Charter •  Certified Builder •  Builders
Associate Builders •  Builder Applicant
Associates •  International

Associate Members

Associate Members shall primarily be persons, corporations or other entities that serve as a manufacturer, subcontractor, consultant or supplier to the golf course construction industry, or individuals, corporations or other entities concerned with enhancing the betterment of the game of golf through promotion of high standards and ethical practices among golf course builders, their suppliers, subcontractors, consultants and equipment manufacturers. The Board of Directors must approve new Associate Members for membership. Associate Members shall be entitled to be represented on the Association's Board of Directors and upon timely payment of their annual dues shall each have one (1) vote for each Board member to be elected and for other matters.

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Builder Applicant Members

Builder Applicant Members are all new members who are golf course builders and who could qualify for Associate Builder or Builder membership when those qualifications are met. The Board of Directors must approve new Builder Applicant Members for membership. Builder Applicant Members shall be entitled to be represented on the Association's Board of Directors and upon timely payment of their annual dues shall have one (1) vote for each Board Member to be elected and for other matters.

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Associate Builder Members

Associate Builder Members shall be corporations, individuals, or other entities active in the golf course building industry that, or who have held the general contract on a minimum of one (1) 18-hole golf course or the equivalent within the last five years and who are doing business within the United States. Associate Builder Members shall be entitled to be represented on the Association's Board of Directors and upon timely payment of their annual dues shall each have one (1) vote for each Board Member to be elected and for other matters. The Board of Directors must approve new Associate Builder Members for membership. Application must be made at least three (3) months prior to the next Association meeting. The qualifications and rights for Associate Builder Members stated in this shall apply to all applications for membership in the Association.

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Builder Members

Builder Members shall be corporations, individuals, or other entities active in the golf course building industry that have held the general contract on a minimum of three (3) 18-hole golf courses or the equivalent within the last five years, and who are doing business within the United States, and that, prior to becoming a Builder Member, have been an Associate Builder Member for a minimum of twelve (12) months, and have attended as an Associate Builder Member a minimum of one Association meeting per fiscal year of the Association. Builder Members shall be entitled to be represented on the Association's Board of Directors and upon timely payment of their annual dues shall each have one (1) vote for each Board member to be elected and for other matters. The Board of Directors must approve new Builder Members for membership. Prior to the approval of their membership application, Builder Members will be considered Associate Builder Members. Application must be made at least six (6) months prior to the next Association meeting. The qualifications and rights for Builder Members stated in this section shall apply to all applications for membership in the Association. Builder Members are required to register and attend at least one meeting a year to retain Builder Member status. Failure to do so would cause the membership status to be reduced to Associate Builder.

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Certified Builder Members

The Golf Course Builders Association of America established the designation Certified Golf Course Builder in 1992 as part of the Professional Certification Program. To earn this designation, a golf course construction company must complete an application and pass an examination of 100 objective questions covering topics related to golf course construction. These topics include golf course design and layout, clearing, earthmoving, finish grading, drainage, green construction, bunker construction, irrigation, fertilization, seeding, soil structure, regulations, grow-in, building structures and cart paths. The exam is given at GCBAA Meetings. In order to be eligible for certification, a company must also meet the following requirements: Establish that they have been in the golf course construction business for at least five years under their current name, and have completed construction of 18 holes of golf, or the equivalent, per year for each of the past five years under the direction of an architect. Provide references from individuals in five of the following seven categories: course owner/developer, golf course architect, engineer, irrigation designer, golf course superintendent, municipality, and certified golf course builder. Provide references from a financial institution, credit agency, insurance company, and bonding company. Consistently engage in ethical business practices. Certification is an ongoing process, and builders are re-certified annually. As part of this process, a builder must attend at least one GCBAA educational session per year.

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International Members

International Members are individuals whose business is primarily executed outside of the United States. International Members do not have voting rights. The provision for this membership category is to promote goodwill and sharing of information in the best interests of the Association. The Board of Directors must approve new International Members for membership.

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Charter Members

Charter Members shall be those Certified Builder Members, Builder Members, Associate Builder Members or Associate Members who have paid to the Association a one-time fee of $10,000. Charter members are eligible to be recognized in the Association's directory as Charter Members and their membership profiles may also include the –Charter Member” logo. Except as provided in this Section, the duration of a Charter Membership is perpetual, without requirement of further dues or assessments beyond payment of the original fee. A Charter Membership may be terminated with or without cause by majority action of the Board of Directors. Charter Membership is available to any category of membership in the Association providing that the existing member is a member in good standing. A Charter Member's voting rights, if any, shall be limited to such Charter Member's category of membership. The Board of Directors must approve all Charter Memberships. Charter Memberships and the rights and privileges of Charter Members are transferable or assignable, only in the event of a change in the name of the Charter Member, and only if the Board of Directors approves the transfer or assignment. The Association of a change in the name of a Charter Member must submit requests for any transfer or assignment to the Board of Directors for consideration prior to recognition. Charter Members may terminate Charter Membership upon written request to the Board of Directors. Charter Members are entitled to sponsor up to three applicants for Affiliate membership without payment of Affiliate Member dues for the duration of the sponsor's Charter Membership.

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GCBAA Executive Office
727 "O" Street, Lincoln, NE 68508
Tel (402)476-4444 Fax (402)476-4489