ISSUE #23

👋 Hey NCC golfers,

The race for your winter golf is already on!

I don't love seeing holiday decorations for sale in August reminding me winter's around the corner. But simulator deals? Those I don't mind 👀

Seriously though, the local indoor golf scene is heating up and we should talk about it.

Let’s get into it.

Winter's a long way off, but the fight for your off-season golf dollar is already on.

And for those of us who want to play all year long, we have plenty of options coming this off-season. Here’s the breakdown:

The newest addition to the scene is Flight Indoor Golf. Two TrackMan bays in the Hockessin Crossing Shopping Center. Membership rates are on par with the market (no pun intended) and they have a special Founder’s membership locking in rates for 3 years.

Flight isn't the only new face. Lefty's Alley & Eats, a Sussex County favorite, recently opened a new location in Newark featuring a Topgolf Swing Suite, booking $100 per 1 hour, which is officially the most expensive bay in the county. They also feature a full arcade, axe throwing, bowling, krazy darts, and a full game-show studio.

Location-wise, both are sitting 10-15 minutes from Patriots Glen, Ed Oliver, Deerfield, and Delcastle. On paper these sound like cash-cow businesses, and NCC should be the perfect market for golf simulators. But is it?

Just a few miles away in Pike Creek, another two-bay TrackMan operation appears to be looking for the exit.

A two-bay TrackMan indoor golf business in the Wilmington area, established in 2023, recently surfaced on the open business market with a $100,000 asking price. The listing is anonymized, so we're not putting a name on it. But anyone who plays indoor golf in the Pike Creek area can probably do the math on a two-bay sim that opened in 2023. The listing says the owner is stepping away to focus on other ventures.

So which is it? Is northern New Castle County a golden market for indoor golf, or a tougher business than it looks? Flight Indoor & Lefty’s are betting on the first. Someone in Pike Creek may be quietly betting on the second.

This is the project to watch. Two cousins are building an 8,000-square-foot indoor golf and entertainment center right next to Penn Cinema on the Wilmington Riverfront, with 9 bays and a 64-seat golf-themed restaurant.

It's slated to open later this year, but they’ve reportedly had some setbacks with construction, and liquor licensing with nearby neighbors The Constitution Yards causing zoning issues.

Keep an eye out for this beast of a simulator business coming soon.

Back Nine Wilm isn't going anywhere. If anything, it's digging in.

Back Nine recently partnered with golf giant Bridgestone and has serious equity backers behind its brand. This isn't a two-person startup, it's a growing chain with real muscle behind it. Locally, the Wilmington franchise location is scaling up too, going from its original 3 bays to 4 by year end.

Birdie’s Links & Drinks is holding their weight as well.

They own the market in Middletown with their 25,000 square foot facility featuring indoor mini golf, 8 simulator bays, and a full restaurant.

These two local giants do have some serious competition coming their way this year. It will be interesting to see how they pivot to maintain their market share.

Word on the tee box is that two new Back Nine locations could pop up in Newark and Middletown by next year.

Nothing's confirmed, and rumors are rumors. But add it up, 2 new clubs opening, a giant one under construction, an established one expanding, and another apparently up for sale. The picture is clear:

Indoor golf in NCC has gone from afterthought to a real market in about two years.

This is what a healthy, growing market looks like. New players, big money moving in, and some turnover. A business going up for sale isn't necessarily a bad sign. Sometimes an owner just built something, proved it works or doesn’t work, and wants to move on.

For you, the golfer, the takeaway is simple.

You've got more and better indoor options than ever heading into winter, with the biggest one still to come. Just do your homework before you lock into an annual membership, because in a market moving this fast, it pays to know who's opening, who's expanding, and who might be handing over the keys.

That's why you read this newsletter. Know before you book.

Out of curiosity…

Last Poll Result: 70% of you said LeBron James is most likely to play Wilmington CC if he plays golf in NCC. It’s crazy to think this is even a possibility now.

Every tournament, outing, and event across NCC.

Ever find out about a tournament a week too late? After it sold out?

That's what the NCC Golf Events calendar fixes.

Every tournament, outing, league, clinic, and event across New Castle County, all in one place. No more digging through ten different course websites and Facebook pages hoping you didn't miss something. It's all right here, and it's kept current.

