| Sport | Amateur Golf |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | NCGA |
| Founded | 1901 |
| Regional affiliation | Northern California |
| Official website | |
| www | |
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The Northern California Golf Association (NCGA) was established in 1901 by five clubs-Menlo Country Club, Oakland Golf Club (now Claremont Country Club), Presidio Golf Club, Linda Vista (now San Jose Country Club), and San Francisco Golf Club—with the purpose of participating in the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship. After over 100 years in existence, the association now has 400 regular clubs and more than 850 associate clubs. The mission of the NCGA is “To support and promote the game of golf in Northern California and to enhance the knowledge, enjoyment and participation of NCGA members.” [1] NCGA is an association consisting of 400 regular clubs and more than 850 associate clubs with a total membership approaching 180,000 members. Members spread from the Oregon border to central California and east into Nevada, making the NCGA one of the largest regional golf associations in the world.
The NCGA conducted its first championship in 1903 and now has the most extensive amateur tournament calendar in the U.S.A. offering more than 50 championships each year. An estimated 50,000 members attempt to qualify for NCGA team events at the club level while an additional 15,000 members participate in individual events. The NCGA also provides officials for the Northern California High School Championships, the Northern California Community College and California Community College Championships, as well as selected major college events.
The championships offered today are possible in great part because of the 50-year contract signed in 1965 with the Pebble Beach Company, which entitled the NCGA to the complete use of Spyglass Hill Golf Course for 30 days per year. In 1986, the NCGA opened its own members course, Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, which was the first course in the United States to be owned and operated by an amateur golf association. Poppy Hills has played host to several prominent tournaments, including the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, and is consistently ranked among the top courses throughout the United States. The association continued to grow with the addition of a second course, Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore in 1996. Poppy Ridge is easily accessible to NCGA members as approximately 90,000 of the nearly 180,000 NCGA members live within a 65-mile radius of the course.