As we count down to the NGC Ugly Sweater Tournament this Saturday, it is also time to start preparations for the Mike Miller tradition which is back for this New Year’s Day, January 1st, 2025. Team sign-ups are now open!
A famous line in golf, “A tradition unlike any other,” has been coined for the Masters, but the same can be said for the playing of New Year’s Day golf at National Golf Club. For years, players of all ages and abilities have taken to the course on January 1st to ring in the New Year with a fun 18 holes. There are stories of shoveling the driving range and impromptu get-togethers just to say golf was played on January 1st at NGC.
Mike Miller was an ambassador of the January 1st tradition and would host a party at his home following the event. Mike left us January 24th, 2013 but we continue the tradition in his memory. This year we celebrate the 13th annual playing of the Mike Miller Tournament. We hope you can join us — all NGC members and guests are welcome!
13th Annual Mike Miller Tournament: Wednesday, January 1st, 2025 — 10:00 AM shotgun start with annual champagne tee shot off 1st tee at 9:45 AM Format: 4-Player Shamble — All players in foursome tee off, select the best tee shot to play 2nd shots from and, from the selected tee shot, all players play their own balls into the hole recording individual gross scores. Awards in Net + Gross divisions for both Individual and Team categories. Cost: $20 entry fee for members (walking) — $50 for guests (with cart) Online Registration Portal: https://bit.ly/2025-Mike-Miller Please sign up online as a complete team foursome if possible. If you do not have a team of 4, sign up online with as many as you have and we will set you up with a group!
To confirm your team’s registration, please check the online leaderload.
A Little History of January 1st Golf at NGC
Longtime NGC member and friend, Maureen Brady, put together and shared the following fantastic writeup which details the history of New Year’s Day golf at NGC:
Today, the Mike Miller Tournament is our way of welcoming the New Year. It’s a very important welcoming too. However, the New Year’s Day Tournament has not always been the Mike Miller Tournament. Yes, Mike played in the tournament many times. However, he played as a “Wet Shoe.” It used to be the “Wet Shoes New Year’s Day Tournament.”
Let me explain:
In the Early 70’s the first group of men to tee off on weekends was known as the “Wet Shoes.” It was a good name. The course was usually still wet that early in the morning, so the name was very appropriate. The group played every weekend, and sponsored a couple tournaments. Their most famous tournament was the New Year’s Day Tournament.
They played it every year. Rain, snow, sleet, sun, had no effect. It was 18 holes, and you played.
There were rules. For example, you had to drink on every hole, or you could not win. Drinks were already on every hole by the time the group teed off.
Originally, ladies were not allowed to play. We ladies provided food in several fairways. For example, I had ham biscuits on the first hole. Carolyn Lecrone had goodies beside the 8th green. Betsy Smith also took care of her hole which was number 10. Eventually, we did get to play, however, not with the men. We started on the back.
Since the kitchen was closed, Frank Bryan, a wet shoe, took care of lunch. He worked for a food service company, and as soon as he finished playing, he went in a warmed up soup, and put out sandwiches.
Mike Miller was a part of this. Not in the early 70’s, but as soon as he became a Tantallon member he joined the wet shoes. And, as time progressed, and we were not allowed to use the club’s kitchen, Mike invited us to lunch at his house.
Some memories still make us smile. Dick Ruane (lived on the 8th green) hit his tee shot on 18 and then walked straight out to the green. Thank God the pond was frozen. When he teed off, Tom Nunno still had on his Tux from the New Year’s Eve party. There was no time to change before teeing off.
I don’t know how many decades the Wet Shoes lasted. Members moved, passed away, or were unable to play golf in their twilight years. However, I am happy that the Mike Miller Memorial Tournament keeps the Wet Shoes’ Tradition going forward.
Happy New Year. Enjoy. Mike is proud of us.
Thank you so much, Maureen — this is the NGC history that we all cherish as we celebrate by playing golf on January 1st!
NGC Ugly Sweater Scramble — Saturday, December 14th
Sign-ups continue for a few more days for the 2024 edition of the NGC Ugly Sweater Tournament which will be played Saturday, December 14th now with a 10:00 AM shotgun start.
