The purpose of this association shall be to encourage participation in the sport of golf, climaxed with an annual invitational golf tournament for deaf golfers held by a Midwestern state specified as Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Section 2: Tournament Hosts

No state other than the ones named in Article II, Section 1 is eligible to host the annual tournament.

ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1: Membership

Membership in this association shall be open to deaf men. The minimum age of membership shall be 18 years.

NOTE: The word "deaf" as used herein, shall mean either total loss of hearing or hearing so severely impaired as to constitute a handicap in the normal world. The level of hearing loss shall be at least 55dB.

Section 2: Suspension/Expulsion

Any member may be suspended or expelled from the rights and privileges of his membership if such action(s) are proven to be a detriment to this association and its members.

a. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Council is a sufficient cause for suspension or expulsion.

b. Such members shall have the right to appeal such decision before the membership assembly.

ARTICLE IV - DUES

Section 1: Rate of dues

The assembly shall determine the rate of annual dues.

Section 2: Payment due

The membership dues shall be payable annually before or on the determined deadline when the entry fees must be paid.

Section 3: State Affiliation Fee

Each state shall pay an annual affiliation fee. This fee is required for discussion and voting privileges at Council meetings.

ARTICLE V - OFFICERS, DELEGATES AND TERMS OF OFFICE

Section 1: Officers

The officers of this association shall be the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer, each of whom shall be elected for a term of two (2) years. The term of office of the above officers shall commence on January 1 of the following year.

Section 2: Trustees

Three (3) trustees, whose terms of office shall be one (1), two (2) and three (3) years respectively, shall be elected by the membership.

Section 3: Elections

The election for the President and the Secretary shall be held in even-numbered years while the Vice-President and the Treasurer shall be elected in odd-numbered years. Annually, an election shall be held to fill a vacancy created by the departing trustee at end of his term. Candidates for the above offices must be present to be nominated from the floor at the membership meeting. Each candidate must be a resident of a Midwestern state as specified in Article II, Section 1.

Section 4: Council

All of the above elected individuals shall comprise the Council along with the host chairman of the current tournament, the Hall of Fame chairpersons, the Historian, the Handicapper, two (2) most recent past Presidents and at most two (2) delegates from each Midwestern state as specified in Article II, Section 1 and Article IV, Section 3.

Section 5: Delegates

A delegate shall be elected by his people from any golf-affiliated organization in his state and shall serve three (3) years.

ARTICLE VI - DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section 1: President

The President shall preside over all meetings of this association and enforce due observance to the bylaws. He shall see that appeals being made to the Council whose rulings shall be made as promptly as possible. Such rulings shall be final until the next annual meeting of this association. He shall approve all invoices and co-sign checks issued by this association. Upon the approval of the Council, he shall establish any committee and appoint members in good standing to serve on such committee(s). He shall appoint a qualified member of the Hall of Fame to be the chairperson of the Hall of Fame committee. He shall appoint a qualified member of the Hall of Fame to be the historian. He shall appoint a qualified member of this association to be the handicapper.

Section 2: Vice-President

The Vice-President shall work in close cooperation with the President and assume as many duties as the President assigns. He shall be assigned to chair the Law Committee consisting of members in good standing appointed by the President. He shall ascend to the Presidency when the office should be declared vacant prior to the annual meeting. He shall perform all duties of the President in his absence. He shall be the liaison person to the Hall of Fame committee.

Section 3: Secretary

The Secretary shall maintain an updated five-year membership mail list, mail out announcements and approve the entry forms. He shall answer all mail within seven (7) days and keep the President fully informed on all official correspondence by sending him copies of all communications. He shall record the minutes of all official council, general and special meetings of this association. He shall also serve as Publicity Director for this association and shall publish a MDGA NEWSLETTER focusing on past and future events in the United States and Canada. The newsletter shall be published two (2) times a year and shall be available to all dues-paying members. He also shall refer all historical data of this association since the inception to the historian.

Section 4: Treasurer

The Treasurer shall pay all invoices and bills only upon warrants signed by the President. He shall keep an itemized account of all receipts and disbursements and submit financial reports at all council and general meetings. He shall collect all membership fees, registration fees, entry fees and any other monies payable to the association. All financial reports prepared by the Treasurer are subject to an audit by the trustees at least one day before the annual meeting. He shall also devise means to raise funds for the purpose of improving tournament prizes.

Section 5: Trustees

The trustees shall consider it their duty to see to it that the administrations of this association are faithfully and accurately kept. They shall be responsible to arrange foursomes for all three days of the tournament. They shall audit the financial reports before the annual meeting. They shall be assigned by the President to any duties whichever to ease the workload of the treasurer during the tournament.

ARTICLE VII - REMUNERATION OF OFFICERS

Section 1: President

The President shall be reimbursed for a total entry fee excluding his membership fee, registration fee and prize fee. He shall be given lodging for four nights at one-half (1/2) of the room rate.

Section 2: Vice-President

The Vice-President shall be given lodging for four nights at one-fourth (1/4) of the room rate. However, he shall be given the same privileges whenever he assumes the duties for which the President is compensated in case of the President's absence.

Section 3: Secretary

The Secretary shall be reimbursed for a total entry fee excluding his membership fee,registration fee and prize fee. He shall be given lodging four nights at one-half (1/2) of the room rate.

Section 4: Treasurer

The Treasurer shall be reimbursed for a total entry fee excluding his membership fee, registration fee and prize fee. He shall be given lodging four nights at one-half (1/2) of the room rate.