📅 Tournaments and championships. From club championships to local qualifiers, know what's coming and when to enter.

🏌️ Outings and leagues. Twilight leagues, charity scrambles, member events. Find your next one.

🎓 Clinics and camps. Junior camps, women's clinics, PGA HOPE. All tracked, all in one spot.

Stop hearing about the good stuff after it's over. Check the calendar, mark what you want, and get there.

It's free, and it's live right now. ⬇️

Any golf nerds reading this? Take a swing at this one!

Last Week’s Trivia Results: 54% of you guessed right last week the original title for the person responsible for maintaining a golf course - The Keeper of the Greens.

↗️ 🚨 Aeration Alert: White Clay Creek aerates greens August 10. It's a single day, and they'll be back open the Tuesday after.

↗️ 🏆 The Middletown Cup gets decided Sunday at St. Anne's. The 4 courses of the Middletown area, Frog Hollow, Odessa National, Back Creek, and St. Anne's, have played three rounds of stroke play, and it all comes down to the finale at St. Anne's this Sunday. It's a 12-player-per-team event, with the top four gross and four net scores added together each day toward one club's overall total. Winner takes the Cup!

↗️ 🎓 Six Blue Hens earn All-America Scholar honors. University of Delaware's men's golf team had six players named 2025-26 Cobalt Golf All-America Scholars, tying for the most of any program in Division I. Brains and game, right here in Newark.

↗️ ⛳ Mia DeCarlo wins the Women's Stroke Play Championship at Concord. She bested the field with rounds of 73 and 79 to win by three strokes. Mia plays and practices at Concord, and works indoors at Back Nine in Wilmington. A great accomplishment at a young age, congrats Mia!

↗️ 🏌️‍♀️ Rock Manor's Women's Meet & Greet is tomorrow. August 5th, and it's a great way to meet other beginners. Plus a loaded month ahead: the Club Championship runs August 15-16 (GHIN and five rounds at Rock Manor required), both Week 8 and Week 9 Junior Camps still have spots, and August Learn & Play is down to its last five.

↗️ 🏆 Congrats to Chesapeake Bay's Zach Barbin. The CBGC assistant professional won the 50th Pro-Am for Wishes at Penn Oaks with rounds of 68 and 66 (8-under). The Barbins doing what the Barbins do, win.

↗️ 🎖️ Frog Hollow hosts PGA HOPE clinics this fall. In September, Frog Hollow runs the fall session of the Philadelphia Section PGA HOPE program, where PGA Professionals teach veterans free lessons through PGA Reach. Availability is limited, and you must sign up through the Philadelphia Section PGA - here.

⛳ Local Ace Alerts

↗️ 🎯 Vicki Rhodes cards her 4th career hole-in-one. The local legend aced her 4th hole-in-one on the 13th at Jonathan's Landing in Magnolia. Save some for the rest of us Vicki!

↗️ 🎯 Michael Freccia aces the 7th at White Clay Creek. 177 yards with an 8-iron! The number 3 handicap hole at WCCCC is no joke, and if you don’t believe it he sent me the video to prove it.

You've got golf buddies. We've got free stuff. Let's make a deal.

Every golfer you send our way gets you closer to some real rewards. Forward this email, share your link, and watch the perks add up.

🏷️ 1 referral — 25% off at Hugh McLean
⛳ 5 referrals — $5 off a weekday round at St. Anne's
🎁 10 referrals — a free sleeve of Pro V1s

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Your unique link is right below. Send it to the buddy you always text "you playing this weekend?"

Every share makes this report stronger and the local golf scene a little more connected.

Hey NCC crew,

It’s 80 degrees out and I’m writing to you about indoor golf. I know.

But seriously, winter golf is going to be bountiful this year, and I don’t plan on pausing the newsletter just because there’s snow outside.

Come December, when courses go quiet, I’ll be helping you find where to play and hopefully hosting some fun indoor golf events.

But that’s enough about winter for now. Who want’s to even think about that right now?

Enjoy the summer while it’s here.

Message me on The NCC Clubhouse to play a round with me. Let’s get out there.

Thanks for reading!

I ❤️ New Castle County Golf.

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