ISSUE #24
👋 Hey NCC golfers,
It's the most wonderful time of the year, if you're a competitive golfer.
Tournament season is in full swing across New Castle County and the country. We broke it all down: who won, who's playing, and what you can still get in on.
Plenty more inside too. New carts at Garrisons, a rate drop at Patriots Glen, a fresh crop of course champions crowned, and a Delaware golf legend in the trivia you've probably never heard of.
Let's get into it.
It’s Tournament Season in NCC!
August in New Castle County isn't just peak golf weather.
It's peak golf competition.
From the national stage at Merion down to Back Creek, local players are teeing it up in the biggest events of the year. Here's who's representing NCC, who won, and what you can still catch.
Just Wrapped Up:
(L to R) Paul Hufschmidt, Mike Hall, Liz DiNicola (Image credits to GAP/DSGA)
The Delaware Super-Senior Championship crowned a familiar name.
Mike Hall took the Championship Division title at Maple Dale, and here's the local hook: Hall learned the game at Garrisons Lake before becoming one of the most decorated players in state history.
With this win, he became the first golfer to capture the Delaware Amateur or Open and the Super-Senior! Not bad for a guy who nearly gave up the game to a bad back. In the other flights, Liz DiNicola of Plantation Lakes took the Women's Division in a playoff, and Paul Hufschmidt of host Maple Dale won the Legends, where Deerfield's Max King finished a strong 4th.
To read more about the event visit - 11th Delaware Super-Senior Championship recap
The St. Anne’s Middletown Cup team pictured in the Highlands Whiskey Bar at St. Anne’s
The Middletown Cup goes to “Stans”. St. Anne's won it on their own turf with a low aggregate of 2,406 points, edging a tight field of the four Middletown-area courses.
Each club sent 12 players, with the top four gross and four net scores counting each day. Final standings: St. Anne's (2,406), Frog Hollow (2,458), Odessa National (2,483), and Back Creek (2,558). Bragging rights, locked up for a year.
Coming Up:
Hunter Stetson, 2026 DE Amateur winner (Image credits to GAP/DSGA)
The 2026 U.S. Amateur is under way at historic Merion Golf Club, and Delaware is represented.
Hunter Stetson (T241), who won this year's Delaware Amateur, earned his spot after a dramatic 7 hole playoff with Evan Barbin in the Delaware Amateur.
Also in the field: Casper Nerpin (T77), the 2022 CAA Rookie of the Year who got his start at UD before transferring to Oregon. Once a Hen, always a Hen, as they say.
To follow scoring and updates visit - 2026 U.S. Amateur Scoring
(L to R) Andrew Hess, Kie Shaw, Greg Wolfe
The Delaware Open hits DuPont Country Club August 25-26, and our public courses are sending a crew!
Leading the way is Kie Shaw of Rock Manor, who didn't just qualify, he fired a 4-under 68 to take medalist honors at the Odessa National qualifier, the low score of the entire day. He's joined by Greg Wolfe (St. Anne's), Matt Loeslein and Andrew Hess (both Odessa National), and Tom Eisenacher (Frog Hollow). Five of our own, on the state's biggest stage.
Club Championship season is here too, and this is the one you might actually be in.
Rock Manor crowns its champion this weekend, August 15-16 (GHIN and five rounds required). Sign up here.
Then it's a big final weekend of the month: Ed Oliver runs its Club Championship August 29-30, and Back Creek holds theirs August 29.
We all know these are the most important tournaments because of the bragging rights, and the name on the plaque. Good luck to everyone competing!
And there's more. Between charity outings, leagues, and events at courses all over the county, August is stacked. For everything happening, the full slate lives on our NCC Golf Events calendar.
Tournament season only comes around once a year.
Whether you're competing, following a local player, or just heading out to watch, there's no better time to be a golfer in New Castle County.
All this tournament talk got us curious where you fit in.
Tournament season is here. What's your play?
