one-half of that as an initial handicap, slope corrected*.

* (Handicap Index) x (SLP/113) * (0.9) = Initial GA Handicap. Where SLP= the current local slope (120).

2. Players with established handicaps from the last season will begin a new season with the last season's final handicap.  Senior members with a previous GA handicap based on white tee play and electing to play the senior tees shall have their prior white tee handicap lowered by 1 stroke.

3. Handicaps shall be calculated in accordance with the following schedule:

4. For handicap purposes, the maximum score for any hole shall not exceed the values in the following table:

Note: The official scorecard turned in after a match, must reflect the handicapped score only.

 5. No player shall give more than 2 strokes per hole. [Note: This applies to both medal and stroke play.]

6. Substitutes without established handicaps shall be handicapped on the basis of their first match and the results of the first match determined accordingly. In such a case, the actual scorecard is to be turned in to the S/K.

7. All handicaps shall be calculated on the basis of medal play. All handicaps are calculated based on the rating for the tee played. [2008]

8. Any team or substitute league member playing as a substitute in a match shall have their score applied to their handicap calculation unless their match is unopposed (Article XVIII, item 2f).

9. Handicaps to be used for each round of the playoffs are calculated based on 95% of the average of the best Y match scores for the entire regular season, including playoff scores, where Y=INT(#matches/2). If less than 8 matches were played, then the calculation shall follow Article XIV, Item 3.

10. Play in NISTGA outings shall be included in the handicap computation for league play.  The final score for each nine, adjusted for excess strokes on each hole, shall have 50% of the course rating subtracted, shall be multiplied by the ratio of the course rating to the Poolesville rating, rounded to the nearest integer, and then posted to the NISTGA database.  [2007]

ARTICLE XV. Substitutes

1. Any person that is a NIST golf league member or an active, retired, or past employee of NIST; and is a member of SEBA may play as a substitute except as limited by Parts 2 and 3 of this article.

2. A team may be represented by 2 substitutes for any match except when a team is playing in the division and championship play-offs. In play-offs, the team shall be represented by at least one regular team member and a substitute that has played at least in 4 previous league matches in that season or a regular league member whose team is not involved in the playoffs.

3. A regular team member may substitute for a team not playing a team from that member's division provided his team is represented by two other regular team members for their team's match. In play-offs, substitution is governed by Article XV, item 2.

4. To be eligible for league prizes and trophies, a league member shall have participated in at least 30 % of official league matches.

ARTICLE XVI. Scoring/Play

1. Golfers shall play head-to-head matches with golfers on the opposing teams. Highest handicap player plays highest handicap - lowest handicap player plays the lowest handicap (regardless of the tee played). If handicaps are the same, the pairing shall be determined by random selection [rev 4/05]. Substitutes without handicaps shall play in the position of the team member they are substituting for. Senior members who chose to play from the senior tees must make that selection at the time of team signup and must play those tees for the entire year.[2008]

2. Scoring for nine-hole matches shall be as follows:

a. One point for each hole won in individual match play (1/2 point each in case of a tie).

b. Three points for low net score in individual stroke play (1 1/2 points each in case of a tie).

c. Three points for low team net score (1 1/2 points each team in case of a tie).

Note: On this basis the teams will be competing for a total of 27 points, unless a penalty or forfeit is involved, in which Article XVIII shall apply [2004]

3. All matches shall be played on the league designated course on the same day. When any match cannot be completed because of inclement weather, the following applies:

a. When less than 5 holes are completed the match shall be replayed in its entirety (9 holes).

b. When 5 or more holes are completed, the match is complete and the USGA handicapping rules apply, i.e., each players score for the unplayed holes shall be on the basis of net par.

c. The match (hole) and medal (stroke) points shall then be computed in the normal manner.

[Note: 'Match' in paragraph 3 above refers to the GA as a whole. 11/94 interpretive addition.]

Example: When 5 holes or more are completed by the slowest team, the match is effectively over. The medal (stroke) play points are awarded on the basis of the holes played. The match play points are determined on the basis of the holes played, plus each of the unplayed holes is halved.

For handicapping purposes, it is necessary to complete the score card, thus the gross scores must be marked on the card for each of the unplayed holes. On any unplayed hole for which a player would receive 1 handicap stroke (based on the gross handicap, not the net difference with the opponent), his gross score is 1 over par (net par); 2 handicap strokes, 2 over par; no handicap strokes, par, etc. Only for the purpose of handicap, the round is then totaled.

d.Timing requirement deleted [March 06].

