General guidelines for Golf Club Committee Office Bearers
PRESIDENT
In Australia, the Club President is generally regarded as the social and business head of the club, although there are some clubs which follow the English procedure of making the captain the senior executive official. The duties generally covered by a President are dealt with below under two headings:-
Business
The President is responsible for the general supervision of the club and to be in a position to do this effectively he or she should acquaint themselfwith all matters affecting the club.
It is their duty to know how to conduct meetings and to see that all business is dealt with expeditiously, without allowing discussion to wander too far from the point at issue. There are a number of texts which deal fully with the subject of meetings and it is advisable for the President to own and be familiar with one of these volumes.
It is recommended that the following points be observed in the conduct of meetings:-
- Meetings should be commenced punctually;
- The President should be well acquainted with the items on the agenda;
- The President should be unbiased and direct the discussion so that opposing points of view are given full opportunity of expression, thus ensuring that the final decision is in the best interests of the club. Furthermore, the President should not lead the discussion from the Chair and not exert influence on the decision through his or her own views and interpretations of the subject under discussion;
- The President should ensure that all members of the Board (Committee) have a thorough knowledge of their legal duties and responsibilities as laid down in the various Acts of Parliament which govern club activities.
It is the President's responsibility to unobtrusively supervise the work of the Secretary Manager, General Manager or CEO (Club Manager) as the case may be and other club officials to ensure that the decisions and policy of the Board (Committee) are carried out promptly and effectively.
The President should also play a major role in ensuring that he or she and all other Board members, do not become involved in staff matters or staff supervision or direction. All such items should be referred to the Club Manager.
Social
The President is regarded as the social head of the club and should, whenever possible, be present to receive visitors at social functions. He or she should see that letters of thanks, congratulations, condolences, etc., are written by the Club Manager on the occasions required.
By giving encouragement and by setting an example to club staff and Board (Committee) Members the President can contribute substantially to making the social functions of the club a success.
It can be said that the status of a golf club is often a reflection of the President‘s ability and the tone of the club is set by his example.