Since 1901, the NCGA has been serving the golfers of Northern California in an effort to provide an enjoyable and fulfilling golf experience. Join the NCGA and become part of a tradition that has stood the test of time and has continued to evolve through the years.
Mission Statement:

“To support and promote the game of golf in Northern California and to enhance the knowledge, enjoyment and participation of NCGA members.”

NCGA History

The Northern California Golf Association was formed more than 100 years ago by five clubs – Menlo CC, Oakland GC (now Claremont CC), Presidio GC, Linda Vista (now San Jose CC), and San Francisco GC – with the sole purpose of participating in the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship. These ten clubs are the oldest in Northern California:

Aetna Springs – 1892
Mare Island – 1892
Burlingame – 1893
San Francisco GC – 1895
Presidio – 1895
Old Del Monte – 1897
Claremont – 1897
San Jose CC – 1899
Menlo – 1906
Sunnyside – 1911

From that humble beginning, the NCGA has grown to an association consisting of 400 regular clubs and more than 850 associate clubs with a total membership approaching 180,000 members. Today, members spread from the Oregon border to central California and east into Nevada allowing the NCGA to become 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 nation 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. Taking pride in being a service organization, the NCGA endeavors to offer a tournament schedule conducive to players of all ages and abilities using various formats and opportunities to allow anyone the chance to participate in championship golf.

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 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 half of NCGA members live within a 65-mile radius of the 27-hole course.

The NCGA offers many services ranging from Handicapping and Course Rating to Communications and NCGA Golf magazine to Rules and Competition and the NCGA Foundation. A permanent staff of 39 is located at Poppy Hills, but the association would not be where it is today without the 15 current directors and all past directors who have represented various areas of Northern California along with the multitude of volunteers who have served selflessly throughout the years offering many hours of their time without compensation.

NCGA Member Benefits