Behaviour

All members shall behave appropriately at all times while on the club premises. All members, while on club premises, and while representing the club off premises, shall conduct themselves with consideration and respect for all other club members and employees. Rudeness, drunkenness, violence, threatening, harassment*, the use of profanity and similar actions are strictly prohibited. Violations will be subject to discipline as per the club disciplinary procedure below and may result in reprimand, suspension or expulsion. All members shall uphold the tradition of honesty inherent in the games of golf and curling at all times when keeping score and submitting scores for handicap and or league purposes.  Members shall, at all times, be fully responsible for the behaviour of their guests and children while on club premises and ensure that their guests and children adhere to the Club Code of Conduct. Members witnessing Code of Conduct violations by other members or guests shall follow the incident reporting procedure detailed below and not take it upon themselves to discipline other Members or Guests. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of any Club Member or Staff to report incidents or violations of this Code of Conduct in order to ensure that the high standards represented by the Sarnia Golf and Curling Club are maintained for the good of all.

Payment of Bills

All Members shall pay their bills on time each month.

Pets

No pets of any kind are permitted on club premises.

Parking

Members and Guests shall park in designated parking areas only. Handicap spaces are strictly reserved for those legally in possession of a government issued handicap permit and this permit must be displayed when the handicap space is being used.

Wireless Communication Device (WCD)

All Members and Guests shall limit the use of cell phones and other wireless devices as much as possible while on club premises. In particular, cell phone and wireless device usage must at no time interrupt or delay golf or curling games. All such usage shall be brief in duration, limited in frequency and conducted in a subdued voice so as not to disturb others. The use of cameras and cell phones and wireless devices equipped with cameras is strictly prohibited in the club dressing rooms.

Food & Beverage Areas

Only authorized personnel shall be allowed in any food or beverage area.

Employee Relations & Treatment

Members and their Guests are to treat employees with civility and respect at all times. Employees are employees of the Club, not of the Member and are not to be given direction by the Members.

Posting of Notices

No paper, notice or announcement is to be posted on Club premises without the prior consent of Club Management or appropriate Club Committee. No communication of any kind is to be issued on the club’s behalf or on Club stationery without prior consent of Club Management.

Damage

Members shall be responsible for any damage to Club property caused by themselves, their children or their Guests. Members and their Guests shall be responsible for any damage to property or bodily injury to others resulting from the use of the Club facilities including, but not limited to bodily injury and property damage resulting from the flight of any golf ball. No article of Club property may be removed from the premises.

Loss of Member & Guest Property

The Club is not responsible for the loss of, theft of, or damage to the personal property of any Member or Guest. All Members are urged to not leave valuables in their locker or unattended anywhere on the Club premises. Members should inform their guests of this policy.

Liquor & Beverage Policy

The Club’s policy of serving liquor will comply with current provincial statutes. Members and their Guests are required to use alcohol in a responsible manner. Management and Staff reserve the right, and have a legal obligation, to refuse service of alcohol if deemed necessary or appropriate. All alcoholic beverages consumed on the premises must be purchased from the Club are not to be removed from the Club premises.

Harassment & Discrimination

The Sarnia Golf & Curling Club is committed to providing all Members and Staff with an environment free from harassment* and discrimination. Sexual harassment and discrimination are illegal and will not be tolerated. All Members are expected to uphold this commitment and to treat other Members and Staff with respect at all times.

*Harassment - the act of systematic and/or continued unwanted and annoying actions of one party or a group, including threats and demands

Discipline

Members and Guests may not reprimand, abuse or harass in any manner whatsoever, other Members, Guests, or Staff at the Club. Matters of concern are to be brought to the attention of Management for further handling and closure. The Club reserves the right to reprimand, suspend, and/or expel from the membership, any person(s) who act in a manner deemed by the Club, to be detrimental to the Club and unacceptable in general.

