Sporting rivalries between states are nothing new. In the Midwest, there is much posturing between Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and others. No love is lost when it comes to power competitions in football, basketball, and baseball. It should come as no suprise, then, that hickory golf has entered the mix.
Ever since Peter Herrington attempted to interest states in a friendly rivalry called, with understated simplicity, the Interstate Matches, there have been attempts to interest neighboring regions in such matches. I believe that Virginia and the Carolinas may still have something going. Despite Herrington’s best efforts, the Interstate Matches never seemed to catch on. It was a good idea and maybe will come up again.
In a less ambitious effort, involving only a handful of states, early this August the Tri-State Hickory Association, representing Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and the Michigan Hickory Tour inaugurated a new match play event named for the late Frank Boumphrey.
Boumphrey was an early supporter and member of the Society of Hickory Golfers. A skilled surgeon who called the Cleveland Clinic home, he was also a master mathmatician who helped pioneer the basic codes upon which our good old internet is founded. So, it was a natural to name the event for this regional genius.
Bringing the event to fruition was fraught with heated negotiations over such delicate matters as format, handicaps, team numbers, and location. Michigan Hickory Tour Commissioner Roger Hill applied his cool negotiating skills to effect workable compromises and after all was settled, grumbles turned to smiles and it became a rather straightforward affair of 18-hole team matches, with each match worth 1 point per nine. Two-person teams played best ball for nine holes and alternate shot for the back nine. No doubt the format will evolve over time as we learn from each contest.
The location was the Stone Ridge Golf Club in Bowling Green, Ohio. The Arthur Hills design is largely open, with a spot of water on one or two holes, but voracious rough and some maddening bunker conditions. Several holes wind through residential areas, so the course was clearly built with housing development in mind. Not a few were under construction as we played.
Teams were created with some notion of golfing prowess, but handicaps were ignored. And, as the Tri-State team were shorthanded, the Michigan team leant two of its players to the opposition.
The Tri-State men were led by Bob Glass and Rick Woeckener (USHO Champion in 2010 and 2019, and two second place finishes). The Michigan team boasted such stalwarts as Mike Callahan (Senior USHO Champ in 2023), Bill Ellington, and Scott Staudacher (Reserve USHO champ in 2019).
Michigan organizer Bill Tucholski had come up lame in one leg, so he played the role of chief cheerleader and overall host.
After the opening 18, several players were selected to participate in a 9-hole singles match. After all the shouting and the tumult, the Tri-State players prevailed by 13-7.
The MHT team were undaunted, vowing revenge in 2026. It was good fun, though, and everybody’s looking forward to the next one.
Bob Glass and Rick Woeckener, from left, accept the inaugural Boumphrey Cup trophy from host Bill Tucholski.
Boumphrey Cup captains, from left: Bob Glass and Rick Woeckener for Tri-State; Bill Ellington and Scott Staudacher for the Michigan Hickory Tour; and event host Bill Tucholski.
Michigan Captains Bill Ellington, left, and Scott Staudacher.