CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

GOLDEN RACQUETS TENNIS AND PICKLEBALL CLUB

Founded June 9, 1980

CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

(Revised: January 2026)

​

• ​ARTICLE I - NAME​​

Section 1 The name of this Club shall be: Golden Racquets Tennis and Pickleball Club (hereafter, GR).

 

Section 2 The club shall have a Board of Directors consisting of volunteers elected or selected by its members. See Article IV below concerning club officers.​

​​

• ARTICLE II - PURPOSE

The purpose of this Club shall be to promote the sport of tennis and pickleball among senior citizens of Northern Virginia

(and neighboring vicinities) as a means of recreation, physical fitness, and the sharing of good fellowship. This Club functions as a non-profit organization.

 

• ARTICLE III - MEMBERS AND DUES

   

Section 1 This Club is designed for those already proficient playing tennis and pickleball and is not intended to provide instruction for persons desiring to learn the fundamentals of tennis or pickleball.

 

Section 2 Anyone fifty (50) years of age or older with a working email address shall be eligible to become a member, provided that the conditions of Paragraph 10, of the Administrative section of the ByLaws is satisfied. A seniority number will be assigned to each member according to their date of entry into membership. Lowest seniority will be accorded to those serving in volunteer positions on the club’s Board for the duration of their service.

 

Section 3 The Board shall determine the annual dues of this Club. Members who reach the age of 90 will be made honorary members and will not be assessed dues. Dues shall cover the estimated amount necessary for operation of the Club, such as administrative, hospitality and related costs.

 

Section 4 Each member shall have a vote at the club’s annual meeting and any special membership meetings. Members unable to attend meetings may provide a suitably worded proxy to an officer in person or by mail. Proxy statements shall be registered with the Club Secretary prior to taking votes.

 

• ARTICLE IV - OFFICERS, STANDING COMMITTEES, RELATED POSITIONS AND THEIR DUTIES

​​​

Section 1 Officers - The officers of this Club shall be a President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Newly elected officers and chairpersons shall take office on January 1.

​

Section 2 Committees - The Club shall have a Membership Committee, Operations and Planning committees for both tennis and pickleball, and two rating committees as standing committees. On occasion, The Club may establish ad hoc committees of limited duration. Related positions include a Chief Information Officer (CIO), Website Manager, Newsletter Editor and Venue Captains.

 

Section 3 The Board - There shall be a Board of Directors, hereafter referred to as the Board, consisting of the officers named in Section 1, Standing Committee Chairpersons, CIO, Website Manager, Newsletter Editor and former Presidents for a period of 2 years following their term of office. In the event of a vacancy in an elected office, the Board is authorized to appoint a temporary officer to serve until the next annual meeting of members.

​

Section 4 Board Duties - The Board shall exercise supervision over all affairs of the Club. The Board shall meet at the call of the President, but as a minimum shall meet prior to the start of the outdoor and indoor seasons. Any member may attend Board meetings as a non-voting participant. The Board shall establish and publish Operating Procedures on the club website.

​

Section 5 President Duties - The President is the Chief Executive Officer of the Club. The President shall call all meetings of the Board and preside over such meetings. The President shall be the presiding officer at the Annual Meeting of members. The President shall appoint ad hoc committees for special assignments and may make temporary appointments of no more than one (1) year to the Board of certain members who have been or will be helpful to the Club on a voluntary basis. The President shall be a member ex officio on all committees.

​

Section 6 Vice President Duties - The Vice-President shall perform all duties as may be assigned to him or her by the President or the Board. In the absence of the President, the Vice President (or another officer designated by the Board) shall preside over meetings of the Board and/or the Annual Meeting.

​

Section 7 Secretary Duties - The Secretary shall record the proceedings of all Board and membership meetings and perform other duties assigned by the President.

​

Section 8 Treasurer Duties - The Treasurer shall handle the Club's financial affairs, perform necessary banking duties and submit a current financial statement at Board and Annual Membership meetings. The Treasurer shall receive all payments from members, maintain a record of these payments, inform the President of the Club's financial status and of any member who is delinquent in payments. Payments of $500.00 or more shall require approval of the Treasurer and President or Vice-President. The books of the Treasurer shall be reviewed annually.

