To kick of the weekend of hickory sticks, the Golf Historical Society of Canada (GHSC) hosts a fun scramble in order for all players to get to know each other. This was the first time I participated in this nine hole event and I was not disappointed. I was paired with my new friend Ryan, a player from Alberta, as well as Doug and Lori. The fun event was held at an executive course of Legends On The Niagara. Overall, it was a great way to start my hickory weekend.

Playing an executive course with our hickory sticks is always fun. It allowed us to reach all greens in regulation which help with our scoring. Our approach to playing in the fun scramble was to have fun and…well…that is it. Just have fun. Scoring is something that we never really focused on throughout the entire round. Our playing partners, Doug (who I have played with a few times in the past) and his wife Lori fit into our group excellently. Doug is a joker and hand plenty to share. Lori was great to chat with and so our group looped around the nine holes in a very relaxed and enjoyable pace.

Ryan was a great partner. He was consistent and stayed out of trouble; most of the time 🙂 He had a very strong short game and saved our par several times. What I enjoyed about our round was our conversations about hickory sticks. We both are relatively new to the game and we both find challenges in the same area. Hitting a longer ball and approach shots were definitely high on our list of challenges. We both agreed that through practice and time playing with hickory sticks, our games will improve.

We putted for birdie 4 times and made one. The distances were a bit out of the gimmie range, but we gave it a good go each time. The greens were in great shape so I could not blame my miss putts on course conditions. Additionally, the rest of the course played well except it was very wet. With no roll possible due to the soggy fairways, some of the par fours played a bit longer. Regardless, we played well and shot even par. This score was good enough for finish second overall.

Doug and Lori played fairly well. Their games complimented each other which offered many opportunities to score well. They finished two over (if I remember correctly) and left a few on the course. On a side note, I met Doug about 4 years ago when he played his first hickory round. Since, we have played three other times. Every time was great fun as Doug has an endless supply of jokes.

Playing in the fun scramble was not about the score. It was all about having a great time with new playing partners. Ryan, Doug, Lori and I easily accomplished this goal. For me, I could not have chosen a better group for my first time playing in the fun scramble. This was a great way to start the Ontario Open Hickory Championship. Stay tuned because there is more to follow.

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