To confirm your sign-up, double check the online leaderboard here. All players should have handicaps or estimated handicaps which can be sent to [email protected]
For this year’s tournament, we’ll be playing a 4-Player Scramble with specific and fun formats for each hole. More to come on our 2024 formats setup but here’s a preview of what’s in store. Awards and bonuses will be given out to the team with the best ugly sweaters! (But the judges have informed us that repeat sweaters from 2023 will not be eligible to win prizes!)
If you do not have a complete team of 4, please let us know ASAP at [email protected] and we’ll get you set up with a team!
Toys For Tots Cash (Venmo) Collection
Because we’re playing a bit later this season, we will not be collecting physical toys for donation. In lieu of toys, we will be collecting Venmo payments for donation on the morning of the tournament and a group contribution will be sent directly to the Toys for Tots Foundation. Last year we donated $1,005 as a group — can we surpass that total this season?!
NGC Ugly Sweater Scramble: Saturday, December 14th — 10:00 AM shotgun start Format: 4-player scramble teams, guests are welcome. $26 for members / $50 for guests including cart Online Registration Portal: https://bit.ly/2024-ngc-ugly-sweater Registration Deadline: Thursday, December 12th @ 8:00 PM
NGC Ugly Sweater Scramble — Saturday, December 14th
We hope that everyone had a truly awesome Thanksgiving with friends and family! As we turn our calendars to December, sign-ups continue for the 2024 edition of the NGC Ugly Sweater Tournament which will be played Saturday, December 14th with a 9:30 AM shotgun start.
To confirm your sign-up, double check the online leaderboard here.
For this year’s tournament, we’ll be playing a 4-Player Scramble with specific and fun formats for each hole. More to come on our 2024 formats setup but here’s a preview of what’s in store. Awards and bonuses will be given out to the team with the best ugly sweaters! (But the judges have informed us that repeat sweaters from 2023 will not be eligible to win prizes!)
If you do not have a complete team of 4, please let us know at [email protected] and we’ll get you set up with a team!
Toys For Tots Cash (Venmo) Collection
Because we’re playing a bit later this season, we will not be collecting physical toys for donation. In lieu of toys, we will be collecting Venmo payments for donation on the morning of the tournament and a group contribution will be sent directly to the Toys for Tots Foundation. Last year we donated $1,005 as a group — can we surpass that total this season?!
NGC Ugly Sweater Scramble: Saturday, December 14th — 9:30 AM shotgun start Format: 4-player scramble teams, guests are welcome. $26 for members / $50 for guests including cart Online Registration Portal: https://bit.ly/2024-ngc-ugly-sweater Registration Deadline: Thursday, December 12th @ 8:00 PM
NGC Ugly Sweater Scramble — Saturday, December 14th
As we move into the holiday season, we’re very excited to announce the return of our Ugly Sweater Tournament which will be played Saturday, December 14th with a 9:30 AM shotgun start.
For this year’s tournament, we’ll be playing a 4-Player Scramble with specific and fun formats for each hole. More to come on our 2024 formats setup but here’s a preview of what’s in store. Awards and bonuses will be given out to the team with the best ugly sweaters!
Please sign up with your team of 4 at https://bit.ly/2024-ngc-ugly-sweater
If you do not have a complete team of 4, please let us know at [email protected] and we’ll get you set up with a team!
Toys For Tots Cash (Venmo) Collection
Because we’re playing abit later this season, we will not be collecting physical toys for donation. In lieu of toys, we will be collecting Venmo payments for donation on the morning of the tournament and a group contribution will be sent directly to the Toys for Tots Foundation. Last year we donated $1,005 as a group — can we surpass that total this season?!
NGC Ugly Sweater Scramble: Saturday, December 14th — 9:30 AM shotgun start Format: 4-player scramble teams, guests are welcome Online Registration Portal: https://bit.ly/2024-ngc-ugly-sweater Registration Deadline: Thursday, December 12th @ 8:00 PM
To confirm your sign-up, double check the online leaderboard here.
