ISSUE #27

👋 Hey NCC golfers,

The kids are back in school, football's back next week, and there's a hint of cool in the morning air. Summer is on its way out.

This week we're making the case that fall is the best time to play golf in New Castle County, cheaper rates, emptier tee sheets, better conditions, and a calendar packed with leagues and events. If you've been grinding through crowded summer weekends, this one's for you.

Also inside: a genuinely creative fall event at St. Anne's (free beer involved), your new club champions crowned, and a trivia question that'll probably stump you.

Let's get into it.

Every year around this time, people start talking about golf season winding down. I've never understood it.

Fall is when golf gets good around here. The weather turns perfect, the courses clear out, the rates drop, and honestly, some of my best rounds of the year happen in October.

Now, fall doesn't officially start until September 22nd. But the shift is already underway, so let's take a look at what's in store for NCC golf this season.

This is the big one for your wallet. While Patriots Glen shook up the scene a few weeks ago by announcing a $10 rate drop, shoulder-season pricing is now rolling in across the county.

Rock Manor's off-shoulder rates started today. Delcastle's fall rates kick in September 15. Garrisons Lake is adjusting their rates and times for the season this month as well. These are just the courses that confirmed with us. Expect most, if not all, courses to roll out shoulder-season pricing in the next 60 days or by November when daylight savings comes around.

With school back in session, and the NFL season starting, the tee sheets are starting to open up. Those primetime weekend slots that were impossible to grab in July, and those beloved Monday and Thursday twilight rounds? A lot easier now. We expect booking to continue to get easier the deeper we get into fall.

It's that time of year, and courses across the county are punching greens this month. Heads up so you can book around it: Ed Oliver (this week), Delcastle (Sept 13-14), St. Anne's (Sept 14-15), and Garrisons (Sept 21-23). Frog Hollow goes later, in October. Worth knowing before you book.

Here's the other side of the season. As the outdoor game peaks this fall, the indoor golf scene is gearing up for what's shaping up to be its biggest, most competitive winter yet in the NCC golf scene.

Think about where NCC indoor golf was two years ago:

A handful of sims and not much else. Now? Flight Indoor Golf just opened in Hockessin. The Clubhouse of Delaware, a nine-bay giant, is coming to the Riverfront. Lefty's brought a Topgolf Swing Suite to Newark. Back Nine and Creek Links in Wilmington. And Birdie's Links & Drinks down in Middletown.

That's a lot of options fighting for your off-season golf dollar, and it's only getting more crowded. More bays, more leagues, more competition, which is good news for you. When the temperature drops and the courses go quiet, we're going to have more ways to keep our game sharp than ever before, and the competition between these spots means better pricing and better perks for golfers.

We're watching this space closely. As the weather turns, we'll break down every indoor option in the county, what they cost, what you get, and where the real value is, so you can pick the right winter home for your game.

But for now, fall isn't the end of golf season around here. It might just be the best part. Get out there while it lasts.

Be honest…

Last Poll Result: 52% of you said it would take 6 to 9-under to win the 61st Delaware Open at Dupont CC last week. You missed it by a few strokes, as Braden Shattuck won his 4th DE Open title at 11-under-par (62-69-71).

St. Anne's Fairway Divot Filling Party - September 11th @ 5pm

Come help fill divots and patch up the fairways, and they'll hand you free draft beer and seltzer for your trouble. Fix the course you play, drink a cold one, hang out with other golfers. Everybody wins.

Here's the rundown:

⛳ St. Anne's Golf Links, Friday September 11, starting at 5:00 PM.
🍺 Free draft beer and seltzer for everyone who pitches in.

We haven't seen many courses try something like this, and honestly, more should. This is community golf done right.

Grab a friend and get out there. Cheers. 👏

This one is for our golf agronomy nerds reading!

Last Week’s Trivia Results: 16% of you guessed right last week that Juli Inkster won and completed the rare Career Grand Slam on Delaware soil at the 1999 LPGA Championship at DuPont CC.

