Constitution and By-Laws
CONSTITUTION and BY-LAWS
Of
THE WILD OATS
Senior Men’s Golf Organization at Wildwood Green Golf Club
ARTICLE I: NAME, PURPOSE and MEMBERSHIP
The name of the organization shall be “THE WILD OATS”.
The Wild Oats is an unincorporated, non-profit organization with the objective and purpose of sponsoring and encouraging organized amateur recreational golf activity for senior men golfers who are members of Wildwood Green Golf Club. Friendly competition, USGA rules adherence and camaraderie underlie all activities.
Any male member in good standing with the Wildwood Green Golf Club at least 50 years of age and with a maximum USGA Wildwood Green Golf Club established and maintained handicap no higher than 40 from the Wildwood tees may become a member of this organization. All members have voting privileges.
Before applying to join the Wild Oats, a minimum of 3 submitted and recorded 18-hole golf scores must be entered into the Wildwood Green Golf Club handicap computer system to initially establish your required handicap.
ARTICLE II: FEES, and ASSESSMENTS
Members are required to pay fees and assessments which are approved by vote of the members. Fees and assessments are used to fund the activities of the organization.
Fees for weekly events will be approved by vote of the members. Fees for special events will be set by the Tournament Chairman, as part of the plan for the event.
All fees, and assessments will be used exclusively for the benefit of the members for outings, prizes, trophies, social events, memorials and the like. The President and/or Tournament Chairman will approve expenses before payment.
ARTICLE III: OFFICERS, BOARD, ELECTIONS and MEMBER MEETINGS
Officers will be elected at the Annual Meeting, or at a meeting called for the purpose. The term of office will coincide with the fiscal year, which begins May 1, and will be one year. Elected Officers will be the President, Vice President/ Secretary, and Tournament Chairman.
Prior to elections, the Board will solicit candidates for the officer positions and put them forth at the meeting for consideration by members. The most recent ex-President is a non-officer board member not elected. Additional non-officer board members may also be proposed by the current board if the Board deems this desirable. Additional nominations may be made from the floor for both the officer and non-officer board positions and will be given equal consideration during the election process.
The Board of the organization will include the Officers, the most recent ex-President, the elected non-officer board members, if any. The Board will meet as needed. The Board will fill any vacancies that may occur between Annual Meetings.
Special committees may be established by the President with the approval of the Board, as deemed necessary. These committees automatically cease to exist when their reports are accepted by the Board.
The members will meet at least once a year, typically at the Annual Meeting; other meetings may be called at the discretion of the President. 25 % of the members constitute a quorum to transact business. A member must be present to vote. Unless specified otherwise, a simple majority is needed for a passing vote.
ARTICLE IV: DUTIES OF OFFICERS
The President is responsible for the effective functioning of the Wild Oats and performs the duties needed to accomplish that objective. He presides at all meetings, reports to the members and is a liaison with the management of Wildwood Green Golf Club.
The Vice President/Secretary performs the duties of President should the need arise. As the Vice President, he performs duties as requested by the President. As the Secretary, he corresponds with the members and others related to matters of interest and keeps information for that purpose. He shall also keep a record of decisions made at Board meetings and Annual Meetings.
The Tournament Chairman is responsible for the golfing activities of the organization, including games managed by Wildwood Green Golf Club. He sets local course rules for The Wild Oats and informs the members of them, resolves disputes about rules infractions and is the primary contact with the Golf Professionals, Greens Superintendent and Club Management at Wildwood Green Golf Club.
The Vice President/Secretary is responsible for the maintenance of records reflecting all Wild Oats' member information (ie. name, telephone number, spouse's name and e-mail address ). He shall update and disseminate this information to the Board and all other members on a periodic basis.
Elected non-officer members of the Board may be assigned tasks decided upon at meetings of the Board.
ARTICLE V: GOLFING EVENTS and HANDICAPS
The official Wild Oats weekly tournament is played on Thursday with Tuesday being a second play date, with the format decided by the Wildwood Green Golf Club. Wild Oats members need to sign up in advance for each day's play and pay the fee. Guests (nonmembers of Wildwood Green) may play with a member on Tuesday and are eligible for prizes if they have a GHIN handicap and pay the fee. Members of Wildwood Green Golf Club with an established handicap no higher than 40 are eligible to play with the Wild Oats on a limited basis before becoming Wild Oats' members.
Other tournaments may be held if desired. The format, prizes, etc. for these events are decided by the Tournament Chairman.
Members are required to have properly maintained handicaps on the Wildwood Green handicap system and should enter the information themselves, unless directed otherwise. An honestly kept handicap is a prerequisite to membership in the Wild Oats.
ARTICLE VI: AMENDMENT OF CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
The Constitution and By-laws may be amended at any meeting of the organization by a two-thirds vote of the members present, provided the proposed change has been approved by the Board and the change has been circulated for review by the members for at least 30 days prior to the date of the vote.
THIS IS TO INDICATE THAT THE FOREGOING WAS APPROVED AND ADOPTED BY THE WILD OATS BY VOTE AT A PROPERLY HELD MEETING in 2011.
DATE: 4/28/13 PRESIDENT: Paul Robitaille
Updated 5/4/2024 PRESIDENT: Paul Rutman
Updated 2/6/2026 Ron Hanna