​

Section 9 Membership Chair Duties - There shall be a Membership Committee consisting of a Chair appointed by the President with the approval of the Board and, as ex-officio members, the President, CIO, the tennis and pickleball ops and planning chairs. The Chair will ensure that all functions related to Club membership – recruitment, retention, accurate rolls – are carried out in a timely manner and in accord with the constitution and bylaws of the Club. The Membership Chair will also provide welcoming information to new members and answer most questions about the GR rating system.

​

Section 10 Chief Information Officer Duties – The President shall appoint with approval of the Board a Chief Information Officer. The Chief Information Officer shall be responsible for maintaining an up to date database of members to include their names, addresses, phones (both home and cell), email addresses, emergency information, rating, seniority, and such other information as needed.

​

Section 11 Website Manager Duties – The President shall appoint with approval of the Board a Web Manager. The Web Manager shall be responsible for maintaining the GR website to include current playing season venues, current sign-up forms, membership form, and other information provided by the President and other Board members.

​

Section 12 Newsletter Editor – The President shall appoint with approval of the Board a newsletter editor. The Newsletter editor shall be responsible for assembling and editing articles for a periodic newsletter in a form suitable for distribution and uploading to the Club website.

​

Section 13 Venue Captains - Venue Captains are appointed by the Chairs of Operations and Planning with the approval of the President. They shall arrange tennis and pickleball play in accordance with the guidance contained in the Operating Procedures.

 

Section 14 Rating Committees - There shall be a Rating Committee for tennis and a second for pickleball, each with a Chair appointed by the President. The members of the Committees shall be enlisted by the Chairs of the Rating Committees. Each committee shall rate each new member and current members in accordance with guidance on the club website.

 

Section 15 Operations and Planning Chair for Tennis – The President shall appoint with the approval of the Board an Operations and Planning Chair for Tennis. The Chair will be responsible for recruiting and training new captains in both the pairing process and the overall management responsibilities of their tennis venues. The Tennis Ops and Planning Chair will have the main responsibility for securing venues and courts for all GR members plus any expected influx of new members.

 

Section 16 Operations and Planning Chair for Pickleball – The President shall appoint with the approval of the Board an Operations and Planning Chair for Pickleball. The Chair will be responsible for recruiting and training new captains in both the pairing process and the overall management responsibilities of their pickleball venues. The Pickleball Ops and Planning Chair will have the main responsibility for securing venues and courts for all GR members plus any expected influx of new members.

 

Section 17 Ad hoc Committees The Board may set up, as needed, additional committees seen as useful to the membership.

Section 18 Removal of Officers, Chairs, and Captains – Members seeking removal of an Officer must first petition the Board. The petition must be signed by 15 members of GR or at least three members of the Board. Upon receipt of the petition the Board shall call a special meeting of the Board within 45 Days for the purpose of voting on the petition. Officers who have been proposed for removal shall have the opportunity to be heard at the special meeting. Removal of an Officer, Chair or Captain shall require a majority vote of the Board.

​

• ARTICLE V – MEETINGS

​​

Section 1 Annual Meeting - An Annual Meeting of the general membership shall be held on an appropriate date determined by the Board, either in-person or electronically. Additional membership meetings shall be scheduled by the President as necessary.

​

Section 2 Annual Meeting Conduct - Voting may be by voice, show of hands, electronically, or by written ballot in accordance with the wishes of the members present. Any member may submit proposals for consideration at any regular or special membership meeting. Proposals should be in writing and submitted to the Secretary at least two weeks prior to the meeting. Approvals of motions and elections of officers shall be determined by a majority of the members present and voting, including written proxies.

​

• ARTICLE VI - NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS​

Section 1 Nominations - Prior to a biennial Membership Meeting, the current President will appoint a nominating committee to propose potential candidates for the office of President. Nominations may also be accepted from the membership.

 

Section 2 Elections of the President may be held at an Annual Meeting of the membership or via email to all members. The President’s term of office in this Club shall be for two (2) years and a president may be re-elected

​

• ARTICLE VII – AMENDMENTS

This Constitution and its accompanying bylaws may be amended at the annual membership meeting or by such process as suggested by the Board and approved by email vote of the membership.

