Penn Jersey Golf Association
A Brief History
In the early 1970’s two groups of golfers played nearly every Sunday at Medford Village (Sunny Jim’s) golf course. One league was from Philadelphia and the other group was a mixture of guys from Jersey and the Northeast. Both groups had dissenters who were dissatisfied with certain rules, tee-times, pace of play and some of the players in their individual leagues. They decided to form a new golf league.
The Stumble Inn Golf League was originally comprised of four groups who played every Sunday at Sunny Jim’s. It was a money league with a format that was part Match play and part handicap play. In the mid 1970’s problems arose: handicaps, match partners, dwindling membership and the fact that Sunny Jim’s was reverting back to being a private club led to calls for change. So, the Stumble Inn Golf League decided to revise its format. The point system and the USGA Handicap System were introduced. New players were recruited (many from the Philadelphia Police league). The league played about 12 tournaments a year on about 4 different courses. There were approximately 20 members at this time.
In the late 1970’s the Stumble Inn name lost favor with many of the local golf course managers and superintendents. The Wick’s Golf League was formed. The number of tournaments & the variety of courses played, as well as the membeship was gradually expanded. The golf-day was changed to Saturday (it had something to do with no-shows’ – at work on Mondays. LOL!!!).
In the late 1980’s another name change was needed. Another Wick’s Golf League existed in the area and one of the leagues was accused of not honoring deposits, play without pay or some other infraction that upset local courses. Shocking development, eh? Probably, Walt Molchanow shenanigans.
Hence, the Penn Jersey Golf Association was formed. Since the late 1980’s the league has played courses in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware. Over the past thirty-some years the club has had well over one hundred different members. And with the coming of each spring the PENN/JERSEY story rolls along!!!