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.
Continue readingHickory Golf
My Long Awaited Articles On The Ontario Hickory Championship Are On The Way
Well, it has taken three weeks for me to get my act together to start writing about the Ontario Open Hickory Championship. Over the next few days, I plan on writing four articles with one being a product review on a Bushnell V7 Range Finder that I used extensively at the event. The blah blah to why I am late is not important at this time; the fact I am going to recount my experience of this amazing event is what needs to be told. I will have my first article tomorrow that starts with the fun scramble on the Friday!
Continue readingMy Thoughts on The Whirlpool Golf Course
About 10 days ago, the Golf Historical Society of Canada hosted the Ontario Open Hickory Golf Championship over “the weekend of Friday, October 2 – Sunday, October 4, 2026, in Niagara Falls, Ontario. It was a glorious celebration of hickory golf. Fifty-five players participated in the Event, coming from both Southern and Northern Ontario, plus three players from Alberta and five from the U.S.” (GHSC) To host the event, Whirlpool Golf Course stepped up, again, and they did not disappoint. For the fifth year in a row Whirlpool Golf Course is the facility of choice for the Open Hickory Golf Championship and I hope to continues to be in the future.
“Whirlpool Golf Course stands as one of Canada’s most esteemed public golf destinations, boasting a rich history dating back to its opening in 1951. Crafted by the legendary architect Stanley Thompson, Whirlpool represents the culmination of his illustrious career, embodying the essence of his masterful course designs. Nestled alongside the breathtaking Niagara River Gorge, the course showcases Thompson’s signature style with its classic parkland layout and strategic hole placement, offering golfers a delightful mix of challenges and scoring opportunities.” (Niagara Parks)
Whirlpool is a very picturesque golf course in the heart of the Niagara Valley. It offers a variety of challenges that will test all level of golfers. While using hickory clubs, I found the course was designed with enough difficult and easy holes to allow for players to be challenged. Many of the players played off the forward tees, however the Open category played back to 5800 yards. From this distance, I found hitting the green in regulation a challenge, but that had nothing to do with the golf course.
The second hole at Whirlpool Golf Course was a beautiful as it is challenging. It is about 40 feet lower to the green from the the tee box. My tee shot was blind and hitting the fairway was critical. With a tough water hazard on the right and bunker to go over in the front, accessing the pin was very challenging on the second day. I played left of the bunker and opted for a longer birdie putt on the second day. I walked off with par and was happy to do so!
This 160 yard par thee was all carry. As you can see, there was no room for error and fortunately I cleared the water each day. This was another beautiful hole to play. It offered strong sight lines to the pin and enough distractions to force us to focus on the shot at hand. I refused to acknowledge the water and that worked for me. Others, unfortunately, had challenges clearing the 145 yards before landing safe on land again. That is the nature of golf and especially hickory golf!
Whirlpool did not have a ton of roll as in previous years. They experience a tremendous about of rain a couple days before the event which restricted the advantage I have with hickory sticks. Although the course was drying up, it was still in amazing shape. Every hole was well manicured and tended. I thoroughly enjoy playing at Whirlpool and look forward to teeing it up again next year.
Lastly, I want to give a shout out to all the staff at Whirlpool Golf Club. Regardless of the service being provided on and off the course, the staff were professional, positive and dedicated to making our golf experience something to remember. Thanks for all your hard work.
If you are in the Niagara area and looking for a game of golf, check out Whirlpool. I think you will be happy you did.
I am a grateful golfer! See you the links!
Still Time To Register For The 2026 Ontario Open Hickory Golf Championship
REGISTRATION IS STILL OPEN for this key event, though Saturday is now sold out. We can still accomodate Friday and Sunday play. Lots of prizes are available—gross, net, skills and draw. For the warm-up scramble event on Friday, October 2 at Legends-on-the-Niagara, we can still accomodate another four players. The Championship rounds are on Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4.
Whirpool GC, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, is the site of this years Ontario Hickory Golf Championship. It is a fun course that presents some great challenges for any golfer. Whirlpool Golf Course stands as one of Canada’s most esteemed public golf destinations, boasting a rich history dating back to its opening in 1951. Crafted by the legendary architect Stanley Thompson, Whirlpool represents the culmination of his illustrious career, embodying the essence of his masterful course designs. Nestled alongside the breathtaking Niagara River Gorge, the course showcases Thompson’s signature style with its classic parkland layout and strategic hole placement, offering golfers a delightful mix of challenges and scoring opportunities.
I played this event in the past. It is awesome to play with like minded golfers of varying experience. If you are looking for a golfing adventure, I recommend you traveling to the Niagara region to partake in this fantastic hickory event.
This year, I am participating in the Friday fun scramble. Should be a great time and I look forward to teaming up someone with big shoulders who can carry me to victory. 😉
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Northern Hickory Tour at Laurentide Golf Course
The second official round of the Northern Hickory Tour took place a week ago at the Laurentide Golf Course in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, Canada. This is a fun track and was worth the time we spent playing with our hickory sticks. We had 11 players and mixed up our playing partners to ensure everyone played with everyone over the course of the tour. Overall it was a fantastic day and I played my best round ever with my hickory sticks and I am excited to hit the links again very soon.
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