The 2011 U.S. Hickory Open

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by SoHG
July 14, 2011

U.S. Hickory Open Winner

Left to right – Breck Speed, owner of Mountain Valley Spring Water (sponsor of event); U.S. Hickory Open champ Alan Grieve; Hamp Munsey, tournament organizer; Chris Deinlein, president of the Society of Hickory Golfers.

Participants in the 2011 U.S. Hickory Open on the Donald Ross Course at French Lick, Ind.

 

To say that Alan Grieve has a passion for hickory clubs is an understatement. The Queensland Australian native was the first person to sign up for the U.S. Hickory Open Championship and traveled more than 36 hours and nearly 10,000 miles to participate in the event at French Lick Resort in southern Indiana.

The 39-year-old captured his first hickory championship this week on the resort’s historic Donald Ross course. Grieve shot rounds of 75 – 75 for a 36-hole total of 150 and a 5-shot victory over Rick Woeckener from Fredericksburg, Va. A record field of 81 players from 27 states, as well as Canada and Australia, braved record heat (heat index of 114 on Tuesday) to compete in the fourth U.S. Hickory Open.

The traveling Aussie who plays out of the Wynnum Golf Club in Brisbane, Austrailia, said he’d been playing hickory clubs for a year and a half.

“I wanted to change my game and give myself a challenge,” he said. “I love playing hickory clubs. When you hit a good shot you know you hit it. It feels so pure unlike modern day clubs.” This was his second hickory tournament and his first U. S. Hickory Open.


“I had a great week and this was the best I have ever played hickory clubs in back-to-back rounds. The Donald Ross course was a perfect setting for the event, but very tough as well. You have a lot of uphill shots, which can make it very challenging for hickory clubs. It was fun and exciting.”

Alan wasn't the only one having a great week. Dr. David Brown scored an ace on No. 16, a 133-yard par three. It was the first ace scored in USHO competition.

SoHG President Chris Deinlein was ecstatic about the large field and the international flavor that Alan brought to the event. “Having the largest field ever coming to French Lick Resort, as well as our new champion being from Australia, is a testament to the growing popularity and passion not only in America, but also around the world for hickory clubs," he said. "We congratulate Alan for his superb play and also French Lick Resort for hosting a perfect event.”

Dave Harner, PGA director of golf for the French Lick Resorts said he was pleased that the course held up well to hickory play, which demands accurate timing. “It was fun to watch the swing tempo of the hickory players versus today’s players.”


The Donald Ross course at French Lick is no stranger to hickories. In 1924, it hosted the PGA Championship won by an early hickory master – Walter Hagen.

The U.S. Hickory Open is one of four events in a Championship Series presented by Mountain Valley Spring Water. The others include the Southern 4-ball Hickory Championship, in birmingham, Ala.; the Heart of America in Omaha, Neb.; and the Mid Pines Hickory Open in Southern Pines, N.C.

Read news of the USHO here.