ARTICLE XVII. Playoffs, Post-season

1. Based on the competition specified in Article XVI post-season matches, as delineated below, shall be played to determine division and Association team champions.  Also, based on the individual match play competitions specified in Article XVI, an 18 hole competition among the four individuals with the best match play results shall be played to determine the Association Individual Match-Play Champion as specified in paragraph 6. [added March 2006, modified 2007,2008]

2. The team from each division with the most accumulated points for each half shall be a division half winner and enter the playoffs. If the same team wins both halves then the second place team from either half with the most season points shall be the second entrant into the playoffs (2008). In the event of a tie for either half playoff position the tie shall be broken on the basis of most intra-division points accumulated in the half, or, if still tied, most head-to-head points accumulated in the half, or, if still tied, by coin flip.

3. Wildcard teams shall be selected for the playoffs. The team from each division that has not already qualified for the playoffs and has the most total season points (both halves) shall be the wildcard selection from that division for the playoffs. In the event of a tie it shall be broken on the basis of most intra-division points accumulated during the season, or, if still tied, most head-to-head points accumulated during the season, or, if still tied, by coin flip.

4. The playoff schedule shall be as follows:

a. First week: Division winners shall be seeded based on total season points accumulated, or if tied on total intra-division points accumulated, or if still tied on a coin flip.  The top seed in each division shall have a bye for the first week of the playoffs. The first week match will then be between the second division seed and the wildcard team.

b. Second week: The winner in the first week division match shall play the top seed from that division.  This match determines the division champion.

c. Third week: The four division champions shall be reseeded based on total season points accumulated, or if tied on total intra-division points accumulated (if all divisions played the same number of intra-division matches), or, if still tied, on the total points accumulated in the division championship match (round 2), or, if still tied, on a coin flip.  The first seed plays the fourth seed and the second seed plays the third seed.

d. Fourth week: the winners of the third round play for the Association Championship.[3/08]

e. The default schedule for rounds 1 and 2 of playoff play (i.e., the 9 hole rounds) is the next Wednesday following the last league date (subject to unplayable cancellation by the president), with the allowance that the involved teams can arrange playing an alternate date not later than the following Monday provided this agreement is made prior to the default date and the scorekeeper is so notified. To accommodate weekend play for the 18 hole matches rounds 3 and 4 shall have a two week window for the teams to select a play date after which the president shall designate the next available Wednesday as the scheduled date. [2009]

5. The first round of the playoffs shall be played on the front nine (holes 1-9) and the second round shall be played on the back nine (holes 10-18). The third and fourth round matches shall be 18 holes and scoring shall be based on a single 18 hole match (54 points total), i.e., all medal points are based on the 18 hole total score. A tie in the GA Championship match shall be settled by the play of another hole using the team net total, with additional holes played as necessary.

6. The Golf Association Match Play Champion shall be determined as follows:

a. All members of the Association are eligible if that member has completed 9 or more matches during regular league play. Play against a virtual golfer shall count towards the 9 match requirement but not towards the win percentage. [2009]

b. The four members with the best win percentage (wins + 0.5 * ties/total matches played) shall be eligible, and shall be ranked 1 though 4 based on that percentage. Ties shall be broken by the following criteria: i – most rounds played, ii – best win percentage in head-to-head play against the tied member(s), iii – random selection by the score keeper.

c. The championship match shall consist of two 9 hole match play rounds, played as an 18 hole match, using the handicaps at the end of regular season play. The top and fourth ranked players and the second and third ranked players shall be matched for the first 9 holes. The winner of each match and the loser of each match shall be matched for the second 9 hole match. Ties shall be broken by the following criteria: i – match play result on the most difficult ranked hole, and each subsequent ranked hole, ii – best match play record for the first 9 hole match. If still tied the result shall be declared a tie, and hence a joint championship. [2008]

d. The championship match shall be scheduled and played within three weeks of the completion of regular season play. If an eligible player is unavailable during this period the next available eligible player shall be selected. If the match is not completed within the three week requirement the President shall schedule a tee time for the first available eligible members.  [2008].

ARTICLE XVIII. Postponements/Forfeits/Discontinued Play/Partial Play/Protests

1. A match shall be considered unopposed and thus forfeited when the following criteria are met:

a. The team members present have postponed their tee-off time at least 15 minutes from the team's scheduled tee time or the time the tee first became available, whichever is later (subject to item b.).

b. The team members in attendance can tee off anytime the tee becomes available after 5 pm.

c. One of the members of the match has hit their second shot.

