We hope everyone has been staying warm as the days slowly get longer and we count down to the start of the MGA season.
Attached you’ll find the 2026 MGA Schedule, which is also available on the MGA website: https://mga.golf/schedule/
A few notes for 2026: Based on how the holidays and A-Team fall this year, we’ve swapped our Team Shamble and RWB dates. Additionally, our Closing Day Stableford will be played on Sunday, November 1st.
2-Man Team Shamble: June 20
Red, White & Blue: July 25–26
Closing Day Stableford: November 1
We’re very excited for all that 2026 has in store for the MGA and for NGC as a club — here’s to an early spring!
The Start to 2026: Another New Year’s Day in the History Books at NGC
Last week, New Year’s Day at NGC brought the cold, but it also brought the best kind of turnout: true golf nuts. Our golf family showed up strong for another memorable Mike Miller Tournament and officially launched the 2026 season with joy, cheer, and plenty of hand warmers. Now in its 14th year as the Mike Miller, and with over half a century of New Year’s Day golf behind it, this tradition truly captures what makes NGC special. Champagne was popped, spirits were high, and the day delivered plenty of laughs along with some very solid golf.
Thank you to every member, former member, guest, and staff member who helped make the day such a success. Extra thanks to Christine, Tiffany, Meilani, and Danny for all the care and coordination that kept everything running smoothly.
Here’s to a great year at the club and a 2026 to remember!
9-Hole Division And smartest team award… 1st – Joint Task Force Golf (-1) – Jay “Hoser” Aanrud, Tom “Vulture” Lawhead, Jordan “Jordo” Thomas & Greg “Kermit” Walls
Individual Gross: 1st – Sam Bowmer (70) Won on 1st playoff hole with a birdie on #18 vs. Jared Powell Net: 1st – Greg Morris (60)
Team Net 1st – Auld Fore Syne (52) – Ryan Dierker, Natasha Tutt, Camille Wright & Ed Clarke
Team Gross 1st – Par Is Lava 🌋 (64) – Weston Happ, Calvin Harkless, Patrick Escalambre & Will Keyes
Attached you’ll find the starting holes and rules sheet for tomorrow’s Mike Miller Tournament which will kickoff with a champagne tee shot off #1 at 10:45 AM followed by an 11:00 AM shotgun start.
With temperatures looking frosty, we’ve added a 9-Hole Division option for any teams that would like to stay a bit warmer! If your team would like to opt for playing nine only, please proceed from #9 green to the tee on #1. Teams playing 9-holes will only enter scores in the scoring app for the Front 9.
All tournament scoring will be handled via the NGC App. The app can be found here for iPhone and here for Android. All teams will be pre-loaded into the App and we ask that one player from each team uses the App to track their team’s score.
14th Annual Mike Miller Tournament: Thursday, January 1st, 2026 — 11:00 AM shotgun start with annual champagne tee shot off 1st tee at 10:45 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. Online Registration Portal: https://mga.golf/Mike-Miller-Sign-Up/ Registration Deadline: Monday, 12/29 @ 8:00 PM
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 leaderboard.
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 14th annual playing of the Mike Miller Tournament. We hope you can join us — all NGC members and guests are welcome!
14th Annual Mike Miller Tournament: Thursday, January 1st, 2026 — 11:00 AM shotgun start with annual champagne tee shot off 1st tee at 10:45 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. Online Registration Portal: https://mga.golf/Mike-Miller-Sign-Up/ Registration Deadline: Monday, 12/29 @ 8:00 PM
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 leaderboard.
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 14th annual playing of the Mike Miller Tournament. We hope you can join us — all NGC members and guests are welcome!
Hope everyone’s having an awesome holiday! As we count down to New Year’s, team sign-ups close this Monday, 12/29 at 8:00 PM for the Mike Miller tradition which is back for this New Year’s Day, January 1st, 2026!
14th Annual Mike Miller Tournament: Thursday, January 1st, 2026 — 11:00 AM shotgun start with annual champagne tee shot off 1st tee at 10:45 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. Online Registration Portal: https://mga.golf/Mike-Miller-Sign-Up/ Registration Deadline: Monday, 12/29 @ 8:00 PM
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 leaderboard.
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 14th annual playing of the Mike Miller Tournament. We hope you can join us — all NGC members and guests are welcome!
Team sign-ups continue for the Mike Miller tradition which is back for this New Year’s Day, January 1st, 2026!
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 14th annual playing of the Mike Miller Tournament. We hope you can join us — all NGC members and guests are welcome!
