• History

    View: History of S.G.A.N.C. (pdf)   |   Annual Reports

    On a cold foggy day in September, 1928, the final round of the Senior Championship conducted by the Northern California Golf Association took place at the Presidio Club, San Francisco. There were sixty-three participants in the competition and upon completion of play all departed at once for their respective homes.

    The tournament was held during the era of Prohibition and alcoholic beverages were not available at the clubhouse. A group of four convened in the locker room over a bottle of Scotch, and discussed the situation. The four included John G. Sutton, Horace Guittard, J.E. (Jack) French, and Brace Carter, then Secretary of the NCGA.

    The idea of a golf association created to promote the spirit of friendly, congenial competition for golfers of senior age was discussed. That idea  became the Senior Golf Association of Northern California (SGANC). A committee comprising a dozen senior members of different clubs in Northern California was appointed to contact members of their clubs who were over the eligible age of 50, to become members.

    In less than three months, 300 applicants were on the original roster. This was the beginning of the Senior Golf Association of Northern California which celebrates its 84th anniversary in 2013.

    Today the SGANC boasts nearly 300 members from 83 different golf clubs in Northern California. It is a non-profit organization of amateur golfers stretching from San Luis Obispo County to the Oregon border. The SGANC was the first senior golf association established in California. The first championship was held in 1929. Today the club conducts two events each year, the Club Championship in May and the Four-Ball event in September, both two-day events. There are 18 governors from various areas of the region who conduct the affairs of the association.  Club headquarters are located at the NCGA offices in Pebble Beach. Honorary members include C. Grant Spaeth and Sandy Tatum, former USGA Presidents. Golf course architect Alister MacKenzie, a member of Claremont Country Club was active in SGANC events in the 1930’s as was former baseball great Ty Cobb, a member of the Olympic Club at the time.

    To learn more view the full History of the Senior Golf Association of Northern California (pdf).

    If you enjoy golf at some of the most prestigious clubs in Northern California, and are comfortable with meeting new golfers from all over Northern California , you will enjoy being a member of the SGANC. Contact Vaughn Kezirian at vkezirian@ncga.org or telephone him at (831) 625-4653 for more information.