Section 5: Trustees

Each trustee shall receive a salary determined by this association.

Section 6: Delegates

Each State Deaf Golf organization shall assume the responsibility of reimbursing expense for accommodations incurred by their delegates.

Section 7: State Organizations

Under no circumstances shall a State Deaf organization incur indebtedness in the name of this association.

ARTICLE VIII - MEETINGS

Section 1: Council

The Council shall hold its annual meeting no later than three (3) o'clock in the afternoon on the day before the first round of the tournament.

Section 2: General Membership

The general membership meeting shall be held the evening before the first round for business and elections.

Section 3: Special Membership

The President may call a special meeting at any time, if he deems it necessary, during the tournament week.

Section 4: Rules Meeting

A briefing session shall be held after the general membership meeting concentrating on the explanation of local golf rules, pairings for first round and announcements about the tournament.

ARTICLE IX - QUORUM

Section 1: Council

Eight (8) members, including at least three (3) officers and at least (5) delegates, of the Council shall constitute a quorum for any official meeting of the Council.

Section 2: Membership

One-third (1/3) of the current membership of this association shall constitute a quorum for the general and special membership meetings.

ARTICLE X - ANNUAL TOURNAMENT AND HOST

Section 1: Date and Bidding Procedure

The annual golf tournament of this association shall be held during the week of the first Wednesday in August. Bids for the tournament must be made three (3) years in advance. In order for the membership to consider a site, three (3) or more members from the bidding area must be present at the meeting when a bid is made.

Section 2: Deposit

The host shall be required to make a deposit of $100.00 for the right to bid as host for the tournament. If successful with a bid, the deposit shall be placed in escrow and applied to proceeds from the tournament. After the successful completion of the tournament, the deposit will be returned to the host.

Section 3: Registration

The Treasurer shall collect entry fees, including registration fees. He shall turn over monies excluding membership and registration fees to the host prior to the beginning of the tournament.

Section 4: Accounting

The chairman of the tournament shall provide a full accounting of all monies collected and spent for the tournament and for any affair held in the name of this association.

Section 5: Guidelines

The host shall follow the guidelines for making the tournament possible and successful. A copy of guidelines shall be attached to the bylaws upon the request of the host.

Section 6: Rights of the Association

The association reserves the right to conduct any activity on any one day during the tournament for the purpose of fund-raising.

ARTICLE XI - HALL OF FAME

Section 1: Purpose

The purpose of the association's Hall of Fame is to honor outstanding deaf golfers and deaf golf leaders who have contributed exceptional service to the sport of golf in the regional area of this association.

Section 2: Committee

The Hall of Fame Committee shall consist of a Chairperson selected by the President, the Historian and at least five (5) Hall of Fame members, including at least one (1) past officer. The Chairperson shall select the five Hall of Fame members with the approval of the President. The Chairperson shall serve his position as long as he desires. However, the President shall use his authority to terminate the Chairperson's term, if he deems it necessary, and appoint a new Chairperson. The term of the Committee members shall be unlimited. However, it shall be up to the discretion of the Chairperson to dismiss any Committee member, if deemed necessary, and replace him. The Chairperson shall fill vacancies, if any.

Section 3: Remuneration

The Chairperson shall receive an allowance per year determined by this association. This association shall reimburse Committee members for reasonable expenses incurred in the selection of candidates.

Section 4: Contributions

The chairperson shall welcome contributions from other sources to benefit the Hall of Fame and shall make a report at each Council meeting of this association.

Section 5: Nominations and Procedures

The chairperson shall mail out nomination forms to members of the committee three months prior to each tournament. Balloting will be finalized one month prior to the tournament. The voting by the committee shall be on a five-three-one (5-3-1) basis, with the first preference receiving five (5) votes, second preference three (3) votes and third preference one (1) vote. Those candidates receiving a majority of votes shall be declared elected into the Hall of Fame. No more than three (3) persons shall be inducted every year.

Section 6: Requirements for candidates

A candidate must have participated in at least ten (10) MDGA tournaments and have accumulated sixty (60) points in order to be eligible for nomination to the Hall of Fame. However, exceptional candidates with less than the minimum awarded points may be placed on the ballot by a vote of two-thirds of the Hall of Fame committee.

The number of points shall be awarded as follows:

Tournament Participant – 2 points
Tournament Champion – 10 points
Flight Champion – 5 points
President – 5 points
Vice-President – 5 points
Secretary – 5 points
Treasurer – 5 points
Tournament Committee – 3 points
Tournament Chairperson – 10 points
Trustee – 3 points
Delegate – 3 points

Section 7: Recognition

Each person duly inducted into the Hall of Fame of this association shall receive a plaque in recognition of the honor. A recent photo of the newly inducted member shall be requested. The names of the persons inducted into the Hall of Fame shall be printed in each program book, if any, by the host of the tournament.

Section 8: Special Awards

Special awards and considerations of Old Timers shall be left to the discretion of the Hall of Fame committee.

ARTICLE XII - HISTORIAN

The Historian shall keep a record of all historical data of this association since the inception, arranged in chronological order. He shall also keep any printed materials in relation to this association. He shall bring all the historical data to tournaments for members and guests to browse through. He shall be a current member of the Hall of Fame and shall serve on the Hall of Fame Committee.

ARTICLE XIII - HANDICAPPER

The Handicapper shall maintain tournament handicaps for all MDGA 18-hole tournament participants. He shall receive a salary as determined by this association.

ARTICLE XIV - AMENDMENTS

These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote by the membership at this association's general meeting.

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