NJSGA & South Jersey Golf Association Form Relationship
The New Jersey State Golf Association has entered into a strategic relationship with the South Jersey Golf Association in an effort to maximize playing opportunities for golfers, both young and old, throughout the Garden State.
The mutually beneficial relationship will enable members of each golf association to participate in each other’s championships. Members of the SJGA may also participate in NJSGA Member Golf Days.
As part of the collaborative effort, each website (NJSGA.org and SJGOLF.org) will link to the other, allowing access for membership opportunities and tournament participation.
“We’re looking to support their efforts and give golfers in South Jersey an idea what the New Jersey State Golf Association has to offer such as Member Golf Days and our championship schedule,” said NJSGA president Frank O’Brien. “At the same time, we are enabling our members an opportunity to play in the SJGA events.”
The relationship has been in the formative stages for two years. Last summer, on a trial basis, members of the SJGA participated in an NJSGA Member Golf Day at Trump National-Philadelphia in Pine Hill, N.J., while NJSGA members took part in the SJGA’s Fall Classic Invitational at Atlantic City Country Club.
“The South Jersey Golf Association has a long-standing tradition in that part of the state. The NJSGA, with its resources and its base in the northern half of the state, felt it could help promote golf in South Jersey, thereby benefitting all the golfers in New Jersey,” said Rich Kennedy, the NJSGA Director of Handicapping and Member Services who was instrumental in developing the new partnership.
“There’s so much good golf and great opportunities to play golf in South Jersey that our members should be aware of. We have a vested interest in getting more exposure for golf in South Jersey and the entire state in general,” Kennedy added.
The South Jersey Golf Association encompasses eight counties including Ocean, Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Cape May, Gloucester and Salem. The association includes more than 500 golfers and nearly 40 golf courses, both public and private. The SJGA was founded in 1946 and conducts 11 tournaments, including an Amateur (August 11, Galloway National), Senior Amateur (July 27, Greate Bay), and its first Mid-Amateur this year, June 27 at Burlington C.C. In addition, its Cherwien Cup Championship and SJGA Awards Day takes place in October at Woodcrest.
Now in its 115th year, the NJSGA has continued to grow and serves more than 275 clubs, courses and organizations representing more than 70,000 golfers throughout the state. It conducts 24 men’s and women’s tournaments, offers handicapping service (GHIN), has donated more than $11 million through its Caddie Scholarship Foundation and promotes the growth of golf through its Youth Foundation.
“Working with the NJSGA with its large membership, gives us the chance to showcase our member courses. Additionally, it gives our clubs access and awareness of the NJSGA. The strategy is to boost membership in our area and expose northern New Jersey players to our area,” said SJGA president and executive director Gail Reilly, who also was instrumental in the partnering of the organizations.
The mission of the SJGA is to promote amateur golf, encourage friendly competition and create an awareness of and appreciation for a variety of courses in southern New Jersey.
“This is a win-win. Our goals are the same. We both want to maintain our identities and run competitive tournaments for golfers throughout the state. This is an evolving relationship that we are both pleased with,” Ms. Reilly stated.
“We are looking to attract younger members. Our entry fees are low at $60-$75 and we play at outstanding venues. Our goal is to attract players from northern New Jersey to our events.”
When the SJGA was founded in 1946, the purpose was to provide additional tournament venues for New Jersey clubs. In that first year, 13 clubs, mostly private, joined the SJGA.
By the mid-1980s, there were 34 members clubs and 900 members, each paying dues of only $5. By 1992, 38 member clubs paid $75 dues.
The SJGA reached a high-water mark in 2001 with nearly 1,000 members from around 60 different clubs. Club dues were $100 and member dues were $10.
Men’s team matches began early in the association’s history. Women’s matches were added a decade later.
The SJGA has primarily been an association of volunteers, including the entire board. Even today, only the webmaster and tournament director receive a stipend. The SJGA also rates its courses with certified USGA raters.
In 2012, Reilly suggested the SJGA honor many of its past Board of Director members by creating perpetual trophies in their names.
“Maintaining a legacy of those who worked so hard in their support of SJGA seemed important t me,” Ms. Reilly said.
The SJGA each year awards scholarships to senior high school golfers in its eight-county area.
Arlene Cherwien, who has served as course rating director for the SJGA for more than two decades, was also SJGA president from 1996-99 and from 2001-03. Under her tutelage the SJGA received 501c 3 classification as a non-profit, went from hand scoring to full computerization, and hired a part-time executive director.
“When I started, we were working out of a shoebox. When I left we were up to 62 golf courses,” Ms. Cherwien said. “My predecessor, Nancy Lauber, did a fine job. We were a viable organization. I picked up where she left off.
“I think the relationship with the NJSGA is a good idea. It provides people with more venues to choose from. It will involve a lot of traveling for some people. But people travel to Myrtle Beach or Maryland and don’t think twice about it. They can make it into a destination package, check out hotels in places like Cape May and play two days. I also think there will be a day when the SJGA and NJSGA come together to do course ratings,” Ms. Cherwien said.
“There isn’t as much interest in golf as there was 20 years ago. I know four or five courses in South Jersey have closed in recent years. There aren’t as many people playing golf or participating in tournaments. This relationship may provide people an easier way to play every course in the state.”
A group of eight from the Garden State Women’s Golf Association, based in northern New Jersey, participated for the first time in the SJGA Fall Classic Invitational Stroke-Play event at Atlantic City Country Club thanks to the new relationship.
“We stayed overnight at the Borgata and we loved the course and the people from the South Jersey Golf Association. They’re friendly and easy-going,” said GSWGA representative Sue Sardi, who oversees the NJSGA Junior Girls Championship.
“We put two foursomes together very quickly and it was the kind of event we don’t normally get to do, especially staying overnight and enjoying the area. That made it super fun for us and it’s something we’ll look forward to doing again,” Sardi stated.
