Wilmington Industrial Golf League

One of the wonderful things about the game of golf is that you get an opportunity to spend time with your playing partners. Golf isn’t like other sporting events, where you are concentrating on how to prevent your opponent from getting himself or a ball across a goal line to score points against you. In golf, you are playing yourself and the golf course. In golf you appreciate a good shot by your playing partner and celebrate genuinely when a playing partner makes a long putt or sticks an approach shot close to the pin.

Over the years, many business deals have been reached by associates while on the golf course. The business people from the Wilmington, Delaware area have over 50 years of experience in running a social golf league for the employees of the surrounding businesses. Being curious of their longevity, I contacted league secretary Carl Zitofsky of The Wilmington Industrial Golf League to learn more.

Golf Bistro: The Wilmington Industrial Golf League has been in existence for over 50 years, what is the secret to the success and longevity of the league? 

Carl Zitofsky: I believe the league has been around so long due to many factors. Golf is a great game. We are a nonprofit handicap league that allows players from any type of organization to participate whether they are new to golf or have a scratch handicap. We have a great format that is fair to all players. Our scoring system includes both match play and stroke play. Members say they have not met a single person in the league that they could not enjoy the game of golf with, man or woman. 

Most organizations are only as good as their leadership. The secretary's position is vital to the existence to the league and we have had great stability in this role, with only a handful of people in this position through the history of the league. Also, each person worked with their successor for a seamless transition. The time, effort and dedication spent by the person in this position will have a direct influence on the success of the league. Next, is the experience of the members of the league that know how we have been successful and where we have not. Some members of our Board of Governors have been with the league for over 30 years. Their knowledge of the history of our league is a valuable resource.  

The most important thing and our main focus at all times is that the league is for the over 400 players that participate. We are always open to suggestions as we continue to work towards growing and improving our league. 

GB:The WIGL promotes a co-ed environment to build camaraderie and to meet new people from the business community in the Wilmington area. Are matches set up as gender specific or is it possible for ladies and gentlemen to compete against one another on a handicap basis?

CZ: As the lineups are based on handicap only, men and women face off all of the time. All matches are played by 6 players for each team. The lineups are set based on the player’s handicap, with the lowest handicap playing the #1 spot, the highest handicap playing in the #6 spot. Ladies do play from the Ladies tees and this is where their handicap is calculated from.  In fact, the matches between the Men & Ladies are usually some of the funnier conversations heard at the 19th hole. 

GB: Is the $120.00 entry fee a team fee or does each player pay $120.00? Do the companies represented pay the entry fee on behalf of the team?

CZ: The $120 entry fee is per team, per season and covers all administrative and handicapping costs along with going towards prize money and our year end awards outing. In almost all cases, the company will pay the $120 sponsorship fee. It is a small amount to pay for the team building, networking, camaraderie and advertising their company receives. We continue to add new teams to the league and have not had a team drop out in several years. This continuity along with growth also helps the success of our league. 

GB: The flexibility of the league having matches spread from Monday through Thursday and allowing unlimited players on each team roster seems focused on getting many golfers from the area involved. Have you had a lot of comments about the user-friendly structure of the league? 

CZ: Yes we have. The fact that we are open to players of all skill levels and play so many area courses are the main reasons players tell me they love playing in our league. While we play a 10 match regular season, a player needs only 3 league matches to qualify for the playoffs. This allows team captains to include many players during the course of the season, based on either work schedule or the geographic location of the course for that week’s match. 

GB: Is there anything else you would like to add about the Wilmington Industrial Golf League?

CZ: We are a co-ed golf league that has been in existence for over 50 years! The main purpose of the league is to build camaraderie and meet new people from the area. Organizers of corporate golf leagues say that inclusiveness and the emphasis on bonding, instead of the competitive aspect, is a key to success. The best leagues foster friendships, teamwork, and camaraderie, build relationships within companies, and offer an after-work social and semi competitive outlet.  

We are very fortunate to have excellent relationships with our members and the support of many local area golf courses. It is through the support of these groups that we continue to grow and improve our league.  

For additional information about the Wilmington Industrial Golf League (WIGL), please visit our brand new website at www.wiglonline.com.

If you live and work in the Wilmington, Delaware area and you company currently is not involved with The Wilmington Industrial Golf League, contact Carl Zitofsky for additional information on how you can become involved in the fun and camaraderie that this league brings to it’s members. www.wiglonline.com