Fairway, Friendly Fun For Golf Group The Toads

At 9 a.m. every Wednesday of the spring and summer, a large group of golfers congregate at one of the many different courses surrounding the Philadelphia area. Sixty to 70 players ride out in shotgun style, filling the front nine of the course with friendly competition, wiry banter and old-fashion fun. It may surprise some to learn this isn't a group of upstart, party-seeking youngsters, but rather a group of retired workers and senior citizens, looking to enjoy some time with their friends and the simple joys of golfing.

Their name is The Toads, and they've been a staple of the local Philadelphia golf scene for over a decade. Comprised of over 100 members, The Toads have grown substantially over the years. Started in 1996 by 12 friends seeking to create a friendly and competitive golf organization, The Toads have built themselves into a quality league by focusing on what's most important, as their slogan says—they do it "for friendship and the fun of golf."

Jack Dempsey of Roxborough has been a member of The Toads since its inception. He currently holds the title of secretary, and is "semi-retired" from the workforce. In addition to working at In-Touch Monogramming on 6007 Ridge Ave., Dempsey's Toads' responsibilities range from creating schedules and board meeting newsletters, to creating all of the custom embroidered designs of each member's clothes.

"We like to have a dress code, so everyone can see who we are," Dempsey said. "When people are unfamiliar with us, we get a common response of, 'Who are those guys with the toad shirts?'"

Sometimes the answer to that question varies greatly. The Toads feature an eclectic roster of players, ranging in age from 55 to 85-year-olds, with an equally wide variety of skill levels. The groups name, "The Toads" was created as simply as the premise of the club itself.

"One day, we all came into the shop and someone suggested that we call ourselves The Toads, and since then, that's what it's been," Dempsey said.

Even with a laid back, keep-it-fun attitude, The Toads also focus efforts on creating a competitive league that is simple and compelling. Using a reverse point system that rewards players for quality holes, The Toads run an easy-to-follow score-keeping system that keeps all of the matches fun and simple, "a two is a bad handicap; a high handicap is a good player because of the points system, the more points you score the better you are," Dempsey said.

Scoring aside, it is clear that The Toads are about more than keeping track of who wins, who's better and who can brag.

"It's a combination of golfing, camaraderie and social interaction that attracts most members to the club," Dempsey said. "It can get noisy out there with these guys, because we're in a large group coming up and down the fairway, but it's always in fun."

Although The Toads play on over 25 different courses a year in the Philadelphia area, their network also expands away from the local scene with overnight trips to courses outside the normal proximity. Three times a year, the group will travel to the Poconos for a Tuesday and Wednesday event, which features all the standard fun of a normal outing coupled with pre- and post-match meals, late night card playing and other fraternal events.

As a group, The Toads also participate in local fundraising projects around the community. Twice a year the club will combine one of their outings with a local group to help raise funds for their organization.  "It's something we do every year, it's fun for us and helps to support a local organization," Dempsey said.

The Toads have clearly made their mark in the Manayunk-Roxborough area, not only as a golf organization, but also as group focused on community and friendship, and with priorities like that, The Toads look to an organization that sticks around for a while.