HICKORY GOLF NEWS

It may not be one of the easiest courses to get to. First you’ve got to drive to the tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Then you park your car, load your gear on a ferry and take the 20-minute crossing to Mackinac Island. Once on the island, a horse-drawn taxi will get you to your lodging. Plenty of places to […]

I well remember my Father looking down his nose at the game of golf – “An old man’s game to be taken up when you can no longer play tennis.” We played our last game of tennis together when he was 87, and I waited in vain for the request of a round of golf, as he was then fully […]

The whispers had started before we had embarked on our annual pilgrimage to Oakhurst, and sadly they were confirmed with the official announcement by Louis Keller that the Property will be set on the auction block at the end of July. For those who have not tasted this unique hickory golf event, and the bonds of friendship and camaraderie it […]

It is said by some that one test of a golfer’s character is how he plays when the wheels are coming off. As one with a handicap index so high that it has become a standard unit of measurement in astronomical physics, I have been intimate with the frustrations born of unintended ball-striking results. As the chef brings his dish […]

SoHG member Robert Birman discovered the following article and thought its insights worthy of sharing. Certainly the author’s conclusion that players take the time to find the right clubs is an important one and hasn’t changed over time. Click on the link below to view a PDF of the article. The Milwaukee Journal.pdf

Charlevoix, Mich. is blessed with many things – with the great blue waters of Lake Michigan and the equally blue, if not as “great” waters of sparkling Lake Charlevoix. The two are joined by the natural harbor of Round Lake. These form the life of Charlevoix, the center of its natural beauty that 3,000 year-round residents share with thousands more […]

In an article somewhere, somewhen, Harry Vardon, during the transition from gutta balls to rubber cores, lamented the changing sound of the game. He had become accustomed to the gutty’s distinctive “click” off the club face. Long trained to the capabilities of the gutta ball, he was now learning the game from the perspective a new ball and its behaviors. […]

Here’s something from New Orleans where the Zurich Classic at the TPC Louisania. This excerpt is from a larger piece on the event by Doug Tatum of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Could it be some of the younger tour players get a taste for hickory? TURNING BACK THE CLOCK: Seven players will be taking part in a three-hole exhibition today […]

Our Correspondent notes that it was the weather that put the heavy woolies on early British golfers; but here in the Colonies with our warmer weather, could we, perhaps, lighten up a bit? The Dress Code Your humble Correspondent has now given enough years of service on the Links to expound on a topic near and dear to every part […]

www.kingarrock.com   Just 10 miles west of St. Andrews, along the B939 in Cupar, is a golf course whose name is likely lost on the majority of pilgrims hastening to the Old Course and its adjacent cousins. The Kingarrock Golf Course is only 9-holes, too, and on top of that only hickories are allowed for play. Kingarrock is built around […]

www.northberwick.org.uk/clubmakers_2.html#bsayers Here’s a nifty site for fans of Scottish golf. This North Berwick-related site (the home page is (http://www.northberwick.org.uk/index.html) lists dozens of club makers, professionals and course designers with biographies on most of them and a handful of old photos to boot. You’ll find the Sayers, Jack White, Arnaud Massy, the Ferguson’s, Fred McLeod, Alex Aitken, Willie Anderson and many […]

  On May 30, Christie’s will auction the world’s most important private collection of golf art and memorabilia. Passionately assembled over 25 years by Jaime Ortiz-Patiño, the founder of the world-famous Valderrama Golf Club, this historic collection includes some of the rarest and most valuable treasures representing the history of the sport, and its most notable personalities, from its earliest […]

A Florida pro won the 2012 U.S. Professional Hickory Golf Championship at the Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club in February. Beautiful weather and great competition.  Eddie Peckels, 2012 U.S. Professional Hickory champ, left, and Mike Stevens, event founder, pose with an early Ford automobile in front of the Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club.  Eddie Peckels, playing out of […]

Dr. Frank Boumphrey passed away March 4, 2012. He was a beloved member of the Society of Hickory Golfers, former board member and web guru who set up the Society’s earliest web pages. He edited a early monthly newsletter for the Society called “Hickory Happenings” that set a high standard for knowledge and information about modern and early hickory golf. […]

  If you have been to the SoHG website recently and visited the Equipment Guidelines pages, you might have noticed some housecleaning. Your Equipment Committee has been busy updating these pages. Go ahead and check in for a look now. We’ll wait…. https://www.hickorygolfers.com/hickory-golf-equipment-guidelines_5127_ct.aspx Now that you’re back, here’s an explanation of what we were trying to do…   First, we […]