Our STory is HErStory

Forty two years ago, in 1980, there was a group of African American Women from New Jersey who decided to join together and form a golf club.

The eight founding members – Joan Bright, Joy Fernandes, Anna Hill Wheaton, Louise King, Lillian Babe Martin, Marian Savage, Delores Scales and Margaret Walton- were the wives of the Garden State Duffers, a notable and prominent African American Men’s golf club. 

The wives of the Duffers supported their husbands by helping host Duffer events.  Members George King and Manny Fernandes noticed that the ladies enjoyed the excitement of the game and the comradery of the men so much that at a Duffers’ club meeting these spouses requested that their club assist the ladies in starting a women’s golf club.  These progressive men unanimously agreed to help the ladies learn how to play golf and start their own club.

This group of dynamic eight ladies founded the Garden State Dufferettes, which is now known as Dufferettes of N.J. Golf Club.

For many years the ladies were offered a club meeting space at the Duffers Club House, located at 160 Tremont Avenue in East Orange, NJ.  The Dufferettes’ meetings always opened with the Dufferettes’ Prayer, which was created by the founding members.  We continue to open the meeting with the same prayer today.

When the Duffers’ Club House closed, meetings were then held at the Priory Restaurant in Newark, then a brief time at Jaymes Restaurant in Hillside, later at the East Orange Golf Course in Short Hills and now at Sandwiches Unlimited Restaurant in Orange, NJ.

The founding members encouraged and welcomed women of all abilities to join.  Soon after, there were 28 members.  The first President was Sandra Jeffers, in 1980, followed by Delores Mc Lamb.  Erica McNeil, is the sitting President as we celebrate our 40th Anniversary in 2020. 

The Dufferettes first started playing on Sundays, with tee times directly in front of the proud and supportive Duffers.  But pretty soon, they created their own playing schedule, traveling across New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  Courses included: Weequahic Golf Course in Newark, Hendricks Field Golf Course in Belleville, Byrne Golf Course in West Orange, East Orange Golf Course in Short Hills, Meadows Golf Course in Lincoln Park, Bunker Hill in Princeton and even Shawnee Golf Course in Pennsylvania.

The Dufferettes would proudly wear the colors of Green and White, which matched the Duffers.  Over the years, the ladies always made a fashionable statement with a variety of shirts, jackets, stylish hats and scarves.  People said, “The Dufferettes look good and can really play well!”

In the beginning, the club started with women that could barely hit a golf ball.  They quickly advanced to achieve longest drives, Birdies and Eagles. Hole in Ones have been achieved by Jackie Clark, Erica McNeil, Pat Moore, Irene Jones and Mary Jones.

Dufferettes like Pat Moore won the 4-ball New Jersey State Golf Association Tournament on 2017 and the West Essex Women’s Golf League Tournament in 2016 and 2020.  These achievements made Dufferettes notable in NJ Golf and across the country.

The Dufferettes promoted the advancement of improving golf skills, which includes a USGA Handicap with club membership.  Members attend golf clinics at The Galloping Hill Learning Center and they utilize the driving range, practice putting greens and chipping areas.  They also participate in Women’s International Golf Day events.

The Dufferettes have scheduled Club Events, Open Play and Club Championships at Weequahic Golf Course. The ladies enjoy preferred tee times on Saturdays, April – September.

Additionally, fun and exciting 3-4 day golf vacations have been booked to places such as Atlantic City, Arizona, Florida, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia, South Carolina and Puerto Rico.  They travel by car, train and plane.  They even took the “Midnight Train to Georgia” and then drove to their destination in Hilton Head, South Carolina.  The Dufferettes have also played internationally, with trips to Bermuda and the Dominican Republic.

Many THANKS to Denise Muhammad for organizing many of the fantastic and memorable trips.  As the longstanding Entertainment Chair, she also organized a ‘Paint and Sip’ art event during our off season.

Members have joined and played with other women’s golf leagues, including 18 holes at Galloping Hill, Byrne, Hendricks Field and 9 holes at Galloping Hill and Hyatt Hills.