↗️ 🏆 Ed Oliver crowns its 2026 Club Champions. Congrats to Nicholas Lysik, who shot 146 (+6) over two days to take the title. Highlight reel's on their socials (winners pictured above).

↗️ 🏆 Back Creek crowns its 2026 Club Champions. Congratulations to Angie Trzepkowski (women's), Allen Plusch (senior), and Frankie Markiewicz (blue tees) on their well-earned wins (pictured above).

↗️ ⛳ The Ryder Cup comes to NCC. Frog Hollow and Odessa are squaring off in a Ryder Cup-style showdown October 3-4, at Odessa on the 3rd, Frog Hollow on the 4th. 28 players a side, better ball and alternate shot on day one, singles on day two. Frog Hollow currently holds the Cup.

↗️ 💸 Fall rates are rolling in across the county. Shoulder-season pricing means cheaper golf: Rock Manor's off-shoulder rates started September 1, Delcastle's fall rates begin September 15, and Garrisons is adjusting rates and times for the season. At Ed Oliver, rates change November 1 with daylight saving.

↗️ 🚜 Aeration season is here. A lot of courses are punching greens this month: Ed Oliver (this week), Delcastle (evening of the 13th and all day the 14th), St. Anne's (Sept 14-15, alternating front and back nine), and Garrisons (Sept 21-23, hoping to reopen the 23rd). Frog Hollow goes later, October 19-21.

↗️ 🏌️‍♀️ Rock Manor's September Women's Meet & Greet. September 2nd from 5 to 8pm. A great, low-pressure way to meet other women who golf in the county.

↗️ 💜 A cause worth showing up for: the MJ33 Forever Memorial Tournament. On September 18, Rock Manor hosts the 2nd Annual MJ33 Forever Memorial Golf Tournament, honoring Matthew Janicki Jr., a devoted father, coach, and friend lost to pancreatic cancer. The event supports Project Purple in the fight for awareness and early detection. Last year's inaugural tournament was remarkable, it sold out and raised over $45,000 with 124 golfers and dozens of local sponsors. If you want to play, sponsor, or donate for a great cause, this is one to get behind.

↗️ 🎟️ Last call: Delaware Junior Golf Scholarship Fund silent auction. The fund's 2026 silent auction is wrapping up, one more chance to bid and support young Delaware golfers heading to college.

↗️ ⛳ Fall leagues are kicking off across the county. Plenty of ways to keep the competitive juices going as the season turns:

Spark Golf at Delcastle, Rock Manor, Ed Oliver, and Deerfield.

Flight Indoor's Monday Night Football League, a 10-week, two-player teams indoor golf league starting September 14.

Birdie's Links & Drinks Fall League, two-player teams, 8 weeks plus playoffs, every Wednesday starting September 28. Practice at 5:30pm, play at 6pm, rotating 9-hole format. $90 at signup plus $20 weekly per person, and you can play any day as long as scores are in by Wednesday at 5pm. Email [email protected] to get in.

↗️ 🎨 Birdie's Links & Drinks stacked fall lineup. Paint & Sip September 25, Fall Golf League starting September 28, a Kids Golf Clinic every Tuesday beginning October 6, and the Delaware Indoor Classic scramble October 18.

↗️ 🐧 Riverwalk Mini Golf goes to weekend hours. Summer hours are done, but they're open Saturdays and Sundays 12 to 7pm all September. One more month for a round and a soft serve on the Riverfront before they close.

Hey NCC crew,

A few more things coming your way this fall:

Our Fall Shopping Guide is on the way, an honest take on what's actually worth buying as the season turns. No expensive junk, just the stuff I'd put in my own bag.

We're building an NCC event and outing planner, the complete guide to putting together a golf/corporate outing, fundraiser, or wedding at our local courses. It's a big one, and I want it done right, so it's coming when it's ready.

And the fun one: we're finally planning our first-ever NCC Golf Report meetup. A chance to actually get together, play some golf, and put faces to the names. Details soon, but if you have suggestion, hit reply and let me know.

That's the plan. Fall's the best season we've got. Let's make the most of it.

See you out there.

I ❤️ New Castle County Golf.

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