BURRILLVILLE -- When Trudy Default first came up with the idea more than a decade ago with good friend Nathalie Price, she kind of had a feeling that they were on to something special.

As the Ocean State Women’s Golf Association (OSWGA) celebrates its 11th anniversary this year, Default couldn’t be happier with how it’s turned out.

"Everything is just falling into place," said Default, whose organization has doubled from 200 members in its initial year back in 1995 to 400 at present. "It just keeps getting better and better each year. It just keeps growing and growing."

Default -- a competitive golfer for the last 30 years -- and Price, who passed away during the first year of the organization, started OSWGA with the purpose, as its Web site states, to provide "competitive and friendly golf among women regardless of handicap."

On Thursday morning, the organization held its annual OSWGA Class Championships at the picturesque Crystal Lake Golf Course in Burrillville. A total of 63 players took part in the tourney, which was broken down into four divisions -- Championship, A, B and C. A player is assigned to a particular division depending on her handicap.

OSWGA participates and runs various tournaments during the course of a year, allowing its members the opportunity to compete at a host of different private and public golf courses in the state. Members can come from other golf organizations as long as its recognized by the USGA.

"Basically it’s an open organization," Default said. "(A member) just needs to be a Rhode Island resident or be affiliated with a course that’s in the Ocean State."

Seekonk’s Valerie Binn, who is a member of OSWGA and the Rhode Island Women’s Golf Association (RIWGA), is the most noted among Default’s coup. Playing out of Triggs Memorial and Crestwood country clubs, she is one of the state’s best golfers with a zero handicap. Another OSWGA member, Carol Clarey of Seekonk, sports a four handicap. She’s also the organization’s president.

Binn and Clarey may be the best of the bunch, but OSWGA has a mixed bag of players that either have a single digit or a 30-plus handicaps. There is no age limit with junior-level players also encouraged to join. Cost for membership is inexpensive at just $40 a year with tournaments ranging in cost in the $40-$50 range.

"Basically, we’ve had support from the first year," Default said. "When we started we had four or five tournaments a year. Now we have 26 tournaments a year, basically all with different skills levels."

"It’s a great organization," added OSWGA member Carol Wilson of Laurel Lanes. "It gets you lots of opportunities to play different courses and more people to play with. It’s fun. For the money, you can’t beat it."

Wilson earned low gross among the Championship Division on Thursday, firing a 15-over 86.

"I’m happy with my score," said Wilson, who was just under her handicap of 17. "It’s a beautiful course. It makes you think. It’s kind of like target golf."

For the most part, Wilson was consistent all day on the moderately, challenging 5,024 yards of landscape that Crystal Lake offers from the red tees. She had a 6-over 42 on the front nine and shot 46 on the back nine. Although she came up empty on birdies, she did finish with six pars.

"It was good for me," she said. "I have been struggling with my short game lately. It’s not where it’s suppose to be. My goal was to not make a double bogey and I had just a couple today."

Other division winners included Betty Lavoie for low net in the Championship Division, scoring a 70 based on her handicap of 17. In the A Division, Elaine Finizia shot an 88 to capture low gross, while Lorraine Peloquin had a low net of 71 (23 handicap). Sue Day (86) and Joan Jackson (62) were the respective gross and net winners among the B Division and Nancy Rainone (99) and Kathy Chorney (64) were tops in the C Division.

Default, a 14 handicap, finished her round with a 91 in the Championship Division.

"I didn’t do badly," she said with a smirk. "Once I got used to the greens, I did OK."

The tournament concluded with a dinner afterward at the clubhouse. Next on the agenda for OSWGA is the Rhode Island State Amateur Championship for select players at the Newport National Country Club from Monday through Friday.

Although she’s not with her physically on earth, Default knows her late friend is enjoying the fruits of their labor from up above.

"Nathalie would have been thrilled with how it’s turned out," she said. "I’m sure she’s watching over us."