Northop Golf Club
Code of Conduct Policy and Disciplinary Procedure
1. Scope
1.1 The Club expects members and guests to show respect to other users and to club premises at all
times. Adherence to club regulations and protection of the reputation of the club are explicit
conditions of membership. On the course, players are expected to show respect for the course and
fellow players, and practice accepted standards of golf etiquette such as fair play and pace of play.
1.2 This policy defines “unacceptable behaviour” and outlines the process by which reports of
unacceptable behaviour will be managed.
1.3 The policy does not cover the following:
* Complaints regarding the condition of the course: these should be referred to the chair of
the greens subcommittee directly or the General manager
* Complaints regarding the condition of the clubhouse or facilities: these should be referred to
the General manager
* Complaints regarding general club management: these should be referred to the General
manager who will pass it to the Board
* Complaints regarding the behaviour of a staff member should be referred to that staff
member’s line manager. The General manager will advise who the line manager is.
2. Definitions of unacceptable behaviours
2.1 For the purpose of this document ‘unacceptable behaviour’ includes, but is not exclusively:
* Any act, or failure to act, that threatens or compromises the integrity or reputation of the
Club. This may include events occurring on or off the club premises.
* Abusive or aggressive language or behaviour directed at any member of staff, member or
guest while on club premises, including the golf course.
* Bullying, harassment, and discriminatory behaviour (see appendix one) on club premises.
* Smoking in the clubhouse.
* Serious misuse of alcohol or drugs on club premises.
* Theft or fraud relating to the club.
* Cheating (i.e., knowingly breaking the rules of golf to gain advantage) in a golf competition
hosted by the club or club professional.
* Wilful and/or repeated breach of current club regulations including, but not restricted to,
restrictions imposed by external regulatory bodies (see appendix 2).
2.2 Unacceptable behaviour may be physical, verbal or in relation to electronic communication e.g.
email, social media etc.
3. Procedure
3.1 Alleged unacceptable behaviour should be reported to the General Manager or Board member in
the absence of the general Manager
The General Manager will decide the seriousness of the incident as quickly as possible, ideally within
a few days. This assessment may require an interview with the person who reported the incident(s)
(the complainant), the person who is the subject of the complaint (the respondent) and any other
person involved.
He/she may wish to take advice from others in confidence.
3.2 If there is concern regarding the welfare of a person as result of unacceptable behaviour, the
General Manager will pass the report to the club H/R Dept to deal with according to the
club’s “Safeguarding Adults” and/or “Safeguarding Children and Young Adults” policies. In these
circumstances, the General Manager, in agreement with the H/R Dept, are authorised to
suspend the respondent’s membership and/or ban the respondent from visiting the club if they
believe this is necessary to protect staff or club member. The respondent may still be subject to the
disciplinary procedure outlined in this policy, whether action is taken by another authority or
body.
3.3 Following initial enquires there are 4 options:
1. The matter is resolved and closed with no further action
2. The matter is dealt with by a verbal or written warning from the General Manager to a
member or guest.
3. The matter is referred to the Board. If this option is taken, the respondent
should, other than in exceptional circumstances, be informed in writing that a complaint has
been made against them which has been referred on to the Board. This will
include a brief description of the complaint, an assurance that he/she will be interviewed by
the disciplinary committee to defend any allegation of misconduct, and inform them that
they have a right to appeal any decision made.
4. The matter is referred to the police.
3.2 As a safeguard, regardless of which of these options is taken, all reports of unacceptable
behaviour received by the General Manager will be logged and presented to the Board
at the next Board meeting. The action taken can at that stage be either approved or
changed.
4. Disciplinary committee
Membership
4.1 Members of the disciplinary committee will include The General Manager who dealt
with the initial assessment. The General Manager will be joined by at least 1 other board member
from the current board of directors and 1 member of a club committee
The General Manager will chair the disciplinary committee, and one other club member,
who may or not be on the management committee. These three must have no direct
involvement, or have a conflict of interest in, the matter under investigation
4.2 The disciplinary committee will investigate the claim in detail. The primary purpose is to establish
as far as possible the facts of the case. The committee may decide how this can be done most
effectively, and by whom, but must be able to justify their approach in their report.
4.3 The complainant will be told who is on the disciplinary committee, and asked to submit, as soon
as possible, details of the complaint in writing to the chairperson. This should include details of the
alleged behaviour, dates and times, names of persons involved, including witnesses, and any
supporting evidence that may be available.
4.4 The respondent will be told who is on the disciplinary committee and, with very few exceptions,
will be interviewed by one or more of the disciplinary committees. They may bring another person
to
the interview if they wish, provided they inform the committee in advance. At the interview, as a
minimum, all the allegations made in the complaint must be given to the respondent in order that
they may respond. However, the respondent does not have an automatic right to read the written
complaint, nor do they have a right to know who made the complaint. This information may be given
at the discretion of the disciplinary committee. The respondent may choose to give their response in
full at the interview, or to submit a response in writing within 72 hours of the interview.
