Europe’s youngest hickory golfer wins net title at German Hickory

Youngest player wins net category at German Hickory Championship.

German Hickory Championship 2015 with record participation in Baden-Baden

The 7th German Hickory Championship was played on Saturday, September 5th, 2015 in Baden-Baden, Germany. 54 players from 10 Nations gathered on Baden-Baden’s golf course at Selighof. Baden-Baden Golf Club, founded 1901 and one of eight foundation members of the German Golf Federation in 1907, hosted this year’s championship. The event was played over the clubs new course opened in 1927, which already in 1930 hosted the German Open Championship as well as the post-Olympic “Grosser Golfpreis der Nationen” in 1936.

This year the oldest player was 83 years old, the youngest only 8. During the presentation club president Jörg Ammann said, that Hickory Golf and Baden-Baden just belong together.

Iain Forrester won the German Hickory Championship for a third time after 2009 and 2013 with 72 strokes. Britta Nord from Sweden won the German Ladies Hickory Champion title for a record fourth time (93 strokes). Markus Kümmerle from Konstanz finished as best amateur for a second time after 2009 with 80 strokes. These results compare to a 1927 hickory par of 70. 

Christoph Meister, captain of the German Hickory Golf society said that “given the fact that the old clubs are more difficult to control much as modern golf clubs, we can be very satisfied with the results achieved with the pre-1935 hickory clubs.” 

The net category was won by eight year old Louis Dudzus from Golf- und Land- Club Berlin-Wannsee with 63. He was the youngest participant in the field and is one of the youngest, if not the youngest Hickory golfer in Europe. The net ladies title also went to Berlin with the Gaby Sasse (69 strokes) being the winner of this category.

Lionel Freedman, the father of the World Hickory Championship and also the most senior player in this tournament, was impressed by the number of players in this championship. During the presentation he then invited all attending hickory golfers to come to Carnoustie end of October for the World Hickory Championship. 

From left: Christian Juel (Denmark), Andreas Karaczonyi (Austria), Iain Forrester (Scotland), Andrew Gauld (Scotland), and our starter, Hans Medvejsek (Bavaria).

Dieter and Stephanie Pulvermüller, and Lionel Freedman.

From left: Claus Mühlfeit (German Hickory Champion 2014), Dalibor Prochaska (Austrian and Czech Hickory Champion 2014) and Perry Somers (German Hickory Champion 2010-12).