Second Delaware Cup a winner for PGA Reach

Twenty-four Delaware golf pros came together Nov. 3-4 for the second annual Delaware Cup competition. PGA charity initiatives were the real winners.

PGA Reach is the charitable foundation of the PGA of America, and it supports three different programs. It operates the PGA Jr. League for junior golfers, the PGA WORKS diversity initiative for golf’s expansion to underserved communities, and PGA HOPE, which serves veterans and active-duty military service members. 

The two-day event, held this year at Rehoboth Beach Country Club and Peninsula Golf & Country Club, raised $15,219, according to RBCC head golf pro George Bushby. The Delaware Cup proceeds are targeted toward the PGA Philadelphia Section’s PGA Reach programs, which includes all of Delaware.

The tournament format followed those used in Ryder and Solheim Cup competitions, without the alternate shot element. The first round at RBCC was four ball, using the better ball of partners. The second round at Peninsula combined four ball matches and singles play. 

Led by DuPont CC club pro Mike Caldwell, the North team repeated its victory in the inaugural 2024 Delaware Cup contest held at Caldwell’s home course, this time by the final score of 38-28.

In addition to Caldwell, the northern contingent included fellow DuPont CC pros Eric Onesi and Bryan Bryson. The rest of the North team and their club affiliations were Dan Mrozinski (Commonwealth National, Horsham, Pa.), Mike Tobiasson (Deerfield), Zac Oakley (Bidermann), Jacob Chambers and Bob Lennon (Wilmington), John Colbert and Matt Bonanno (Newark), University of Delaware golf team coach Brendon Post, and Nikita Romanov (Rock Manor). 

The South team included Bushby, Rick McCall Jr. and Chris Gray of RBCC, along with pros from other Cape Region and Sussex County clubs: Chris Krueger and Eric Willey (Kings Creek); Jake Shockley (Baywood Greens); Brooks Massey (Heritage Shores); Neal Maurer, Greyson Rossi, Will Scarborough and Jesse Williams (Peninsula); and Andy Hewitt (Cripple Creek). 

Golfweek club rankings

Congratulations to Plantation Lakes Golf & Country Club for finishing No. 1 in Golfweek’s 2025 rankings of Delaware’s top public access golf courses.

Adding to Cape Region pride, Bayside Resort in Selbyville and Baywood Greens in Long Neck came in second and third place, respectively, in the same rankings.

Golfweek rankings rely on hundreds of course raters who apply 10 criteria on a 1-10 scale to complete their evaluations. The criteria include conditioning, design, playability and overall experience. This year marks the fourth consecutive time Plantation Lakes made the Golfweek top Delaware courses’ list.

Plantation Lakes Director of Golf Ian Madinger said, “I’m incredibly proud of our entire team – from the golf course crew to the service staff and F&B team. A very special thanks goes to our maintenance team. Since the award criteria are primarily based on course conditions and landscaping, this recognition is a direct reflection of their tireless work and attention to detail. Their standard of excellence is the foundation of this award. I couldn’t be more grateful for their efforts and am honored to work alongside Nick and Terry.” 

Chief Golf Course Superintendent Nick Larrimore said, “We're incredibly proud to once again be named to Golfweek's Best in State list. This recognition is a testament to our team's commitment to maintaining tournament-ready conditions every single day." 

All three courses are the centerpieces of large-scale residential developments in Sussex County. Baywood markets itself as exclusively public, while Plantation Lakes and Bayside are more appropriately classed as semi-private. 

Each property followed different paths to their current successes.

Compared to the other two, Plantation Lakes experienced the full range of ups and downs in the development’s two-decade history, including delays in course construction. Designed by the shop of famed golf course architect Arthur Hills, the developers completed six holes when a recession caused a halt. 

Once that problem went away, the rest of the first nine holes were completed as the residential side also recovered. Shortly thereafter, the second nine was built.  Both the course and the large-scale community are now prospering, with an eventual build-out of more than 2,300 homes to be completed.

In my opinion, the smartest thing the Plantation Lakes developers did was to incorporate a club membership requirement into the ownership rules for lots adjacent to the course. That direct financial support meets base-level needs and gives the course the best financial chances for continued operation, unlike dozens of unfortunate examples in Florida, Myrtle Beach and elsewhere.

Bayside Resort relied on the cachet of a Jack Nicklaus signature design to boost its chances for success as an upscale development. While the original proposal for what was called Americana Bayside faced the usual political challenges, once approved, the property and the course construction process went relatively smoothly.

Baywood Greens followed yet another path to success, with its owners adopting the lot rent development model they used on their several other Long Neck-area subdivisions. It obviously works for them.

All three layouts have earned their great reputations, as recognized by Golfweek and thousands of annual golfers, both locals and visitors. They are among the reasons for the Cape Region’s continued success as a great place to live, work and play.