Hitting your driver off the fairway is not normally a shot most of us would try. It is a challenging shot and requires a slightly different set up routine. Additionally, I find that the course conditions need to be drier than normal in order to allow the driver head to bounce off the ground. Given my normal swing plane, hitting a driver off the fairway is not a normal shot, however it something I tried last Men’s night with great success.
Continue readingAuthor: The Grateful Golfer
Playing Early In The Morning
One of the benefits of being a member of the Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort is the ability to play early bird golf. This allows me to play a quick round of golf with no other players on the course. It usually takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to play two balls on the nine hole course. I love it because I have an entire day to do whatever with my time. There are other benefits that are often overlooked, yet I am reminded ever time I hit the links early.
Continue readingNorthern Hickory Golf Tour 2025
The 6th annual Northern Hickory Tour was conducted over three days, Thursday, August 21 to Saturday, August 23, 2025. This tour is designed to expose golfers to the wonderful world of hickory sticks. The Hickory Stick Ambassadors are great guys to play golf with and provide all the clubs you need to enjoy a round using 100 year old clubs.
Day #1: Location to be determined on the way to North Bay, Ontario.
Day #2: Osprey Links Golf Course
On Friday, our ambassadors will play their hickories at Osprey Links Golf Course, located in Callander Ontario, just outside the City of North Bay. This annual event offers and opportunity to play with hickory stick clubs. All are welcome to come out and give it a try. Tee time is 11 am. The more the merrier!
Day #3: Laurentide Golf Course
On Saturday, our players will journey to Laurentide Golf Course in Sturgeon Falls about 30 minutes west of North Bay. This is the second year in a row the Northern Tour has ventured to this wonderful track. With its upward-sloping bowl-shaped greens which ran off on all sides, approach shots, chipping and putting are challenging. The front nine was tight but the back nine was open. Laurentide is owned by the Mantha family.
To quote Bill Vossen, GHSC Event Coordinator for the North Bay and Sturgeon Falls events:
“Both clubs appreciated our business but they really found the fact that we continue to play with hickory-shafted clubs to be cool and interesting.”
If you are interested in playing on either day you can contact me through this website or text Bill Vossen at 705 472 1512.
By letting us know you are interested in playing, Bill will know how many tee times to make as well as have enough clubs for everyone. Hope to see you there!
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
Consistently Hitting Your Aim Point
Every golfer tries to hit their target. The process to accomplish this fundamental part of golf is the bane of many players. For some reason, they miss their target because of many swing mechanic faults. Of course, we all want to fix these challenges and over time practice is the only real approach to fixing swing errors. In my case, I have a slightly different error that causes me to miss my aim point to the left. It is a fundamental challenge that has become more apparent due to my changes in how I hit my approach shots. I am still working through this primary error and believe I have a way ahead that will help lower my golf scores.
Continue readingPlaying Your Best Game Of Golf
Every once in awhile, we hit the links and from the first tee shot our game is dialed in. That is what happened to me yesterday. I played my first match play game in the Club Championship tournament against the current club champion, Misha. Right from the beginning, I was on fire and I ended up playing the best game of the year. Unfortunately, Misha did not have his best game and the outcome reversed from last year. I always wonder why from one day to the next how my game can change. I think I know why yesterday I was successful, but there is definitely a larger picture on this topic.
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The Grateful Golfer 