In 1951, Lucille Sadtler, an active member of the ANCC Women’s Golf Organization, asked the Men’s Golf Committee for permission to form a subgroup of the women’s organization for those members wishing only to play nine holes. The Golf Committee granted the request, giving limited independence from the long-standing women’s 18-Hole golf group. In the first few years, the 9-Holers grew from 40 to 80 members, still under the auspices of the 18-Hole group. By 1962, it was the largest women’s group at the club, with 260 members and a dedicated Chairman. In December 1962, then-Chairman Fran Ryon submitted a request to the Golf Committee for the 9-Holers to become a separate and independent organization from the 18-Holers. At the time, 10 other country clubs in the region had independent women’s 9-Hole groups, and separation allowed ANCC golfers to compete in local matches with the league that evolved to become the Maryland-Virginia Team Match Association (MVTMA). The Golf Committee granted the request on January 21, 1963, thus beginning the existence of the Women’s Nine Hole Golf Organization (WNHGO) as an official, independent group at ANCC. The MVTMA began in 1961, also spearheaded by ANCC’s Fran Ryon and other interested Maryland and Virginia clubs looking for interclub 9-hole golf competition. The first match was held at the ANCC Fairfax course with Woodmont winning. Other participants included Belle Haven, Woodlawn, Mount Vernon, Columbia, Court House (now CC of Fairfax), Indian Spring, Manor, and Westbriar (now Westwood). Since 1961, Army Navy has been the Club Champion 15 times. The last year we held the title was in 2016 with a team led by captains Rita Kuntz and Mary Helmantoler. WNHGO: Women’s Nine Hole Golf Organization - Almost Seven Decades
Moving forward to 2025, today WNHGO has 65 active members with a range of skill levels who love the 9-hole experience, coupled with friendly competition and wonderful camaraderie. Our four major tournaments include the Committee Cup (est. in 1960); the Championship (est. in 1962); the Memorial Cup (est. in 1974), and the Haffey Memorial (est. in 1991). Each of the major tournaments takes place over two days, and a trophy is awarded to the winner of each. Seeing the names on the trophies from the last 62 years truly paints a great history. WNHGO’s six 1-day themed events include the Spring Jamboree scramble, Match Play Madness, Armed Forces scramble, Flag Day, Beat the Pro, and Fall Fest. We also have a Hole-in-One competition dating back to 1962. Our most recent winner was Marcia Carlucci in May 2022. We continue to participate in MVTMA matches and Invitationals and are hosting an Invitational at Fairfax in September 2025. WNHGO is very proud of our history, traditions, love of golf, deep friendships, and good sportsmanship. We firmly believe the adage that “every day on the golf course is a good day.” A fun fact: the WNHGO Championship has been held almost every year since 1962. In these 62 years, Ginger Murray has the most wins (8 wins between 2004-2017), followed closely by Nancy Fitzgerald (6 wins between 1991-1997).
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