The Member Code of Conduct also includes the following:

• Rules and Regulations (Golf Calendar)
• Golf Course Etiquette & Playing Restrictions
• Curling Etiquette
• Club Dress Code Policy
• Power & Pull Cart Rules
• Club Lightning Safety Policy
• Pace of Play Policy
• Rules of the Range
• Overdue Accounts Policy
• Physical and/or verbal gestures and/or words directed by a member to a person
• Any violation of the Laws of Ontario and/or Statutes of Canada including but not limited to the following: The Ontario Human Rights Code, Ontario Ministry of Labour Standards Act and Guidelines, Ontario Health and Safety Act and the Criminal Code of Canada.
• Other abuses and/or actions as defined by the Board on a case by case basis

Incident Reporting

Any Member, Staff, or Guest may file an incident report or complaint letter, either in written or electronic form.

All incidents shall be reported using a Sarnia Golf and Curling Club Incident Report, or by a formal letter of complaint delivered in either written or email form.  Using the prescribed methods, all reports should be completed and filed as close to the occurrence as reasonably possible.

Incident Reports/Letters of Complaint shall be directed to the President in a timely manner, usually through the General Manager.

Incident Handling

Upon receipt of an incident report/complaint letter, the President will determine if investigation is necessary and designate the appropriate Staff and/or Board Members who will determine the extent of the violation. The above action shall take place within seven (7) days of receipt of the report/complaint letter. The Board may, at its sole discretion, immediately suspend any or all parties involved in a complaint or incident pending further investigation.

The alleged offending party may be contacted by the President or anyone designated by the president to obtain their version of the event or actions noted in the complaint. In cases involving more than one person, all or some of the involved parties may be contacted by the President or anyone designated by the President to obtain their version of the event or actions noted in the complaint.

Disciplinary Procedure

The Board of Directors strives to enact disciplinary measures in a fair and reasonable manner, and conducts itself in all cases with good faith.  However, The Board reserves the right to take into account all factors such as severity of the offence, extent of the effect on other Members, Staff or Guests, and previous incident history in any disciplinary action decision.

Once all reports have been collected, parties heard, and investigation completed, the Board of Directors, or persons designated by the President shall then decide on what, if any, disciplinary action is required. This action may be, but is not limited to reprimand, suspension or expulsion. This disciplinary action will be prescribed in a timely manner. Said action will be solely at the discretion of the Board of Directors.  The party or parties involved must be given at least 15 days’ notice of the disciplinary action or termination.  This notice must give the reasons for the action, and may be given by any method reasonably intended to give actual notice, such as a registered letter.  This notice must also explain that the Member has the right to be heard orally, in writing, or in another format allowed by the articles or by-laws.  The Member must also be given the opportunity to be heard not less than 5 days prior to the disciplinary action or termination of Membership becoming effective, by those persons with authority to impose or revoke the disciplinary action or termination.  If the Member(s) addressed in the disciplinary action do not present their desire to be heard within the aforementioned timeline, it will be viewed as notification to the Board of Directors that the Member(s) do not wish to contest the decision levied.

Appealing a Disciplinary Decision

Any member may be granted one appeal to the Board of Directors, solely at the Board’s discretion. The written or electronic request for said appeal shall be delivered to the General Manager or the designate within fifteen (15) days of the original decision stating the reason(s) for the appeal. The Board shall consider the appeal within fifteen (15) days of receiving such written request for appeal and have the right to extend, decrease, rescind or uphold the terms of the previous decision. The Board of Directors shall issue their final decision within fourteen (14) days of receiving the appeal.

The decision of the Club to reprimand, suspend or expel any Member shall not give rise to any cause of action for a breach of contract, libel, slander, defamation of character or otherwise and each Member, by signing the acceptance of membership, is deemed to have waived any cause of action and to have released the Club and their respective Officers, Directors, Governors, agents and employees from any and all such claims.

Any Member who has been suspended or expelled from the Club shall remain liable to the Club for any unpaid entrance fees, annual dues or other indebtedness.

Sarnia Golf & Curling Club reserves the right to enforce the use of the Club's policies and procedures for overdue accounts.