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.
NORTHOP GOLF CLUB – POLICY FOR INCLUSION OF TRANSGENDER AND NON-BINARY GOLFERS
| Title | Policy for inclusion of transgender and non-binary golfers in Northop Golf Club Competitions |
| Author(s) | DP |
| Document date | 12/5/2025 |
| Version | 1.0 |
| Status | Approved by The Board |
| Document | Inclusion of transgender and non-binary golfers in Northop GC competitions |
| Next Review Date | Annually |
| Version | Date | Amended By | Summary of changes |
Policy for inclusion of transgender and non-binary golfers in Northop Golf Club competitions
1 Introduction
Wales Golf has adopted a Policy for inclusion of transgender and non-binary golfers in Wales Golf competitions; this policy can be found on their website walesgolf.org/competitions-policies
Wales Golf have given guidance to Welsh Golf clubs to develop their own policy for club golf
On this basis Northop Golf Club is committed to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion and this policy aims to balance the principles of fairness and gender inclusion in a way that is reasonable and proportionate for the sport of amateur golf when golfers play and compete at the club.
At the same time, the club must also ensure that fair and level competition is achieved as far as possible, within the context of competitive sport
Wales Golf in their policy (www.walesgolf.org/competitions-policies) have determined that golf is a “gender affected” sport as defined in applicable legislation. The physical strength, stamina or physique of average persons of a female sex would put them at a disadvantage compared to the average persons of a male sex as competitors in the sport of golf
The club will keep this policy and its impact under review and will continue to take into account of the developing evidence around the issue of transgender and gender diverse participation in sport and any impact upon the issue of fairness in competition
2. Application of the policy
The club respects the rights of all individuals to adopt a gender identity different than their sex assigned at birth. Except as set out below, individuals may participate in all club activity in all club activities without restriction. Unlawful discrimination, abuse or harassment, contrary to the Equality Act 2010, will not be tolerated by the club
This policy applies to golf competitions organised by Northop Golf club. It applies to transgender and non-binary golfers who wish to compete in a gender which is different to their sex assigned at birth
There is a group of rare chromosomal/genetic conditions, referred to as differences in sex development (DSD) conditions, which may require further discussion with Welsh golf
In the event that any person has a concern regarding an individual’s eligibility to participate within a competition, they should not attempt to raise those concerns with the individual. Any concerns should be directed to the club’s Golf Directors.
3. General Competition Eligibility
At all times, the club’s Competition Rules and Regulations for the relevant competition shall apply. Therefore, all entrants in Northop Golf Club competitions are required to have a valid WHS Handicap Index. WHS requires a golfer to identify as either Male or Female, only holding one gender category of WHS Handicap at a time
4.Handicap Competitions
Handicap competitions are either male or female or mixed competitions.
For male and female competitions, competitors are required to hold a WHS handicap which identifies them as male or female
For mixed competitions, competitors may compete in the gender in which they hold their WHS handicap
5. Scratch Competitions
Scratch competitions are either male or female or mixed competitions
For male competitions, players may compete in a competition if any one of the following circumstances applies: * their sex assigned at birth is male * they identify as a transgender male * they identify as non-binary
For female competitions, players may compete in a competition if any one of the following circumstances applies: * their sex assigned at birth was female, and they have not undergone or commenced any process to transition to a transgender male * they identify as non-binary, but their sex at birth was female and they have not undergone or commenced any process to transition to a transgender male
For mixed competitions players may only compete, on the basis for male and female golfers detailed above
Combined Competitions – Scratch and Handicap Combined Where there is a competition that allows individuals to play for both prizes (Scratch & Handicap), the eligibility requirements for players to win in either section of that competition will continue to apply. E.g. a transgender female would only be eligible to compete for the handicap competition prize and not for the scratch prize.
Definitions
The following terms have the following meaning in this policy
| Handicap Competitions | A competition played in accordance with Rule 3.1.c (2) of the rules of golfIn a handicap competition: The player’s ‘net score’ for a hole or the round is the gross score adjusted for the player’s handicap strokes.This is done so that players of differing abilities can compete in a fair way |
| Scratch Competitions | A competition played in accordance with Rule 3.1.c(1) of the rules of golfIn a scratch competition; The player’s ‘gross score’ for a hole or round is their total number of strokes (including strokes made and penalty strokes)*The players handicap is not applied |
| Sex assigned at birth | The designated sex, whether male or female, that is ascribed on the birth certificate |
| Non-binary | An umbrella term used to describe someone who does not identify exclusively as a man or woman |
| Transgender Woman | An individual assigned male at birth, who identifies as a female |
| Transgender Male | An individual assigned female at birth, who identifies as a male |
