Introduction

The purpose of this document is to establish a standard for the safe operation of any buggy operated on the course at Onneley Golf Club. The rules apply both to a buggy owned or hired by the club or to one owned by a third party, with important differences between the two in terms of public liability. The document also sets down the criteria to be applied and conditions to be met for buggy use. The principal restrictions concern safety and use in competitions.

The Club has a core fleet of buggies for hire, supplemented by leased vehicles during summer months. These can be booked in advance, by telephoning the steward on 01782-750577. No guarantee can be given that a buggy will be available unless it has been pre-booked; but all bookings are taken on the basis that use may have to be denied or restricted in order to ensure the safety of all users of the golf course.

Safety-dictated Restrictions

The Club staff may determine that buggy use will unacceptably compromise the state of the course or the safety of course users. Potentially unsuitable conditions include waterlogging, frost, etc. Where this applies to the entire course, all buggy use is forbidden, and any hire booking cancelled. The no-use decision will be announced both on the club’s course line (01782-750106) and by signage adjacent to the first tee. In the event that the use restriction applies only to certain parts of the course, these areas will be prominently signed, and the restriction is mandatory. All such restrictions will be reviewed on a daily basis.

Qualifications - General

1. No person may operate any permitted kind of buggy on the golf course unless he or she has the necessary knowledge, training and skill to safely operate the vehicle; is aware of this overall policy, and in particular acknowledges and agrees to conform to the Safety Policy and Safe Working Practice/Conditions of Use document. A signed copy of the document must be completed before first use.
2. The club has determined that buggies should only be driven by persons who have reached the age of 18 on the day of hire and considers that the minimum level of competence required of a driver of a two-seater buggy is demonstrated by possession of a full valid driving licence.
3. Buggies may be either single-seat or two-seater designs. The number of people carried must not exceed the seating capacity except in a medical emergency, and the number of bags carried must not exceed the seating capacity of the vehicle.
4. The club will take all reasonable steps to ensure that only authorised users operate a buggy; and those users must accept full liability for any failures on their part to carry out the requirements of this policy in a thorough and conscientious manner.
5. The right to drive a buggy will be withdrawn without notice by any Officer, Director, or responsible agent or employee of the club who judges that a user is unfit through the effects of alcohol or recreational drugs. In serious cases, the matter will be reported to the Managing Committee for disciplinary action including a lengthy ban.
6. Authorised users must not permit any unauthorised person to drive a buggy, whether hired or privately-owned; and the liability for any loss or injury caused by an unauthorised driver will lie jointly and severally with that driver and the authorised user who wrongly permitted him or her to do so.
7. In some parts of the course there are artificially surfaced paths, and these should be followed by every buggy driver.
8. There are also parts of the course where buggy use is either inappropriate or unsafe (see Conditions of Use).

The Club will refuse permission to use a buggy if any of the conditions stipulated are not complied with.

Qualifications – Privately-owned Buggies

• A privately owned buggy (whether single or two-seater design) must not be used without the prior authorisation of an officer or responsible agent of the Club.
• Where the club permits a privately-owned buggy to be stabled on club premises overnight, the owner accepts that the club cannot provide secure accommodation for it and accepts no liability for theft, or for loss or damage caused by weather, vandalism or third-party interference.
• Owners of buggies who wish to use one must, in addition to confirming their acceptance of the general conditions, confirm that:
  The vehicle is maintained in a safe and serviceable condition
  It will not be hired out to any other user for reward in cash or kind
  They hold adequate public liability insurance cover for themselves and any authorised person they permit to drive it
  Loan to a third party will only ever occur with the prior knowledge and consent of the club, and that this is permitted under the terms of their public liability insurance (or that of the individual to whom it was lent).

Use in General Play. Subject to the safety restrictions and user qualifications above, any permitted type of golf buggy may be used at Onneley golf course during general (non-competition) play.

Use in Competitions

The club’s General Committee has determined that use in competitions can only be allowed where every buggy user can demonstrate a reasonable need, defined as the inability to play a full round of golf without the use of a buggy. There are two categories of user where documentary evidence of unfitness will be forthcoming, either as a doctor’s certificate or registration of a disability within the meaning of section 6 of The Equality Act 2010. These should be submitted to the club’s Competitions Secretary and will be recorded in the Register of authorised users. For some golfers however there may not be such written evidence: first, persons aged 70 or over who reasonably believe that their ability to complete a round is occasionally in doubt; second an able-bodied person aged 18 years or above who has a mobility-limiting injury which would temporarily prevent participation in a competition. In these latter cases a one-off authorisation from the Steward or a Committee member must be obtained prior to tee-off. The Committee will check from time to time that the occasional-use dispensation is not abused.

The right to use a buggy in competition applies solely to the disadvantaged player. Any able bodied fellow-competitors or playing partners are strictly forbidden to utilise this facility, and will be penalised in accordance with the Rules of Golf should they do so.

Golf Buggy Safety. The topography of certain areas of the course is such that caution and prudence must be shown by the user of a buggy. At the same time, the Club has to ensure the safety of golfers who do not wish to use buggies but who might be at risk from a mechanically defective buggy or its careless use. This safety policy is designed to achieve both of these ends. The document which sets out the detailed requirements upon and duties of buggy drivers is entitled Safe Working Practice and Conditions of Use. Each intending user must read and sign two copies of this document before first use. One will be retained by the club for a period not exceeding three years, or (duly annotated) so long as the right to do so has been withdrawn. The other is to be held by the user.