Last Poll Result: 45% of you said you’re most likely to visit Birdies Links & Drinks of all the local simulators this year. Back Nine Wilmington came in a close second, with The Clubhouse of DE coming in third.
Never Miss Another Golf Event.
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. ⬇️
Since everyone's got the U.S. Amateur on the brain this week, here's a Delaware deep cut.
This Wilmington, DE native is considered one of the greatest golfers in state history, winning the Delaware Open a record seven times and once reaching match play at the U.S. Amateur. Who is he?
Last Week’s Trivia Results: Only 25% of you guessed right last week that the first golf simulator, using early sensors and a projection screen was patented in the 1970s.
What’s new at your home course this week.
Jessica Clough - 2026 Newark CC Women’s Club Champion (image credit to Newark CC)
↗️ 🚜 Aeration heads-up across the county. A few courses are punching greens soon, so plan around it: Rock Manor aerates Monday, Aug 31, Ed Oliver does fairways and greens Tuesday, Sept 1, and Back Creek is scheduled for the first week of September.
↗️ 🏆 Delcastle crowns its senior champions. Congrats to 2026 Senior Club Champion Palmer Hossler, who posted a two-day 155, and Low Net Champion Everett Jones at 144.
↗️ 🌙 Delcastle's August Night Golf is Aug 21. 6:30 to 10:30pm. These sell out, so grab your spot before it’s too late!
↗️ ⛳ Free Titleist club fitting at Ed Oliver. Monday, August 24. Time slots are available from 10am to 3pm.
↗️ 🏌️ St. Anne's launches the Harvest Cup. The 1st Annual Harvest Cup runs October 24-25, a two-day, two-man event with net better ball and stableford formats. To sign up, email Jason Stanley at [email protected]. Their Friday couples league is also open every other Friday, so get your spouse out there.
↗️ 🔥 Range Night at Back Creek, Aug 27. $5 for any size bucket, free for kids, plus free hot dogs and a DJ from 3:30 to 7:30pm. Bring the family.
↗️ 🛺 Garrisons Lake's new cart fleet is officially here. Brand-new electric EZ-GO carts with upgraded seats, coolers, rain covers, and USB charging ports. And for everyone wondering, the state is handling the old fleet.
↗️ 💸 Patriots Glen dropped its rates $10. Across the board, weekday, weekend, twilight, and nine-hole. They've also added a camera on the 18th hole you can watch from inside the pub.
↗️ 🏆 A Back Nine standout wins at Newark CC. Congrats to Jessica Clough for topping the women's field at Newark Country Club's club championship. She trains at Back Nine Wilmington under coach Butch Johnson.
↗️ 🏈 Flight Indoor launches a Monday Night Football league. An indoor golf league running 10 weeks, Sept 14 to Nov 16. 16 teams, two players each, $300 per person. A fun way to keep the season going indoors.
↗️ 🕳️ Birdie's Glow Mini Golf party package. $200 gets you three pizzas and 10 rounds of glow mini golf, with additional players at $18 each. Birthdays, corporate outings, family night, all covered. Email [email protected] to reserve your party.
Share the report, stack the rewards.
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,
I love tournament season for a reason that has nothing to do with trophies.
It's the reminder that the guy/gal grinding out a Saturday round next to you might be the same player who just shot the low score at a Delaware Open qualifier. The distance between the everyday player and the champion is a lot smaller than you'd think around here. Same courses. Same county. Same game.
And this year, we're bringing you closer to it than ever.
We'll be live streaming the Delaware Open from DuPont on August 25-26, on both YouTube and Facebook. Local players, live coverage, all from the biggest stage in Delaware golf. If you can't make it out to watch in person, we've got you.
One more thing: if you're a local business that wants to get in front of this audience, this is a chance to put your name on the coverage. We're opening up sponsorship for the live stream. Just reply to this email and we'll talk.
Tournament season is the best time of the year to remember why this game gets under your skin. Come watch it with us.
See you out there.
I ❤️ New Castle County Golf.