Ottawa Hickory Golf Challenge – A Must Attend Event!

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If you missed the Ottawa Hickory Golf Challenge on 5 Jun 2026, then you missed an amazing time. Organized by Chris Hawes, this event provided 124 golfers an opportunity to step back in time and play golf like many of the greats from the past. Chris hosts an amazing opportunity for any level of golfer to experience golf with hickory shafted golf clubs. There were many golfers who embraced this spirit of the Hickory Golf Challenge by dressing up in clothes of early 1900s era and this enhanced the experience for many newbies trying hickory shafted golf clubs for the first or second time. Overall, this was an amazing event and think it is a must attend for all golfers looking for a one-of-a-kind golfing experience.

I attended this event and was dressed in the proper attire. I did not originally have a partner so my friend Chris Hawes set me up with James Edgar, a first time player with hickory sticks. We had a great time and as James became more familiar with the clubs, he hit his hickories with greater results. Here is the CTV coverage of the tournament and James made the cut:

Specially made hickory sticks by Chris Hawes

Our playing partners were Lorne Emery and Fred Boland. Both are amazing golfers with hickory sticks. On a side note, Fred is 84 years young and holds his own against any hickory stick player. They provided lots of laughs and some amazing golf shots. I was happy to play hickory golf with these two as they have a mountain of knowledge, stories and a few jabs for all. They made my round extra special.

James and I shot a one over part 73; which was good for 10th overall. We had a few tough shots that cost us a bogey or two, but overall we played very steady. James’ shot of the day was on the second to last hole where he hit his shot on a 165 yard par 3 to 12 feet. It was wonderful to watch. Yes, we made the putt for birdie.

I personally played well throughout the day. After buying a replica sand wedge and being gifted a couple of long irons from Lorne, I feel my hickory set is complete. As I navigated the round, I found that I was hitting the ball with a bit more distance due to warm weather and relaxed playing atmosphere.

The Golf Historical Society of Canada, for which I am a new member of the board of directors, was out in full force. All members of the GHSC represented the amazing history of playing hickory golf with the many other participants. As per normal, the GHSC is trying to spread the history of golf and want to thank everyone for embracing this amazing event.

Birch Bark Golf Bag

I wanted to give a shout out to Kelly Mcqabbie, also known as Amikwa. He is an Anishinaabe and Ojibwe traditional specialist and artist from the Henvey Inlet and French River First Nations. He is renowned for building authentic Ojibwe Long Nose birch bark canoes using exclusively pre-colonial methods, hand-crafted tools, and locally sourced natural materials.

My shout out is because he made a hickory stick golf bag out of birch bark (see image left). It was amazing to see and the quality of his work is first rate. I had the pleasure of chatting with Kelly for a few minutes and explained the efforts required to make such a unique golf bag. He is obviously passionate about his craft and it shows in the final result.

Chris gave out a fair bit of swag for the Hickory Challenge and the picture to the right is one I found very funny. It is a prescription (image on the right) on how to play hickory golf with two golf balls in the bottle. This is the first time I have seen this type of gift and thought I needed to share it with everyone.

The Ottawa Hickory Golf Challenge was a fantastic event. I had a great time and enjoyed playing my round of golf with friends (old and new). This type of event is not purely about golf; it provides and opportunity to all level of player to get out and have some fun by reliving the roots of golf. If you are around next June, be sure to join us at the Ottawa Hickory Golf Challenge; we would all love to see you there!

One last shout out to Chris and his crew. Events like this do not happen overnight. I am grateful that Chris invites me to play in this amazing event and I already have it on my calender for next year!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

I Have Two Different Golf Swings!

/ The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

Golf is a funny game because no matter how hard I try, it seems my swing changes from day to day. Okay, that is a bit dramatic, however I have noticed that I do have a tendency to swing differently from time to time. This ‘hiccup’ is most prevalent with my hickory sticks as I am working on my early season game. I am fairly confident that every golfer has this challenge and often seeks remedies to eliminate at least one of the multiple swing errors. Fortunately, I have two things that help my game and I am confident they will help yours as you navigate towards improving over the 2026 golf season.

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It Is Time To Practice My Short Game!

/ The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

My first official golf practice is in the books. A couple of days ago I went to my local golf course, Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort, to avail myself of their practice green. The course is not open until this weekend, but the practice area was open for members. It was my first time this year to practice off of grass and I decide to add a little twist that I will talk about later. Overall, I practiced for at least 35 minutes and my short game improved as I worked deeper into the time I was at the practice green. I found out a few things that I already knew, but over the 6 month layoff, I seemed to have forgotten the finer points.

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How To Easily Fix My Short Game In Golf

/ The Grateful Golfer / 3 Comments

There are so many proclamations about how easy it is to fix any part of our golf game that I thought I would jump on the bandwagon. Working/fixing our golf game is easy depending on the starting point. If you are new to the game or have played for a long time, the progress and success of your development will change. Using myself as an example, changes to my game, with a tremendous amount of practice and study, will gain me a stroke per round, at most, over the course of ten rounds. Some days I will play better than others, but the average score will not vary much over the long haul. Therefore, I would conclude that fixing or improving any part of my game will take time, patience, and focus to make the magic happen. You might feel that way as well and improving in golf is definitely not a quick fix.

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Back In Full Swing In 2026!

/ The Grateful Golfer / 1 Comment

It is official. Yesterday, I played my first full round of golf in 2026. It was a round of the goods, bads and the uglies! Osprey Links was dry and very playable. The temperatures hovered around 7° C (45° F) and there was a slight wind making it even colder. Overall, the conditions were expected and the results of my round were also expected. I did not play very well, but for the first round of the year there definitely were some positive areas with which I am grateful. Everything that happened yesterday is nothing new and therefore I am not disappointed with the overall results. I thought I would share a few successful areas that other golfers could use when playing for the first time in cold weather.

Although the picture on the left was from a few years ago, it hits my first point about dressing in layers. I had on three layers of warm clothes, plus I brought two other layers (as shell and warm pull over) just in case the weather was colder than expected. Additionally, I used my clic gear mittens that attach to my push cart to keep my hands warm. That was essential as if my hands get too cold, I am unable to hit the ball with any consistency.

Second, I used my Wilson 50 golf ball. This 50 compression ball is perfect for the cold weather. I did experiment with other balls, but the Wilson is my preference in the spring and fall. The ball was very cold and as such, using a higher compression ball is a challenge as I would not get the same performance as a lower compression ball. If you have not tried a lower compression ball in the cold, I suggest you give it a try, you might be surprised on the results.

Lower your expectations for your first couple of rounds of golf at the start of the season. Yesterday, I hit some good shots with all my clubs except the scoring ones. My wedges and putter were completely non-existent. I hacked and stubbed my way around the course regardless of my lie. Additionally, I found that my short game was so rusty that I wondered if I was going to find it later in the year. Of course I am being dramatic, but my chipping and putting was very bad. On a positive note, I have nowhere to go but up!

Lastly, I stayed hydrated. This might seem like a silly topic, however even in the cold when you walk 18 holes, hydration is important. I carried water around for found that takings a few sips every couple holes or so really helped keep my strength up for the last part of my round. Hydration is often overlooked my many golfers as beer and coffee do not provide the necessary hydration needed to stay strong throughout my round. I wrote about this previously and I think you should review this important issue: https://thegratefulgolfer.com/2023/06/01/golf-psa-stay-hydrated-on-the-golf-course-2/

Well, my 2026 season has started. My first round was with my friend Blair and as we looped Osprey Links, it was where we picked up from last year. Overall, I had a fantastic time and I am grateful to be hitting the links agian.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!