History & Founding Clubs

The Women’s Metropolitan Golf Association, Inc., the second oldest golf association for women in the United States, was founded in October 1899. Organized and headquartered in New York City until 1994, it is now housed at Golf Central in Westchester County.

From an initial roster of 23 Founding Clubs, the WMGA has grown to represent nearly 200 Member Clubs located within a 60-mile radius of New York City limits and over 2,400 individual members who are members of or enjoy playing privileges at those clubs. The membership territory is divided into three districts: Long Island, which includes all of Long Island, New Jersey, which covers a large portion of northern and central New Jersey and includes Staten Island and parts of Rockland County, NY, and Westchester, which takes in parts of Westchester County, NY and Fairfield County, CT.

A 17-member Board of Directors, lead by five officers, oversees the operations of the WMGA, which are conducted largely on a volunteer basis. The office is staffed by an Executive Director, Tournament Manager, Office Manager and a USGA P.J. Boatwright Jr. Intern.

The WMGA conducts about 30 competitions each year, providing  members with one of the largest and most varied playing schedules in the country. The schedule includes individual, partner, family, and team events as well as a series of spring Interclub Team Matches. The WMGA is the USGA compliant Course Rating authority for women players throughout the metropolitan region, serving public and private courses to provide the underpinning for the USGA Handicap System.