On another fantastic day at NGC, we had an awesome turnout for the 2024 edition of the NGC Turkey Shootout. A huge thank you goes out to all our staff, members, and guests who made the day a great success! Thank you to Tiffany, Rahel, Donnee, Mimi, and all the pro shop, F&B, and grounds crew for all their energy and hard work. We are truly thankful for the joy we are all able to share at our little club where our golf family comes together for some of our best days of the year.
We saw some great play across 4 divisions and 8 (giant) turkeys were awarded to this year’s champions! We also had 1 great looking pilgrim and 2 perfectly festive turkeys for our best dressed awards!
First and foremost, we want to thank all of our MGA members for their outstanding participation this season. We had 111 MGA members take part this year over the course of 9 tournaments and 29 Men’s Nights for a grand total of 1,420 MGA rounds played. Overall, the MGA distributed $13,921.88 in credit book payouts for 2024.
It is the competitive spirit between and camaraderie amongst our members that make this group and our club truly special — And we are already looking forward to next year! We will hold our Champions Dinner for the 2024 season in the spring in conjunction with the start of the 2025 season. Is it Masters Men’s Night yet?
On Tuesday, James Hsiao took on Jack Sullivan in our final official MGA round of the 2024 season to determine the champion of the Wildcard Bracket. Over the course of 18 holes, another epically close match played out with neither player gaining more than a 1-up advantage. In the end, with a clutch putt on #17 and a very solid par on #18, Jack Sullivan defended his title as Wildcard Bracket Champion securing this year’s win. Well played Jack!
Another fantastic October weather weekend gave us the perfect backdrop for the conclusion to our 2024 MGA season. Before we get to Saturday’s results for our Closing Day Stableford, a huge thank you goes out to all the NGC staff who made this year an amazing one! Additionally, thank you to all our MGA members whose competitive spirits and camaraderie make this group and our club truly special. Over the course of the year, we had 111 MGA members participate in events and we are all already counting the weeks until April 2025 and next year’s season!
Closing Day Stableford Results
In the Net Division, 2 players tallied very impressive totals of 39 Stableford points to share the win. Great playing to Bill Buffington and Paul Weidenfeld who enjoyed each other’s company and the win — well deserved gents!
In the Gross Division, another epically close battle came down to the very last hole of the day for players in the same group and, in the end, 2 players stood atop the leaderboard with tallies of 34 Stableford points. Well played and congrats to Jim Prendergast and Matt Nolan!
Congratulations to Leo Goff as our 2024 MGA Points Chase Champion. An absolutely terrific season and a well deserved permanent nameplace on the Jonnie Martin Cup!
*Our final 2024 Points Chase payout results will be distributed later this week
Men’s Night 10/24 — E9 Team Scramble on the Front 9
25 players came out yesterday afternoon (+ night) for our E9 E8 extravaganza to conclude the 2024 Men’s Night season. 5 teams of 5 made birdies, eagles, and shared tremendous camaraderie mixed with the golfing joy that the MGA is all about. In the end, we even got a taste of night golf as we played down the 9th hole to the final rays of an amazing sunset. It’s hard to imagine any other club in the world allowing a 25-some to have as much fun as we do at our little club — And for that we are truly grateful.
The competition came to a crescendo with phone flashlights on to watch the final putts drop for both winning teams. With zero light left and all carts overdue, we finished with 2 teams at -7 for shared 1st place points. Tremendous Thursday season gentlemen!
Attached you’ll find the Groups Sheet with starting holes as well as Tournament Rules Sheet for our MGA Closing Day Stableford tomorrow. Play will begin at 9:30 AM with a shotgun start.
Groups for tomorrow’s round were set by the current 2024 Points Chase Standings so that all participants have a chance to battle their direct competition in the final event of the season.
Gross & Net Skins
For any players who would like to buy into the Skins pot (we’ll be playing for both Gross & Net skins), please Venmo $20 to @Weston-Happ (6520) tonight or tomorrow before we tee off.
Scoring
All tournament scoring will be handled via the NGC App. The app can be found here for iPhone and here for Android. All groups will be pre-loaded into the App and we ask that each group uses the App to track their group’s scores. Leaderboard links for both Gross and Net Stableford scoring:
