One of Northamptonshire's Finest Golf Courses
Hi Ladies
Thank you all for a lovely away day
We had a lot of fun and games. The scenery was amazing as usual. We had a very mixed day weather wise but we had a lovely day anyway.
Nearest the pin: Alison Marr
Winning team: Lorna, Alison, Ann and Jackie
£13 collected from bunker visits for Lakelands charity
Thank you for supporting this event
Lorna
🏌🏽♀️🏌🏽♀️🏌🏽♀️
Members and guests are all reminded that an acceptable standard of behaviour is expected in all areas of the Clubhouse and course, at all times and that upon payment of membership or green fees, all members and guests have given their consent to be bound by both the restrictions and penalties which may be imposed for any breach of the club’s standards or serious misconduct in failing to meet the standards set in this Code of Conduct.
Members will be liable for any breach committed whether by themselves or their guests.
R&A Rule 1.2 – Standards of Player Conduct:
All players are expected to play in The Spirit of the Game
R&A Rule 1.2b – Code of Conduct
The [Golf Club} has adopted the following Code of Conduct as a Local Rule
On the course:
In the clubhouse:
Whilst fully acknowledging that adult “banter” contributes to creating a healthy atmosphere amongst members, these rules are designed to safeguard others who find such banter offensive or intimidating. This Code of Conduct is not intended to create a bureaucratic, regulatory environment, but rather to promote and enhance our Club’s values.
A person engaging in any behaviour that may be detrimental to the game of golf or Shandon Golf Club is in breach of the code of conduct and should be reported to the Club Captain.
It is in the best interests of the game that such behaviour is reported, and all players, members and members of the public are encouraged and have a duty to report such behaviour.
The [Golf Club] will appoint a Disciplinary Committee to oversee the complaints procedure set out in Section 4 and to conduct investigation, hearings and impose penalties within the guidelines in Section 7 as may be deemed necessary.
The Committee will be made up of:
The Disciplinary Committee will be responsible for implementing this policy in a fair and impartial manner. The Men’s Club Captain will act as Convenor.
Complaints and Protests:
Complaints may be made by any person including a competitor, member, visiting guests, other associated golf club members, and members of the public.
Complaints must be made in the first instance to either the [Golf Club] Management or the Club Captain of the [Golf Club], within 3 working days of the matter occurring. These must be then followed up in writing in an acceptable timeframe.
Once received the Club Captain will determine the offence, and grade it in accordance with Section Grading of Complaints below. The Club Captain will then take the following actions.
The Club Captain will be responsible for keeping all parties involved informed about the complaints process.
All complaints and charges are to be graded 1 to 3 with 1 being the lightest grading and 3 the most serious. This is done by reference to Appendix 1 and the following notes.
The Club Captain is required to determine the grading of the offence. The grading allocated will determine the action to be taken and the potential penalty a player may receive. Therefore, consistency of grading across offences is important and it is a requirement that records are kept supporting the grading process.
On some occasions, the Club Captain may not recommend a grading because of the seriousness of an incident and may automatically refer the charge to the Disciplinary Committee.
Penalties:
There is no penalty under the Rules of Golf for failing to act in this way, except that the Committee may disqualify a player for acting contrary to the spirit of the game if it finds that the player has committed a serious misconduct.
However, in adopting this Code of Conduct as a Local Rule the [Golf Club] may impose the following penalties for player misconduct.
If a complaint is upheld by the Disciplinary Committee, it shall give its decision in writing, within 5 days, with reasons for the decision and any penalty imposed.
It would be expected that the Disciplinary Committee will deal severely with proven cases of serious misconduct and in some cases the conduct may constitute a criminal offence in which case the matter should be referred to the Police.
General examples of grading of complaints of conduct likely to bring the game into disrepute (not an exhaustive list)
Grade 1 Offences
Grade 2 Offences
Grade 3 Offences
Grade 1 Offence
If no previous offences any one of the following processes will be adopted:
1. Verbal warning with notice on file.
2. Written warning issued to member.
3. Penalty of suspension imposed by Disciplinary Committee.
If the next incident is a Grade 2 offence, then that process will override the above.
