The Northwest Ladies Golf Association (NLGA), founded to organize and promote golf activities for women, is celebrating its 15th year as a premiere golfing organization for women. Organized leagues, weekend getaways, clinics, competitions and social events are among the benefits of belonging.

“Since inception, our not-for-profit organization has offered a variety of activities and events for golf addicts, casual players and beginning golfers who want to play in a supportive, encouraging environment,” said Rikki Rothenberg-Klein, a founding member and this year’s president. All skill levels are welcomed, she emphasized.

Founded by Mercer Island resident Sally Sullivan and 15 others in 1994, the organization has since grown to over 170 players.

Among NLGA’s most popular offerings are 18-hole weekend play, scheduled from May through October at a variety of courses. The options include a mix of courses all around the region, varied both in terms of degrees of difficulty and prices. NLGA handles all the details from scheduling tee times and taking reservations to arranging pairings. Membership is $55 per year, and organized league play is available at four courses: Foster Golf Links, West Seattle Golf Club, Nile Golf Course and Mount Si Golf Course. Sessions of four or five weeks’ duration are offered during the season, with tee times typically starting around 4:30 p.m.

“Stay and play” weekend getaways feature a combination of golf and social activities. This year’s venues include courses from across the state: Moses Lake, Bellingham and Yakima.

In addition to plenty of golfing opportunities, NLGA membership includes a mentoring program to build confidence and learn golf etiquette, instructional clinics for all playing abilities, membership in the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Golf Handicap & Information Network (GHIN), and an online subscription to the NLGA’s newsletter.

NLGA is part of eClubhouse, a program of the United States Golf Association. It enables users to maintain their profile, view and sign up for club events, post scores directly to GHIN and utilize myStats, an optional feature for tracking personal playing statistics, such as fairways, greens and putts. The “Find a Golfer” section lets users search for other golfers, whether in nearby clubs, or at vacation or business destinations.

More information about NLGA is available by visiting nlga.ghinclub.com, e-mailing nlgainfo@yahoo.com or calling the group’s hotline at (206) 729-4888.