REGISTRATION IS STILL OPENfor 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. 😉
The Golf Historical Society of Canada (GHSC) is heading on its northern swing in just a few weeks. This annual trek up north is in its 7th year. It grows a little bit each time and is great opportunity for none hickory players to come out and play around with 100 year old clubs. It is great fun and I can hardly wait for the opportunity to chat with old friends, make new friends and to play a few rounds with my hickories. It is a fun event and worth dropping by at three different locations.
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!
Today, I played my first round of golf of the 2026 golf season. It happens to coincide with World Hickory Golf Day. It usually happens that this momentous day happens around the start of my golf season every year. Sometimes, it is sooner and others later. I thought I would bring my hickory sticks to my old haunt of Osprey Links Golf Course. As the course open this weekend, the course was in good shape and our loop around the front nine was extremely enjoyable. Celebrating World Hickory Golf Day in Callander / North Bay was the first for me and next year I think I will try to expand the number of players.
WORLD HICKORY GOLF DAY is just around the corner. On May 3, 2026, the Golf Historical Society of Canada will be hosting the World Hickory Golf Day at Cambridge Golf Course. This is an annual event and it is designed to celebrate playing golf with hickory sticks and to introduce players to using wooden shafted golf clubs. I have played this event for many years and I am planning to celebrate this event by playing with my hickory sticks. I year’s past, this is the first round of golf of the year and what a great way to celebrate.
The following is more information about this must attend event if you are in the Cambridge, Ontario, area:
The Grateful Golfer 