ISSUE #32

👋 Hey NCC golfers,

This week's story is one to be proud of.

Delaware families have fought for years to make girls golf its own high school sport, and right now groups of passionate golfers are building the case one match at a time.

Also in today’s issue: Frog Hollow defended its Ryder Cup against Odessa, a new Golf Galaxy is opening in Christiana with a $10,000 contest, and October's event calendar is still absolutely packed!

Let's get into it. 🍂

Delaware has been fighting for years to make girls golf its own sport. Lately, even the weather has joined the opposition.

Two weeks ago, the nor'easter flooded Rehoboth Beach Country Club, the course that was supposed to host the opening matches of the state's new girls golf series. It would have been an easy excuse to postpone. Instead, Austin Ebersole at American Classic opened his course on short notice, and the girls teed off on schedule.

That's basically the theme of the story here. People have been trying to build girls golf into a real sport, and every time there's an obstacle: a tabled proposal, a "not yet", and now a literal flood.

So where does Girls’ High School Golf stand today?

This didn't start overnight. Back in 2019, a proposal to create a separate girls' golf tournament actually made it to the DIAA, backed by the state's athletic directors. It got tabled. The reasons were the usual ones: not enough participation yet, scheduling concerns, "maybe in a few years." The message, essentially, was to prove there's demand first.

So that's exactly what organizations like First Tee Delaware and the Delaware Women's Golf Association set out to do.

In October 2025, they ran a single statewide girls' invitational at St. Anne's to test the waters, to see if the interest was real and whether a fall schedule could work. More than 30 girls showed up. It worked.

This fall, they scaled it way up. Working with Scott Allen of First Tee – Delaware, DWGA President Lesley Corydon, and a group of coaches and volunteers, they built out a full series: regional matches at courses across the state (including right here at Ed Oliver in Wilmington), with players from more than a dozen schools, leading to a statewide championship this month at Maple Dale in Dover. The format makes room for everyone, stronger players and total beginners, because the whole point is to grow the pool, not just crown the best.

Every match is a data point. Every girl who shows up is part of the argument.

Corydon has said parents are emailing to tell her these were the first matches their daughters ever came home from smiling, actually wanting to talk about their round. At one event, organizers watched one of the best players in the state spend a full round walking and laughing alongside a girl who'd never competed before. That's not something a co-ed qualifying bracket produces.

And these stories are what will define a path for official girls’ teams in the future. Organizers have pointed to the 2027-28 school year as the target for DIAA adoption, though that's their goal, not yet a DIAA decision.

That's what makes this series more than a feel-good fall event. It's a campaign with a scoreboard. Build the participation, prove the demand, and give the DIAA a reason it can't table.

For perspective: most states already run girls' golf as its own sport. Delaware is in a small group, mostly neighbors like West Virginia, Maine, and Virginia, that still treat it as co-ed with individual-only recognition for girls. Nationally, more than 85,000 girls play high school golf. The demand is obviously there. Delaware just hasn't built the structure for it yet.

That's what's being built right now, one regional match at a time.

The series wraps up with its statewide championship this month at Maple Dale Country Club in Dover. These girls are competing for something bigger than a trophy. They're making the case that they deserve a sport of their own. That's worth showing up for.

It's a real debate in Delaware golf right now, so we'll put it to you:

Golf Galaxy's New Christiana Store Opens with a $10,000 Contest

Golf Galaxy is opening a new Performance Center at Christiana Town Center, and they're throwing a three-day grand opening to kick it off!

And you don’t want to be late because each day the first 100 adults (18+) in line will receive a free Golf Galaxy mystery gift card!

Here's the rundown:

📅 Grand opening weekend: Friday, October 16th through Sunday, October 18th
🎀 Ribbon cutting Friday at 8:45 AM, doors open 9 AM
🎁 The first 100 adults (18+) in line each day get a free Golf Galaxy mystery gift card, one of them worth $500
⛳ A Closest-to-the-Pin contest runs October 16-25, with a $10,000 grand prize on the line
🛍 Grand opening deals all weekend from PING, Callaway, TaylorMade and more

The new store is located at the Christiana Town Center, 331 W Main Street, Christiana, DE 19702.

↗️ ⛳ Frog Hollow keeps the Ryder Cup. Day 2 of the Ryder Cup showdown against Odessa National played out in the drizzle this weekend, and Frog Hollow came out on top, taking the Cup for the second year in a row. Rivalry intact.

↗️ 🛍 Ed Oliver runs a 20% off pro shop sale. From today to close Wednesday night, everything in the pro shop is 20% off. (Golf balls excluded.) Good time to pick up some local merch.

↗️ 💸 Back Creek rolls out a Buy Now, Play Now membership offer. Their 2027 membership deal lets you lock in now and start playing right away.

↗️ 🏒 Back Nine's "Scramble for 37" has spots left. A 2-man scramble on Sunday, October 25, for a good cause (nine slots left as of now). Pay the reg fee and they book your tee time. Flyers fans especially, they're trying to fill it.

↗️ 🎯 Launch Zone launches a Fall Classic sim league. A 9-hole league on Thursday nights at 6:30, running October 15 through December 10. Two-person teams, $450 per team ($225/player, about $28 a week), covering two hours of golf and cash payouts. Your lowest week gets dropped, so a missed Thursday won't sink you.

↗️ 🧙 Birdie's hosts Harry Potter Trivia Night. Grab three friends and test your wizarding knowledge Saturday, October 10 at 6pm. Teams of four, $25 per team, prizes on the line, costumes encouraged. Robes optional but recommended.

↗️ 🎨 Birdie's also runs a Tipsy Ghost Paint & Sip. A fully guided paint night, no skill required, October 16, 6-8pm. Supplies included, food and drinks for purchase. Spots are limited.

↗️ 🏌️ Back Nine Wilmington rolls out new membership pricing. Three new tiers with 24/7 access and unlimited sim golf: Par at $179/mo (solo play, 1-hour tee times), Birdie at $229/mo (2-hour tee times, 3 free guests, 50% off tournaments), and Eagle at $399/mo (two accounts, 4 free guests, 75% off tournaments). All on a 12-month commitment.

↗️ 💍 Deerfield opens its doors for a Wedding Open House. October 15, 5-7pm. If you (or someone you know) is hunting for a venue, Deerfield's showing off the space dressed for an event. Free for couples who haven't booked yet, RSVP required.

↗️ 💸 Deerfield opens early 2027 membership sales. Buy a 2027 pass and play the rest of 2026 free, with membership running through December 2027. Up to 15+ months for the price of one year. Passes range from a 5-Day Twilight ($2,500) to a 7-Day full membership ($4,000).

Hey NCC crew,

To all the golf girl moms, dads, coaches, and supporters reading this: I want to say we admire your resilience and your passion for growing girls golf in this state. What you're building is worth building.

Progress has come in pieces. But the people behind this series aren't waiting around for the rest of it. They're building it themselves, one rainy Saturday at a time.

That's the kind of local golf story I started this newsletter to tell. I'm glad I got to.

And if there's anything else The NCC Golf Report can do to help your mission, don't hesitate to reach out. We're in your corner.

See you out there.

I ❤️ New Castle County Golf.

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