Grade 2 Offence
If no previous offences any one of the following processes will be adopted depending on the seriousness of the offence:
1. Written warning issued to member.
2. Penalty of suspension imposed by Disciplinary Committee.
3. Penalty of expulsion as determined by the Disciplinary Committee
If the offence is considered serious, or there are other recent offences, then a step can be passed at the discretion of the Disciplinary Committee.
Grade 3 Offence
Depending on the seriousness of the offence any one of the following actions may be adopted.
1. Written warning issued to member.
2. Penalty of suspension imposed by Disciplinary Committee.
3. Penalty of expulsion as determined by the Disciplinary Committee
Step 1 will only be taken if the offence is of a lesser scale otherwise a penalty of suspension will usually be imposed.
A clean slate policy will apply to any offence after a twelve-month period from date of last penalty.
Disciplinary Committee Functions
The disciplinary committee will meet on an as required basis to perform the following functions:
– Review complaints information notices in relation to grade 1 offence and ensure consistency in application
– Consider all grade 2 and 3 complaints and appeals to a grade 1 penalty
– Where necessary hold investigations, including a hearing into the complaint or appeal
Notice of any hearing of the Disciplinary Committee shall be given, in the case of a complaint, to the person or persons the subject of the complaint and the complainant; and in the case of an appeal, to the persons affected by the appeal and the appellant.
The notice will specify the date time and place of any hearing and will be accompanied by copies of all material relevant to the complaint. The notice will also specify if the hearing is to be attended by written submissions or whether the parties are required to attend in person, with the opportunity to have representation attend also. Hearings will be in private with only the accused and his/her representative and the Disciplinary Committee.
No formal legal representative or counsel shall be entitled to attend, provided that the Disciplinary Committee may receive such legal advice as it deems necessary.
Any participant to the hearing will advise if a conflict of interest could be lodged by any party.
Document Review Every 24 months from the date submitted.
1. STATEMENT OF INTENT
1.1 Priors Hall Golf Club shares the belief of England Golf and Northamptonshire County Golf Union & Association, that golf belongs to everyone. All who play and all who aspire to play must have an equal opportunity to do so.
1.2 The Club is committed to the principles of equality and diversity throughout its membership, its elected committee, and any others with whom the Club engages.
1.3 The Club considers that everyone should play their part in making golf inclusive and aims to ensure that all people, irrespective of background or Protected Characteristics, have a genuine opportunity to engage with golf. We will not disadvantage any individual by imposing conditions or requirements which cannot be justified.
2. WHO DOES THIS POLICY APPLY TO?
2.1 This Policy shall apply to, and be binding upon Priors Hall Golf Club, its Holding Officers, Elected Committee and Members or persons acting for or on behalf of the Club.
3. OTHER IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS
This policy works with other documents adopted by the Club, in particular:
4. POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
A. WHAT WE WILL DO
1. Promote fairness, equality, diversity, and respect for everyone working, volunteering, or participating in the sport of golf or otherwise engaging with the Club.
2. Ensure that all competitions, events, and activities are administered by the Club are carried out in a fair and equitable way (except where specific situations and conditions prevent this, or where we consider that Positive Action is a proportionate way to achieve a legitimate aim).
3. Monitor and review Club policies, procedures, and regulations to ensure that they are consistent with the requirements of this policy, including policies relating to admission to membership.
