Friendship is the name of the game at the Women’s Golf Association of Mt. Lebanon (WGAML), celebrating its 65th anniversary this year. Members of the 9-hole league honor its rich history and hope to see its continued success in the future.

WGAML was established in 1960 with 47 members who paid a $5 annual due. In the decades since, the goal of the association remains the same: to promote the game of golf and its rules, good sportsmanship, friendly competition and lasting friendships.

With a tee time from 7:15  to 9 a.m. every Tuesday, April through September, at the Mt. Lebanon Golf Course, women of all ages are invited to golf. Open to residents and non-residents alike with dues at $27 per year, the league remains an accessible staple for women at the golf course.

WGAML hosts weekly events and four summer tournaments. The league is split into three divisions based on skill level.

As Cindy Guenther, a current member of eight years explained, “You can be competitive, but there is also room for people who just want to play.” Guenther formed many friendships with members of WGAML over a round of golf.

The league provides “buddies” to golf with, so players that arrive alone can trust that they will never have to golf alone. Margaret Zabo, a 22-year member of the league and former president, appreciates the WGAML community greatly.

Zabo lives at Concordia of the South Hills and described WGAML as “my way out, my social life.”

This became especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic, when outdoor golfing was one of the few activities people felt was safe to partake in. Guenther recalled the one person per golf cart rule during that time. Zabo added that without the set tee time, “I wouldn’t have played otherwise … I could always come and find someone to play with.”

The league also hosts social events, such as an annual breast cancer fundraiser, Golf for the Cure.

The league is a vital part of many players’ lives, but membership is declining. Penny Hunt, another long-time member and former chairman (the term chairman changed to president in 1984), fondly remembered when the league had 172 active golfers in the 1980s. Now, that number is down to 46.

Hunt, a Mt. Lebanon Class of 1959 graduate, has also witnessed changes to the course’s landscape, such as the forsythia bushes that used to live to the left of hole 8, which is now hole 5. She has seen the league at its peak membership, the present-day lull and everywhere in between.

“Golf runs cycles,” Hunt said. Fluctuation in membership is expected, especially after 65 years, and the members have hope that the league will endure.

WGAML survived the tests of time thus far, especially as it turns more toward technology. A computer is now used to calculate a golfer’s handicap, an email blast replaced “The Forward Press,” the group’s physical newsletter, and a small robot cuts much of the grass on the course.

Current president Tracy Lang hopes to welcome new members and continue WGAML’s 65-year legacy. While everyone in the league strives to get better at golf, “The friendship that you make is the biggest part of the league.”