Example: Your group's scheduled tee time is 4:14. There is a rain delay. Your turn at the tee actually arrives at 4:36. The 15 minute clock starts and your group waits until at least 4:51. You can then tee off and once any person in the group has hit their second shot the forfeiture is official (provided the match is completed).

d.  Except that a late player may join the match at the first accessible tee where no player has hit their second shot, in which case the match shall be scored as a partially played match (3 below) [2009].

2. In the case of a forfeit the following applies:

a. If one player fails to appear for the scheduled match, then he/she is awarded 0 match play points and the overall medal points (3) CANNOT be awarded to the team with the missing player. The opposing players compete for 12 points. The unopposed player plays a virtual golfer with scoring as given in sub-item g. Thus, the team fielding 2 players can win a maximum of 27 points, and the team with one player, a maximum of 12 points. The team fielding two players selects which one plays against the virtual golfer.[revised 4-2002]

b. If a team fails to appear for a scheduled match, both members of the opposing team shall play the virtual golfer. Overall medal points are based upon play against the virtual team total, i.e., 2 * par + 18 (27 point match)

c. If only one player is available from each team, they shall play a head-to-head match and the team net score (3 points) shall not be awarded. Thus, a total of 12 points only can be awarded.

d. If only one player from both teams is available to play, that person plays the virtual golfer. (12 pt match)

e. If neither team is represented no points are awarded.

f. Individual scores, when unopposed in forfeited matches, are applicable in computing handicaps. [2009]

g. Each unopposed player shall play a virtual golfer. The virtual golfer scores a net bogey for every hole and has the same handicap as the unopposed player. This gives the virtual golfer a medal net score of 45 for the front and 44 for the back nine. Handicap strokes are assigned to holes according to the tee order of difficulty and the player uses his/her full NIST GA handicap. Match and medal points are awarded as per ARTICLE XVI, items 2a and 2b. The team score for the team with a missing player is the net score of the player present plus the assigned medal net score of the virtual golfer (45-front 9, 44-back 9)

3. If a match is incomplete because a player either a) arrives after other participants in his or her match have teed off, or, b) for personal reasons including injury, starts but fails to play all holes, the match would be scored as follows:

a. The unplayed holes would be scored using the virtual golfer rules, with the total score for the defaulting player being the sum of scores posted by the defaulting player on the contested holes, plus net bogeys (ala virtual golfer) for the unplayed holes. This "hybrid" total would then be the mark to tie or beat for determining individual match play points and match play winner.  Individual match play points (for the holes actually competed) are the only individual points the defaulting player is eligible for; individual medal points can only accrue to the opponent, if the score so dictates.  The 3 overall team medal points will be awarded as usual and both teams are eligible, provided that the teammate of the defaulting player has completed the full round.  If not, only the opposing team is eligible for these points. [Note - this is a change from our current rule that the team with the virtual golfer cannot benefit from virtual play.]

b.  For the defaulting player the outcome of the match play will become part of the match play record, no matter how many holes are played and the match will count in terms of the 9-match eligibility for the match play championship.  However, the 'hybrid' score will be
used in the computation of handicap only if the hybrid score is equal to or lower than the player's current handicapped value.

c. For the defaulting player's opponent, the match will count in terms of the 9-match eligibility for the match play championship. This player's score will also be counted towards handicap calculation.   However, a win or loss will only be part of the match play record if at least 5 opposed holes are played.

d.  For a late arriving player who elects to enter his or her match after opponents have teed off on the first hole (with current 15-min grace period still defining the tee-off time),
     i) the first hole of eligibility for play is as per ‘1d’ above,
    ii) for players teeing off for any hole, there is to be no elective delay for the purpose of waiting for a late arriving player,
   iii) scoring will be as in a and b above. [2009]

4. Protests shall be lodged in writing on the Weekly Score Sheet, or an attachment to same, and submitted at the conclusion of the round in question. The Rules Committee shall rule on the protest within forty-eight (48) hours. The match point totals will be awarded according to the Rules Committee Decision and the teams involved in the protest will be notified of the decision prior to the next round.

ARTICLE XIX. Cancellation of Matches

1. The President shall have responsibility for canceling matches. (See Duties of President)

2. The GA shall cancel regularly scheduled matches on days that all of NIST is administratively closed before the end of the normal workday. This includes situations in which NIST is administratively closed for the entire day.

3. Regular season matches cancelled for any reason, shall be rescheduled for the following week and the remaining matches shall be moved back accordingly so that the season will not be shortened.

4. Notice of cancellation shall be given by the President into the NIST GA Status Line. (301) 975-2508.

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