4. Where practical we will take steps to monitor the diversity of the Club’s members, participants, players, volunteers, and others that we may engage with in order to measure and assess the impact of this policy
5. Provide appropriate training and support to staff, volunteers, officials, and others.
6. Make reasonable adjustments for those with a disability.
7. Publish this policy on the Club website.
B. WHAT WE WON’T DO
1. Discriminate against anyone, either directly or indirectly, on the basis of a Protected Characteristic.
2. Subject anyone to less favourable treatment on the basis of them doing a Protected Act (victimisation).
3. Subject anyone to harassment in relation to a Protected Characteristic.
If you are concerned about the behaviour or conduct of someone at a Club event, someone representing the Club, or any other breach of this policy:
5.1 please report the matter to the Club Secretary within 14 days incident in writing, all contact details for the club secretary are found in the club handbook, giving as much detail as possible.
5.2 If the matter is reported verbally, and you are able, please follow the verbal report in writing as soon as possible.
5.3 The Club will consider the appropriate way to deal with the matter, which may include referring the matter to and/or seeking guidance from England Golf.
6. HOW WE WILL DEAL WITH BREACHES OF THIS POLICY
6.1 When we receive a report or a concern that relates to this policy, we will ask the Disciplinary Secretary to consider the matter initially. They will consider the appropriate next steps, which may include the following:
a. seeking further information in relation matters raised
b. seeking guidance from England Golf or any other appropriate body or organisation
c. referring the matter to another body or organisation
d. dealing with the matter informally
e. deciding which procedure is the most appropriate, such as the Safeguarding Policies, or the Disciplinary Regulations, to progress the matter formally.
6.2 The Club will usually inform the person reporting the matter of the next steps and/or the outcome of the matter. However, there may be circumstances in which we are not able to disclose full details to the reporting individual. This may be because the law prevents us from doing so, because some information is confidential or to protect the safety or wellbeing of those involved.
7. KEY CONCEPTS, DEFINITIONS AND EXAMPLES
A. The Equality Act 2010 and Discrimination
Every individual and organisation to whom this Policy applies must not act in a way which is directly or indirectly discriminatory on the basis of a Protected Characteristic.
The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful to discriminate directly or indirectly against individuals or groups with certain “Protected Characteristics”. The “Protected Characteristics” are listed in section 4 of the Act:
Direct Discrimination
Direct Discrimination is defined at section 13(1) of the Equality Act 2010: “A person (A) discriminates against another (B) if, because of a protected characteristic, A treats B less favourably than A treats or would treat others.”
For example, if an action or decision is taken by a club which treats females less favourably than males, this would be considered direct discrimination on the grounds of sex, which is a protected characteristic.
Indirect Discrimination
Indirect Discrimination is defined at section 19(1) of the Equality Act 2010: “A person (A) discriminates against another (B) if A applies to B a provision, criterion or practice which is discriminatory in relation to a relevant protected characteristic of B’s.”
Indirect discrimination occurs where less favourable treatment is not the main effect or objective of an action or decision.
The nature of indirect discrimination is that the discriminatory effect can be an unexpected or unforeseen effect of a good faith decision. Complaints of indirect discrimination should be considered carefully and objectively, and not dismissed out of hand purely because the effect was not an expected or intentional one.
If, for example, a club has a rule or practice that certain competitions are only played on Saturdays, this would prevent members with certain religious beliefs from taking part in the competition. Although it may not have been the intention of the golf club, the effect is the less favourable treatment of members on the grounds of religion or belief, which is a protected characteristic. This is indirect discrimination.
Actions and Intentions
An action or decision can still be considered discriminatory even if the less favourable treatment is unintentional. It may not always be obvious to the perpetrator that their actions are discriminatory. Indirect discrimination is often unintentional, but it is not a defence to an allegation of discrimination to say that the perpetrator did not mean to discriminate against a person or group.
Discrimination can arise out of actions and decisions but can also arise out of omissions and failure to take actions or decisions.
Reasonable Adjustments
Everybody to whom this Policy applies is under a duty to make reasonable adjustments to avoid discriminating against any individual or group with the Protected Characteristic of Disability.
The duty is to make reasonable adjustments. It is not unreasonable for adjustments to cost time, money, or other resources. However, an adjustment may not be reasonable if the cost is disproportionately high or making the adjustment would be unfeasible. The resources required to make an adjustment are an important factor to be considered in deciding whether an adjustment is reasonable.
