Rule Infractions & Discipline
Most Whitevale members obey the Club rules and follow the appropriate standards of golf course behaviour. But from time to time, situations do occur that warrant investigation and disciplinary action. The following paragraphs describe how those situations are addressed.
Categories of Infractions
Dress Code (clothing, soft spikes)
Pace of Play (casual & competitive play)
Treatment of Facilities (equipment, the golf course, booking privileges)
General Conduct (etiquette, alcohol consumption, profanity)
Rules of Golf (competitive play, cheating, sandbagging)
Dress Code
Standard of measurement - Whitevale Dress Code, Whitevale Soft Spike policy
Reporting an infraction - The person observing the infraction should notify the senior staff member in the Pro Shop. If the infraction occurs in the Clubhouse, then it should be reported to the most senior staff member in the Clubhouse.
Process - The senior staff member asks the member (or guest) to conform to the Dress Code or Soft Spike policy. If the person conforms, no further action is taken. If the person refuses to conform, then they are not physically stopped, but the incident is documented by the staff member and forwarded to the Chair of the Discipline Committee for review.
The Chair of the Discipline Committee will contact the member (if the incident involved a guest, then the member who introduced the guest) to discuss what occurred. If there is general agreement on the facts, and the member shows remorse, he or she will write the incident up for the member's file and no further action will be taken. Otherwise, the Chair of the Discipline Committee will initiate the Member Discipline Process.
Pace of Play
The pace of play standard and process are currently in development.
Treatment of Facilities
Standard of measurement - Whitevale Club Policies
Reporting an alleged violation - The person observing an alleged violation should prepare a written account of the incident and forward it to the Chair of the Discipline Committee.
The process - The Chair of the Discipline Committee will initiate the Member Discipline Process immediately upon receipt of the written account.
General Conduct
Standard of measurement - Whitevale Club Policies, community standards of behaviour
Reporting an alleged violation - The person observing an alleged violation should prepare a written account of the incident and forward it to the Chair of the Discipline Committee.
The process - The Chair of the Discipline Committee will initiate the Member Discipline Process immediately upon receipt of the written account.
Rules of Golf
Standard of measurement - Rules of Golf
Reporting an infraction - If during a competition, an individual believes that there has been a violation of the rules of golf, then that person should challenge it at the time it occurs. If this is not possible, then the person observing the infraction should write it up and give it to the Captain or the Director of Golf as soon as possible thereafter.
The process - If an action is disputed at the time it occurs, then the player who is being challenged should play two balls for the duration of the hole, in accordance with rule 3-3. On completing the round, the facts should be reported to the Director of Golf or the Captain for a ruling. If an action is disputed after the fact, then the Captain will rule in accordance with the Rules of Golf, as soon as possible.
Cheating is only of concern if it occurs in organized competition. If the Captain receives a written complaint about cheating, he or she will contact the writer and the accused to document their views of what occurred. If there is general agreement on the facts, and the accused shows remorse, then the Captain will write the incident up for the accused member's file and no further action will be taken. Otherwise, the Captain will initiate the Member Discipline Process.
If sandbagging is reported, the Captain will review the accused's scores and games of golf on the computer system. If the evidence suggests sandbagging, the member's handicap will be adjusted as though all missing games were scored at par, and the incident will be written up for the member's file. Subsequent incidents will be handled as General Conduct complaints.
Member Discipline Process
The member discipline process is designed to ensure that all written complaints concerning the alleged violation of WGC policies guiding the conduct of members are given careful, fair and full consideration, that all parties and witnesses to an alleged violation are given ample and fair opportunity to provide their account of the facts surrounding an alleged violation, and that any sanctions which result are fair and consistent.
The details of the member discipline process are contained in the WGC Policy #3.8 - Discipline Process. All members are responsible for informing themselves of this policy and conducting themselves accordingly.