This past weekend felt different.

It certainly wasn’t impossible to get a tee time late in the week but…

By lunchtime on Wednesday, the only thing left on the tee sheets for the weekend was after 4pm at basically every course.

And the morning Saturday slots at Rock Manor, the prime Sunday morning windows at Delcastle… Yeah, those were gone by Monday night.

And if you showed up to the range Sunday without planning ahead, you were waiting.

The Delcastle ball machine broke down mid-session and I looked up to find about 20 people watching me hit 7-irons.

While I was working on a grip change…

The question worth asking is whether that was just the first warm weekend of the year doing what it always does: pulling every cabin-fevered golfer in the county out of hibernation at once, or whether something has quietly shifted in NCC.

The honest answer is probably both.

There's a real argument that the course math has changed. White Clay is closed. The same number of local golfers are now working with fewer options, and courses like Rock Manor and Delcastle are going to absorb some of that overflow whether they planned for it or not.

That's not a crisis, but it is something worth paying attention to as the season ramps up.

At the same time, late March always brings this. The weather changes, everyone books at once, and the tee sheet looks terrifying for about 2-3 weekends before things spread out again.

Us Golfers are creatures of routine.

I scraped the tee-sheet availability for the Top 4 booked courses in NCC (Rock Manor, Delcastle, Back Creek, Frog Hollow) for this upcoming weekend. Here are 2 notable findings:

Whether last weekend was a blip or a preview, the lesson is the same: in NCC right now, a couple days of planning goes a long way.

This week I made calls to every course on the list and tracked down what's actually happening out there as we push into the last week of March.

Here's what you need to know:

Download the Troon app if you haven't already. You can book tee times cheaper through the app than walking up or calling in, and it takes about two minutes to set up. Worth doing before your next round.

🗓️ Tee It Up! Adult Clinics are starting up in May: 4 sessions for $299, runs through June.

🗓️ Women's Meet & Greet clinics kick off April 1st, 1st Wednesday every month.

Not a lot of course intel this week, but their Instagram is genuinely worth a follow.

🐰 Breakfast with the Bunny is April 5th, 9am–1pm, family-friendly buffet

Range is open, the mats feel good, balls are running about 60/40 good to bad right now. BUT man oh man, it’s gets busy on a nice day. If you're going for range time, early morning or late evening is your window. One note: the practice green is still closed until further notice at the course.

2 things on the calendar worth flagging. And, 2026 Junior Camps are officially announced: boys and girls ages 8–17, sessions June through August with Head Pro Michael Tobiason Jr. and PGA Teaching Pro Ryan Kempski.

🗓️ Yappy Hour! is April 11th from noon to 4pm: it's a dog adoption event, and they're raffling off a free round to anyone who shows up and makes a donation. Bring an ID, meet some dogs, maybe win some golf.

🐰 Easter Brunch is April 5th, 10am–2pm, reservation required. Adults $79.95, kids 7–12 $20.95, under 6 eat free. The menu features “Millionaire Bacon”, Grilled King Salmon, and a New Zealand Lamb Rack.

Why didn’t anyone tell me they had $1 Wings AND Trivia Night every Wednesday? That's hard to beat.

🐰 Easter Brunch runs April 5th, 10:30am–1pm, with an omelet station, chef entrees, Easter Egg Hunt, and a Bunny appearance. Adults $45, kids 5–12 $20, under 4 free.

🎂 Happy Birthday to Ron Jaworski, who turned another year older this past Monday.

Thursday Night League is back. Kicks off April 16th at 5pm, 9 holes, and they're capping it at 40 teams this year. Membership required to participate. If you've been thinking about joining and the league is part of your reason, now's the time, call the pro shop before it fills.

2 things happening right now that you might want to check out.

🤑 20% off pool membership ends this week. Includes up to 4 guests.

🌮 $2 tacos and margaritas every Saturday and Sunday. The golf course with the Whiskey Bar and the Loch pool and the most membership tiers in NCC is also doing $2 margs on the weekends. Worth knowing.

👏 Shoutout to Jacob Bryon, the Asst. GM at St. Anne’s. His team is working incredibly hard this year to provide an amazing experience to members and non-members visiting their club. Don’t sleep on St. Anne’s this year.

The $700 standalone range membership is still one of the cleaner practice setups in NCC right now. If you're serious about your game and want a dedicated place to work, that's the move. Full breakdown is in the 2026 Membership Guide if you want to compare it against your options. 👇

New pro shop is nearly done. HVAC went in this past weekend and new spring apparel is already on the shelves. On the course itself: I'll just say the tee shot on hole #6 has never once felt fair to me. There’s also still no bunker rakes. The course plays well otherwise and the value is still real, $2,550 for a 7-day annual pass is the most affordable full membership in NCC. I love me some of Garry’s Lake.

Still closed. Word we're hearing is that the left side of hole #8 (image below) may be eyed for senior living housing if the subdivided portion of the property sells. Nothing confirmed yet, but we're watching it and will have more when there's more to report.

NCC golf this week runs the full spectrum, cool and crisp early, rainy gloom in the middle, and legitimately good by the back half.

Tuesday/Wednesday: 50-57°F and barely a rain chance. Cool but dry. If you're the type who layers up and goes regardless, there's nothing stopping you. The courses will be quiet and you'll have your pick of tee times.

Thursday: The standout day of the week. Nearly 74°F and dry. Fairways will be firming up, greens rolling quicker, and the temps will feel like a different season entirely. If you can only get out once this week, make it Thursday. Book it now before the forecast gets out and the tee sheet moves.

Friday: Mid-50s with a 70% rain chance. Playable in the morning if you catch it before the rain arrives, but plan around it. Friday's rain will also be the variable that determines what Saturday morning looks like on the ground.

Saturday/Sunday: Still developing as of this issue. Drainage at Frog Hollow and Back Creek tends to hold up better after a rain event if you're trying to get out early Saturday. We'll post a morning update on the Facebook page once the weekend picture is clearer.

The Play: Thursday is the obvious answer. 71 degrees in late March doesn't come around often, treat it accordingly. If you're a weekend-only golfer, cross your fingers on Friday's rain and book Saturday now regardless. The tee sheets don't care about the weather forecast around here to be honest.

When I teased a special gift for our first 500 members, I meant it.

There's a partnership in the works that would put real money back in your pocket as an NCC golfer, and I want to get it right before I announce it. I'd rather deliver something worth having than rush something that isn't.

What I can tell you right now is this: if you're reading this, you're officially a Founding Member of NCC Golf Report!

This newsletter is 4 issues old, already has 500 subscribers, a 61% open rate, and a tee sheet tracker that no other local golf source is running. You were here before any of that meant anything. That means the world to me and I want it to mean something to you too.

So while I finalize what this partnership and the member perks looks like, I want to ask you directly: what would actually be useful?

If you have a specific idea or a business you’d like to partner with the NCC Golf Report, please comment below.

This is our local golf newsletter. Help me build it into something bigger.