14th Annual Mike Miller Tournament: Thursday, January 1st, 2026 — 11:00 AM shotgun start with annual champagne tee shot off 1st tee at 10:45 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. Online Registration Portal: https://mga.golf/Mike-Miller-Sign-Up/
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 leaderboard.
Team sign-ups are now open for the Mike Miller tradition which is back for this New Year’s Day, January 1st, 2026!
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 14th annual playing of the Mike Miller Tournament. We hope you can join us — all NGC members and guests are welcome!
14th Annual Mike Miller Tournament: Thursday, January 1st, 2026 — 11:00 AM shotgun start with annual champagne tee shot off 1st tee at 10:45 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. Online Registration Portal: https://mga.golf/Mike-Miller-Sign-Up/
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 leaderboard.
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!
Over the weekend, we had another tremendous edition of the NGC Ugly Sweater Scramble and we owe it all to the amazing NGC family who turned out in style for a day filled with laughter, golf, and joy. A huge thank you to Tiffany and Ryan for getting everything set up and serving as our sweater judges! A big shoutout and thank you to Kyle Armstrong for providing his collection of crazy clubs and to Christine, Mimi and Germame for embracing the golf spirit that makes NGC so special. And thank you to all our members and guests who made the day a true highlight of our 2025 season at NGC.
Most importantly, thanks to the legacy established by Blake and Alison Jones many years ago, we are very happy to share that together we raised $1,605 for the Toys For Tots Foundation surpassing last year’s total! This contribution wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing generosity of our NGC golf family. Thank you to all those who contributed! 🚂
On the course, the day was as entertaining as it was spirited, with plenty of birdies, eagles, and even albatrosses flying amidst lots of creative strategies and trying to figure out why heavy golf balls even exist…
It was the perfect way to close out the 2025 tournament season — And, as always, we won’t have to wait long to tee off in 2026…team sign-ups for the Mike Miller Tournament on New Year’s Day are now open!
Net Team Ugly Old Guys Buffington, Sullivan, Kusseling & Ewalt (-19)
Gross Two and a Half Men White, Powell, Busbee & Mattis (-12) Still Making a List Happ, Hsiao, Martin & Stone (-12)
Best Dressed Teams 1st – Chicks and Dicks Dick, Aycock, Doherty & Kumor 2nd – Sweater Together Doherty, Armstrong, Bowmer & BurgessUgly Sweater
Ugly Sweater Individual Awards Most Tacky Sweater: Mike Hanpeter Best Couple Sweaters: Kyle + Sandra Ugly Sweater: Jim Prendergast Best DIY Sweater: Jim Ewalt Most Over-the-Top Sweater: Jim Sussmann Funniest Sweater: Patrick Escalambre Best Color Coordination Winner: Daryl Stone Most Creative Sweater: Phil Martin
Skins Gross #1 – That’s Not a Candycane Dove, Prendergast, Clarke & Adams (Eagle) #11 – That’s Not a Candycane Dove, Prendergast, Clarke & Adams (Eagle) #14 – Still Making a List Happ, Hsiao, Martin & Stone (Birdie) #15 – Santa’s Ho Ho Hoes Sussmann, Escalambre Carlo & Ross (Birdie) #16 – Effing Delights Dick, Soloweigh, Nichols & Cuevas (Eagle) #18 – Effing Delights Dick, Soloweigh, Nichols & Cuevas (Birdie)
Skins Net #1 – That’s Not a Candycane Dove, Prendergast, Clarke & Adams (Eagle) #5 – Still Making a List Happ, Hsiao, Martin & Stone (Birdie) #12 – Team Ugly Old Guys Buffington, Sullivan, Kusseling & Ewalt (Albatross) #14 – Still Making a List Happ, Hsiao, Martin & Stone (Birdie) #16 – Effing Delights Dick, Soloweigh, Nichols & Cuevas (Albatross) #18 – Effing Delights Dick, Soloweigh, Nichols & Cuevas (Birdie)
For the tournament tomorrow, we will be collecting $80 per team which will be divided 50/50 for a cash donation to Toys For Tots and our skins/awards pot. If you’d like to participate as a team in the T4T collection and skins/awards, please send one payment of $80 along with your team name to @Weston-Happ on Venmo. We will NOT be collecting physical toys tomorrow.
Any payment amounts above $80 will go 100% to our Toys For Tots donation. And anyone not playing on a team tomorrow who would like to contribute is welcome to!
Last year we raised $1,550 for this extremely worthy cause — let’s top that number this year!