​

BYLAWS  

(Revised: January 2026)

 

PREAMBLE

 

These ByLaws and the Operating Procedures accompanying them establish the proper procedures for play and conduct of Club

officers and members. They are formulated to discourage any officer or member from independently establishing his or her ideas

of conduct which do not conform to the accepted and approved programs of the membership. While new ideas and methods are

welcome, it is not intended that any individual or group arbitrarily inject new procedures without the approval of the Board and the

membership, and that new procedures be introduced in an orderly manner. Because play occurs at several playing sites, standardized procedures are needed.

 

ADMINISTRATIVE

 

1. Indoor playing fees, expressed as the cost of one day's play per week multiplied by the number of weeks in the season, will be structured to include ball costs and indoor court fees. Indoor players will be charged a rate based on cost of play at the indoor site(s) to which they are assigned. Payments for playing fees are payable to GR and submitted to the Treasurer.

 

2. Failure on the part of any member to pay the required assessments prior to the start of either the summer or fall/winter

season shall be cause for excluding such member from participation until accounts have been satisfactorily resolved.

 

3. The Board will furnish members slot (= venue + time) reservation request forms with instructions for submission in accordance with deadlines. Members must indicate playing priorities to assist the slot assignment process. Payment for playing fees must accompany slot reservations.

 

4. A member’s slot request is generally awarded in order of their seniority ranking, but exceptions may occur if a venue is overbooked. (See “Membership” tab on the GR website.) If the member does not submit a request for a slot within the allocated sign-up period, or has already been assigned a first choice and has requested to play at additional venues, they will have no seniority in the selection process for any additional venues that are overbooked.

 

Members serving as an elected officer, a standing committee chair, or a venue captain for an entire season, summer or winter will be given a seniority number of zero and will continue to have this seniority number for one year after leaving their position. Co-captains, performing the duties and responsibilities as a Captain for at least half of the winter season will earn this privilege for the subsequent season.

 

5. Members are responsible for their playing commitments. If they decide to sell all or any part of their contracted time, to another member, they should first contact the venue captain, President, Vice President or Operations and Planning Chair for their sport, who will know of members desiring additional time or who have a priority to fill a vacant slot. It is Club policy to assist a member in finding replacements or changing playing locations. Refunds will only be considered in the event of sudden and serious illness. Anyone who abandons their commitment to play weekly without finding a replacement will be dropped from membership and remaining court fees forfeited unless there are special circumstances approved by the President.

 

6. During indoor play, substitutes are expected to reimburse the weekly assigned player, unless otherwise agreed. This provision does not apply in those instances where the substitution is arranged by the venue captain.

 

7. Any officer, appointed by the President, may serve as a contracting officer in arranging for indoor play on local commercial tennis and pickleball courts during the winter season or summer season. A proper contract should be drawn up specifying the number of courts desired for specific days, the hours of those days, the period covered by the contract, and the costs involved. A copy should be given to the Club owner, the Treasurer, and the President.

 

8. Any purchases, such as tennis and pickleball balls, equipment, or services, acquired on behalf of the Club by a member, should be accompanied by an invoice which should be submitted to the Treasurer for reimbursement. Except for procurement of postage stamps, limited office supplies, and administrative expenses, all purchases shall be approved by the Board.

 

9. Upon application for membership in this Club, the candidate will be placed in a doubles setting in order to determine rating.

 

10. Members who sign up for weekly tennis play are ipso facto required to have a playing skill level of at least a 3.5 rating. Players signing up for restricted rating venues (whether tennis or pickleball) must maintain the required level of play for those venues. The following should be brought to the attention of the Rating Committee Chairman by a Venue Captain or by a Rating Committee member when:

   i. A tennis player is below a 3.5 level.

   ii. A player is no longer playing at the required level for a specific venue.

   iii. A player is playing either higher or lower than their rating in any venue on a sustained basis.

   iv. A playing member or substitute has not had their rating reviewed in three years.

In the above situations, the Chairman will have members of the committee review and possibly re-rate the person. All members may request a new rating by the GR Rating Committee only once in two (2) calendar years.

 

11. Members whose appropriate rating in tennis or pickleball is below the required rating level for a specific venue will be restricted from signing up for that venue. 

 

12. Any player that at the time of a rating review is not playing because of illness or injury shall be granted a postponement of the review to a time when the player affirms they are recovered, but not to exceed one year.

 

13. Emergency data information will be included in an Emergency Calling Roster maintained by the CIO and distributed to  venue captains. Members are responsible for advising venue captains and the CIO of changes in emergency data.

​

​