Dufferettes play in a Match Play Six Course Interclub League at Galloping Hill, Ashbrook, Warrenbrook, Quailbrook, Rutgers and Weequahic.  Members who have played include Jackie Clark, Gerri Whitaker, Bettye Carson, Denise Muhammad, Pat Moore, Stacey Borden, Erica McNeil, Cynthia Rasool, Gloria Murphy, Mary Brinkley and Mae Harvey.  Thanks to Hazel Godbold and Bettye Carson, many Dufferettes were encouraged to join more competitive golf events, including the State of NJ Senior Olympics.  Hazel Godbold and Gloria Murphy won in 2018 and qualified for the next level of competition. 

Dufferettes also participated in the well-attended annual Browns Mill Women’s Golf Association Tournament at Innisbrook Golf Course in Florida.  We’ve supported other women’s golf tournaments, such as Sisters Across America Inc. who support women in golf as they prepare to enter the world of the LPGA.  Dufferettes Jackie Clark, Nedra Clark and Irene Jones are members.

Dufferettes have traveled across the country and internationally to attend professional tournaments as spectators.  Gerri Whitaker and Carol Gillard recently attended the 2019 Solheim Cup in Scotland.

The Dufferettes continue to support the club’s mission of providing assistance to financially challenged young people who aspire to a college education.  On June 8, 1985, the Dufferettes hosted their first Scholarship Tournament at Bunker Hill Golf Course in Princeton, NJ.  Another tournament, at Shackamaxon Country Club in Scotch Plains, NJ, raised over $10,000 for scholarships.  The most recent tournament was the Dufferettes’ 27th Scholarship Tournament at Cranberry Golf Club in West Windsor, NJ on September 17, 2016.  Scholarships are awarded yearly.

The Dufferettes have also raised money for Breast Cancer Awareness.

Members support and promote the game of golf to youth and girl organizations. This is achieved by volunteering to instruct, score and chaperone youth groups, including the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf Program of Greater Newark.

The Dufferettes support fundraising tournaments by entering individuals or at least one foursome to play.  Tournaments include:  Orange Housing Authority, Urban League, Hope Chest Tournament, Somerset Women’s Golf Tournament, Essex County College Tournament, Montclair African American Heritage Foundation, Men of Essex Annual Golf Classic, Caribbean American Golf Association Tournament and the Rotary Tournament of Berkshire Valley, to name a few.

The Dufferettes lend financial and moral support to rising women professional golfers, including Ginger Howard.

Dufferettes have volunteered in professional tournaments such as the President’s Cup at Liberty National Golf Course in Jersey City, NJ and the US Junior Amateur National at Baltusrol in Springfield, NJ.  Lulu Connor and Ginger Brown had a great time volunteering at Baltusrol. 

The Dufferettes have enjoyed many social outings, including playing with the Weequahic Men in a Team Play Outing.  We’ve also had Annual Holiday Parties, co-sponsored with The Men of Essex, Inc.  We participated in Women’s International Golf Day Events and the “Nine and Wine” golf and networking event.

The Dufferettes Club is intergenerational.  There was Mary Austin and her daughter Susan Austin.  Currently, Denise Muhammad and her daughter Jazmeen Muhammad, Elizabeth Slade and her daughter Patt Slade, Bettye Carson and her daughter Charlynne Carson-Coley and most recently, Diane Grant and her daughter Dana Grant.  Our passion for golf has sparked the interest and avid participation of family members and friends in the sport.

We are a sisterhood of women who spread the joy and love of the game of golf.  We pass it forward by creating opportunities and providing support to others. 

There once were over 150 African American Golf Clubs and Leagues across the United States.  Many have faded away as golf memberships opened to people of color.  We’ve been able to not only survive, but to thrive, since starting in 1980.

We’ve come a long way from telephone calling squads to set up foursomes…to Evites for tournaments…to sending emails and text messages over Smartphones. And…we are continuing to evolve!

Today we celebrate 40 years with 38 active/financial members.  We are proud that the club continues to grow with new members, even during this Pandemic that started in early 2020, our ladies are GOLF STRONG!

It’s no secret that, through everyone’s participation and contributions, our club has been successful.