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Have your say...
8 Comments

Rick Woeckener
July 17, 2011 1:22PM
I thought we had a great event for the 4th USHO. Very exciting to have this large a field. The course was very demanding and a true test for our championship. A few of the greens did not allow for very friendly pin placements, most notably #8. The speed of the greens were set up just about right for the undulation of these greens. Any faster, and we would be seeing putts roll off the greens. Obviously, the heat on Monday and Tuesday made it much more challenging. The weather on Wednesday was great and wish we had that all three days. The only drawback to the venue in my opinion, was having everything so spread out. Not having a driving range at the course was definitely not optimal for a championship event. The staff at the course and the resort did a great job making us all feel welcome and attending to our unique needs. The club swap and the dinner on Tuesday night were great. The awards presentation and raffle drawing were a bit weird, having it on the porch. I felt that would have been more appropriate having that inside where everyone could sit down and enjoy it more. For next year, I would suggest having the event in May, in between the Southern 4-ball and the NHS. This would most likely assure cooler temperatures at what ever venue is selected. The gifts were very classy and the bottles from Brown Forman with our names and the USHO logo etched on them were a great touch. Overall, I would say this was a great event and kudos to Hamp and Chris for pulling off another great tournament with class.
Keith Cleveland
July 18, 2011 9:49AM
In my opinion this year's Open was the finest event in which I have competed. The course was fantastic (yes, difficult, but playable). Rick is right, the pin on #8 Wednesday was brutal, I four putted but that's not that unusual for me. I also want to re-enforce Rick's idea of putting more separation between the two July GCS events. However, I would rather see it in June, so as not to crowd the Southern Hickory Fourball, either. The tee gifts, the swap, and the dinner all were fantastic. Hamp, Chris, Rich, and Breck and everyone else involved, THANK YOU! Keith Cleveland
Ray Langella
July 19, 2011 6:06PM
I'm curious. What tees do you guys play with Hickory?
Richard Schmidt
July 25, 2011 2:10PM
In my opinion a US Hickory Open Venue must have 4 things: A great layout Hard and fast conditions enabling the ball to be played along the ground It must be walkable It must have tees that can accommodate all levels of the competition French Lick fails in 3 out of the 4 of my criterion. It is without a doubt a spectacular layout. But it is not, in my opinion, a good hickory venue. With just about all of the holes playing uphill, and with lush conditions, there were very few opportunities to play the ball along the ground. The staff was tremendous, the Baden Springs Hotel awesome, the formal dinner at the Dye Mansion spectacular and the other touches were first rate. But it gets down to how good is the golf course for the event, and how fun is it to play? And the Ross course falls far short for me in that regard. I would concur with the comments above - move the event, or not, but lets be sure that the golf course is walkable - weather permitting; and that its suitable for true hickory play. I will not return to French Lick.
Joe Hollerbach
August 13, 2011 2:15PM
This year's US Hickory Open is my first...my first hickory tournament ever. I must admit that I deeply regret having takin so long to have found this wonderful facet to the game of golf. The US Hickory Open's venue, the resort, the staff, and the tournament management by Hamp and Chris (and so many others) were outstanding. I think we would be foolish not to return one more time, but I agree with so many others...at a different time of year. I may be new to hickory golf, but certainly not to golf and not to tournament golf. I found the course demanding as did we all. It was fair and rewarded good strategy and good shots and penalized less than good on either count. Simply, it was fair, and certainly appropriate for hickory golf. I appreciated the diversity, the elevation changes, and the requirement to have more than one shot capability in your bag. And...it was pleasing to the eye, even if mother nature was trying to incinerate it, and us, that week. Lastly as a newby to this society, I have to compliment the members. You made me feel very welcome and immediately a part of the group. I met so many wonderful people that week in July and look forward to seeing you all again and meeting new ones. The membership may just be the best assest SoHG has to expand it's influence and grow this wonderfur game.
Bill Harkins
January 31, 2012 2:29PM
I completely agree with Richard Schmidt. It was a beautiful event overall, it's just that the course was too tough for a lot of players, especially the knee deep rough and the same in front of the tees. Not a problem for really skilled and experienced hickory players, but for the less skilled and those new to the hickory game, that course took a lot of the fun out of it. So many people were looking for balls that they told us to play the rough like a lateral water hazard to speed up play. I won't be back to French Lick either. The Mimosa Hills Country Club where the Open was played in previous years is the perfect kind of course for hickory play - a real scoring challenge for the skilled players yet not too punishing for the less skilled. And that heat! See y'all in November for sure!
Eric Hjortness
February 21, 2012 6:50PM
Joe Hollerbach is correct. The SOHG members are SO enjoyable and hospitable - a great group. As a scratch, tournament golfer, two comments: 1) Course was phenomenal. You could play it four times and play four different ways. It played hard, but was setup well. If you are going to call an event a "national" tournament, it should be prepared for tournament play - especially if you are going to put the words "US Open" around the word hickory. 2) On the flip side, I don't believe the SOHG has the tournament background necessary to prepare a tournament worthy of US Open consideration. We had to play a stone cart path as part of the course - ridiculous - who would play a $500 3-wood off of stones - the player in my group, wisely, took an unplayable lie. This was not set up as a tournament, but more like a group of friends having fun together - and the tournament delivered on that. Mixing tournament golf with hickory events is like mixing a long-shafted putter with hickory clubs - doesn't work. If you want a first-class event, you definitely want to attend. Hotel, dinner at Dye clubhouse, clubswap, everything was FIRST-CLASS. If you want to play tournament golf, sign up for your state amateur. If you want to have a great weekend, come to French Lick.
Mike Myrick
May 15, 2012 2:33PM
Am trying to decide wether or not to enter The Open but as a new member have many unanswered questions as to the format and specific equiptment used. Are we to walk the course? Are we allowed to wear Polo style shirts? Are we allowed to use a carry bag? Must we wear knickers? Am pretty much ok on the clubs and balls that are allowed but am trying to understand the difference between the tournaments using gutta percha carrying clubs under arm and sand tees????

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