Positive Action
It can be lawful to make decisions that discriminate on the basis of a Protected Characteristic in very limited and exceptional circumstances, if the discrimination is a ‘Positive Action’ taken in order to address an underrepresented group or Protected Characteristic. Positive Actions must be reasonable, justifiable, and clearly linked to a legitimate aim. Where a club decides to take Positive Action in respect of an underrepresented group, it should carefully record its decision making and the evidence it has considered and review the practice regularly to ensure that the Positive Action does not continue for longer than reasonably necessary.
Examples
In a golfing context, some examples of discrimination might include:
B. Harassment
Harassment is defined in section 26(1) of the Equality Act 2010. Harassment occurs where a person engages in unwanted conduct related to a Protected Characteristic (outlined in the Equality Act 2010), which has the purpose of either:
In determining whether conduct amounts to harassment, regard is had to:
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment occurs where a person engages in unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, and the conduct has the purpose or effects outlined above.
One Off Incidents
A single, isolated, or one-off incident can still amount to harassment. The key consideration is the purpose or effect of the conduct.
Protection from Harassment Act 1997
Harassment can still occur even if it not based on a Protected Characteristic. The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 made it a civil, and sometimes a criminal, offence to carry out a course of conduct that amounts to harassment.
Examples
In a golfing context, some examples of unlawful harassment might include:
C. Victimisation
Victimisation is defined in section 27(1) of the Equality Act 2010.
Victimisation occurs where a person suffers a detriment because they do a protected act or are believed to have done a protected act.
Protected Act
A protected act includes making a complaint (whether in writing or not, formally, or informally) or bringing legal proceedings under the Equality Act 2010 in relation to discrimination, harassment, bullying, or any other issue related to equality, diversity, or Protected Characteristics.
Detriment
A detriment can be any less favourable treatment, including direct acts such as suspensions, fines, sanctions, and verbal and physical aggression.
It is not necessary to show that somebody is being treated less favourably than somebody else who did not do a protected act, only that they have been subject to a detriment because of a protected act.
Examples
In a golfing context, some examples of unlawful victimisation include:
De-selecting a player from a squad or team because that person has made a complaint.
8. Further guidance and support
You can find further information from the following sources:
As from Friday 28th October Pick and Place on ALL fairways & green surrounds will be in operation.
Please play it as it lies in the rough until further notice.
As from next week, Winter Mats will be in play on ALL par 3’s as well as the first hole.
The rest of the teeing off areas will be assessed on a weekly basis.
Thanks
PHGC
Local rules for current winter events
Pick and place is allowed on fairways and in the rough.
In red penalty areas ( there are no yellow penalty areas on Priors Hall Golf
Course) the ball is played as it lies.
In bunkers the ball may be picked, cleaned and placed within six inches of it’s original spot not nearer the hole.
Clubhouse and Hospitality areas
Although not obligatory some members may feel that it is still appropriate to wear a face covering when moving around inside the clubhouse.
Congratulations to our very own Arthur Lenaghan who triumphed in the County Seniors Nett Championship on Monday at Wellingborough.
.
With a very strong entry list and the course suitably set up for the occasion Arthur managed a nett 69 to win by one stroke.
He also led the Priors Hall three man team of Nick Toseland and Jack Marr to victory in the nett team event.
. 2021 Higgs Bowl
Congratulations to Jack Marr the winner of the County Higgs Bowl.
Well done to Phil Holden, Graham Gow and Robert Muir who secured victory in the 2021 Northants County AM AM held at Priors Hall. They just managed to beat the Captain’s team and a strong Rushden team by one shot to secure victory.
This brought the Priors Hall victories in county events in 2021 to four.
A fantastic effort.
Priors Hall policies covering adults and children are shown below
PHGC-Safeguarding-Adults-Policy-2020-FINAL