4.5 The process will usually involve interviews with the complainant, and witnesses to relevant
events. This may be done by telephone, electronically or in person. Regardless of the mechanism
used, all information given can, at the request of the interviewee, be given anonymously, unless
doing so puts someone at risk or impedes a legal investigation.
4.6 Other evidence may be obtained from emails, posts on social media or any other verifiable
sources.
4.7 The disciplinary committee will take all reasonable steps to prevent, mitigate and correct any
adverse effect that may arise because of the offence, to maintain the integrity of the club and
protect members, staff, and guests. This can include, at any time during the investigation,
suspension
of an individual’s membership of the club if, and only if, the member represents a risk
of harm to staff other users of the club while the investigation proceeds. A guest can be banned
from the club premises under the same conditions.
Report and recommendation
4.8 The disciplinary committee will submit a report to the management committee within 15 days of
their appointment. The report will include:
* Confirmation of the members of the disciplinary committee
* A copy of the written compliant
* A copy of any written response(s) from the respondent
* Details of procedure
* Details of the facts determined by the investigation, and any limitations to the authenticity
of the facts presented. They must ensure that anonymity requested by witnesses is
respected.
* Either:
* A recommendation that the case be dismissed, or
* A recommendation that the complaint is upheld, and the sanction(s) to be imposed
on a member or members based on the information reported.
4.9 The committee will, by majority vote, decide to:
* Accept the recommendations of the report, or
* Increase or decrease the recommend sanction(s) or
* No sanction is required.
4.10 The committee chairperson will write to the respondent, within 72 hours, the informing him or
her of:
* Outcome of the investigation and the sanction imposed if any
* his/or her right to appeal according to the appeals procedure, stating the grounds on which
an appeal may be based, documented in section 6.
5. Possible sanctions
5.1 Following an investigation, if a case is upheld, the Club may impose sanctions or other penalties
on the individual(s) concerned. Any sanctions imposed will reflect the seriousness of the situation
that has occurred. Sanctions will usually, but not always, be one or more of the following:
a) A written warning about future conduct
b) Temporary ban from the course and/or competitions
c) Temporary ban from club facilities
d) Financial penalty
e) Membership suspended and/or withdrawn, with or without refund of subscription
f) Access to the course or Clubhouse as a visitor/guests denied
g) Notification to the Police
6. Appeals procedure
6.1 An appeal against a disciplinary decision can be lodged by informing the Club Board of directors
in writing
within 5 working days of the notification of decision. This must set out the grounds on which the
appeal is based, which should be either:
* New evidence that was not considered by the disciplinary committee, or
* Evidence that the investigation procedure was flawed.
6.2 The Board of Directors will appoint an appeal panel comprising 2 club members who have
not been involved with the original investigation, and have no conflict of interest in relation to the
complaint. These may or may not be current members of the management committee.
6.3 The appeal panel will be given the letter of appeal from the appellant, the report from the
disciplinary committee, and all the evidence assimilated during their investigation (but ensuring that
anonymity requested by witnesses is respected).
6.4 The appellant will be invited to meet with the appeal panel within 2 weeks of the appeal being
lodged. The appellant will be informed who is on the panel. Both the appeal panel and the appellant
have the right to be accompanied by one other named person at this meeting, and must declare this
in advance.
6.5 At the meeting, the appellant will be given the opportunity to state in detail the grounds for
appeal, verbally or in writing. The appeals committee may ask questions to clarify the appellant’s
statement.
6.6 The appeal panel will decide and inform the appellant, and the chair of the disciplinary
committee, in writing within 72 hours of the meeting. The outcome of the appeal will take one of
three forms:
1 The original decision is upheld, and the disciplinary sanction stands.
2 The original decision is substantially confirmed, but a less severe sanction should be
imposed.
3 The original decision is overruled, and the disciplinary sanction is withdrawn.
6.7 The decision of the appeal panel final, and there is no further right of appeal.
7. Miscellaneous provisions
7.1 The disciplinary committee and the appeal panel are not obliged to follow strict rules of
evidence. They may review any evidence as they see fit, and accord it such weight as they think
appropriate and reasonable.
7.2 The standard of proof in all cases before the disciplinary committee and the appeal panel is the
balance of probabilities.
7.3 The time frames stated are recommendations that should be met in most cases. They may be
extended provided there are reasonable and credible extenuating circumstances for doing so.
7.4 If the disciplinary committee or appeal panel deems it appropriate, bearing in mind all the
circumstances surrounding the case, they may request an independent person to act as adviser to
the committee/panel.
7.5 The Club will not be liable to any person or body for any loss arising out of, or in connection with,
any disciplinary action taken under these procedures.
7.6 Any stipulation in this policy that a communication should be given “in writing” includes
correspondence by email, but not by text message or using social media
7.7 A record of all complaints investigated by the disciplinary committee will be kept securely and
confidentially at the club. As a minimum, this will comprise the disciplinary committee’s report, and
a record of the appeal meeting (if applicable), and all correspondence to and from the club relating
to the investigation. The record will be stored for a minimum of 5 years to a maximum of 15 years,
and will be accessible later only to members of the incumbent management committee.
The record will have external labelling showing the name of the respondent, date on which the case
was concluded, and the proposed date for destruction.
