2019 USHO champ has been golfing since he was 6

By Jim Davis If you want to grow up to become a U.S. Hickory Open champion, it helps to have a father who loves golf, as well as a country club course adjacent to your backyard. Rick Woeckener had both. The youngest of three children, Woeckener, 50, was born in New Brunswick, N.J. and moved to the Miami area of […]

Woeckener wins title at picture-perfect 2019 USHO

June 25 – Charlevoix, Mich. By Jim Davis Early last year, when organizers of the 12th annual USHO were planning the tournament, June 13-15 were the original dates of choice. Later, for logistical reasons, Belvedere GC’s Head PGA Professional, Dennis “Marty” Joy, moved the date back a week, to June 20-22. A stroke of genius, that. For the weekend of […]

World Hickory Golf Day 2019

May 9, 2019 World Hickory Golf Day was celebrated by many playing groups around the U.S. and the world on May 5. Check the websites and Facebook pages of the groups for photos of how they spent the day. Posted below are several photos from groups who shared their hickory celebrations with us. If you have more photos to share, […]

Origins of the Foxburg Hickory Championship

By Tom Johnson I was not really considering starting a tournament, just sharing with friends that Foxburg might be an alternate for the National Hickory Championship (NHC) in the event Oakhurst was not available for 2009 or beyond due to a pending ownership change. I had been fortunate to play Foxburg Country Club many times from 1995 through 2009. […]

Honorable Company Celebrates Hickory Traditions

March 15, 2019Metamora, Ill.By Cathy Lane Among the many U.S. regional and world hickory golf groups celebrating World Hickory Golf Day, the Honorable Company of Hickory Golfers, Illinois’ only hickory golf association, had a memorable start. On Nov. 16, 2013, a beautiful day in late fall, friends Jeff Browning and Denny Lane played nine holes at Hillcrest Golf Center in […]

Happy Hollow Club in Omaha, Neb. chosen for 2020 USHO

By Jim Davis The Happy Hollow Club in Omaha, Neb. has been announced as the site for the 2020 U.S. Hickory Open. The club was established in 1907. The current site was obtained in 1922 and the Chicago golf design firm of Langford & Moreaux was hired to build a 27-hole course over 230 acres. The course opened for play […]

Celebrate World Hickory Golf Day – May 5

March 1, 2019 By Jim Davis While you’re celebrating Cinco de Mayo and the wonderful cultural heritage of our Mexican neighbors, add a hickory golf round to the day. The first Sunday in May has been designated as World Hickory Golf Day. Conceived by American hickory golfer and chairman of the APNational Golf Club, Durel Billy, the day was first […]

Wide World of Hickory – 2018

December 2018 By Jim Davis Each year since 2009, the autumn edition of A Wee Nip magazine contained several pages devoted to a summary of the world’s foremost hickory golf events. Selection was based on the significance of the event to the country of origin. All hickory golf outings are significant in their way, but it is impossible to list […]

Louisville Golf profiled in GolfWRX story

Dec. 13, 2018 There are but a few solid makers of fine hickory golf replicas – Tad Moore, Louisville Golf, Play Hickory, and a few others; so when a story comes along that highlights one of these SoHG favorites, well, we just love to share it. In the linked article, GolfWRX.com contributor Peter Schmitt presents his take on the Louisville […]

Brown, Wardwell, and Wilhelm elected to SoHG board

Nov. 30, 2018 In a close vote, David Brown, Bill Wardwell, and Jim Wilhelm were elected to three-year terms beginning Jan. 1, 2019. They will replace outgoing board members Bill Geisler, Bill Reed, and Rich Schmidt. Of the nearly 550 SoHG voting members, 166 votes were cast, about 31 percent. Brown received 147 votes, Wardwell 128, Wilhelm 113, and Krupkin […]