The National Chapter’s Club Championship
Some of us drove. Some of us flew. A few ambitious souls showed up a couple days early to squeeze in some extra golf. But the weekend really started Friday morning at Lac La Belle,when the parking lot slowly filled with familiar faces, new introductions, and the kind ofconversations that pick up exactly where they left off.
It was hot. Smoke from the Canadian wildfires hung over the course, giving everything a hazybackdrop. Whether that affected anybody's golf is up for debate, but we're willing to give a fewwayward tee shots the benefit of the doubt.
If you've never played Lac La Belle, put it on your list. It's one of those courses that quietly fliesunder the radar despite having incredible history, outstanding greens, and plenty ofopportunities to make either a brilliant decision or a terrible one. Most of us chose the latter atleast once.
Friday wasn't about keeping score anyway. We split into National members versus Chicago members for a Stableford match, with bragging rights as the only prize. The National side came away with the win, and we're sure Chicago will tell us they just weren't warmed up yet.
Afterward we headed over to the par 3 course, which might have been the most fun of the day. Creative lines were encouraged, bump-and-runs showed up from places they had no business showing up, and there were plenty of shots that looked ridiculous until they somehow worked.
Fish Fry and a "Friendly" Putting Contest
Friday night took us to a classic Wisconsin Friday night fish fry, which absolutely lived up to the hype.
Then we wandered over to the massive putting course for what was supposed to be a casual competition.
It was not casual.
Within minutes people were reading putts from every angle, celebrating makes like they were Sunday afternoon at a major, and insisting every lip out was because of "poor lighting."
When it was all over, Nate Jones and Tom Mullen walked away with the title. We'll let everyoneelse debate how that happened.
One other observation from the weekend: it's a dangerous time to be a cold beer whenever Kent Monas and Jen Powers are around. Some traditions just happen naturally.
The Championship at Eagle Springs
Saturday brought the main event at Eagle Springs Golf Resort. This course was built to host aclub championship and features some of the best risk vs. reward golf in Wisconsin - coupled with some gnarly greens that would make Tiger blush.
The format was simple. Eighteen holes of stroke play determined the finalists, with the top two in gross and the top two in net advancing to a nine-hole match play championship.
The finalists were:
Gross: Josh Bielke vs. Henry Mulvey
Net: David Frambes vs. Jen Powers
The net championship went back and forth before wrapping up on the eighth hole after Jen Powers stuffed a bunker shot in close and converted the birdie to win 2 and 1. Sometimes you just tip your cap.
The gross final was a little more dramatic. Josh Bielke buried a long eagle putt on the eighth to extend the match and force one more hole, but Henry Mulvey stayed steady all afternoon and closed things out with a 1 up victory. It’s worth noting that Henry was on his home course and he made a statement by defending his home turf.
Congratulations to our 2026 National Club Champions:
🏆Gross Division Champion: Henry Mulvey
🏆Net Division Champion: Jen Powers
More Than a Championship
The golf was great. The competition was even better. But, like most NewClub weekends, thebest part happened between the rounds.
The trip wrapped up with beers in the clubhouse. For most people, anyway. A handful of members somehow found themselves at a Wisconsin casino later that night, because apparently that's just what happens after a National Championship.
Throughout the weekend, we heard a few comments that perfectly summed up why these trips matter:
| "I originally came for the golf, but now I come for the people."
| "National members are like the land of misfit toys that come together and just have the besttime."
| "It's crazy to think none of this would exist without NewClub. All of these friendshipshappened because I joined this club. That's pretty special."
That really says it all.
A great golf course. A championship worth winning. And a group of people who would happily spend the weekend together no matter where the golf happened to be.