Golf was first introduced to Boise in 1900 by a group of golf enthusiasts who laid out six holes at Fort Boise, a federal army installation also known as Boise Barracks. From all indications this was an unflattering course, probably more akin to what we now know as a pitch and putt course. Nevertheless, it was golf, and by any measure this was a very early appearance of golf in the Northwest, and most likely the first in Idaho. Only a few golf clubs existed at that time in the Northwest states, most notably the Tacoma Golf Club (1894), the Seattle Golf Club (1896), the Country Club of Seattle (1896),…

Allan Robertson, Golfer: His Life and Times By Alistair Beaton Adamson ISBN090718605X 1985 Grant Books, Worcestershire Tom Morris of St. Andrews; The Colossus of Golf By David Malcolm and Peter Crabtree ISBN139781841588186 2008 Berlinn, Edinburgh   Legends of 19th Century Links By Robert Birman, co-founder NW Hickory Players Old Tom Morris’ renown and acclaim – now stretching more than 150 years – can be in part attributed, in my view, to the formative influence of his mentor and playing partner, Allan Robertson.  In fact, Robertson might well have been the first name everyone today associates with the “founding” of golf in Scotland, had it not been for the fact that…

With a population of 9,300, Lutterworth, England, might appear to be an odd place to find one of the most active hickory golf club sellers on eBay.  In the 14th century, the religious reformer Canon John Wycliffe, who hailed from the vicinity, was traditionally believed to have produced the first translation of the Bible from Latin into English.  Later, in the days of the stagecoach, Lutterworth was an important stopping-place on the road from Leicester to Oxford and London, and many former coaching inns remain in the town. The town also contains some historic half-timbered buildings, some of which date back to the 16th century. Half way between London and…

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Tom Dunn, son of Willie Dunn, was a clubmaker and golf course architect.  Dunn competed only in The Open Championship during his lifetime, racking up four top-ten finishes (6th place, being the highest) in 1868, 1869, 1878 and 1884. He played in four others through 1886, never finishing outside the top 20, but skipped playing in eight-straight Opens from 1870 to 1877 only to come in 9th in 1878.   Early life Dunn was born in Musselburgh.  His father, Willie Dunn Sr, and his twin brother, Jamie, were notable golfers of their time, routinely playing against Allan Robertson and Old Tom Morris. Willie was apprenticed under the Gourlay family. At…

Lionel Freedman, former secretary of the Musselburgh Golf Club and founder of the World Hickory Open has passed away. Freedman, a warm and gracious man, was friend to many hickory golfers, worldwide, and made numerous trips to the United States to support the meteoric growth of the game on this side of the pond. Amid a lifetime of honors and volunteer positions to support the game of golf, Freedman served as the honorary starter and was recognized for his contributions to the game at the inaugural World Hickory Match Play in Philadelphia in 2014, by invitation of the Metropolitan Hickory Society and event-creator, Brian Schuman. NWHP co-founder, Robert Birman, recalls…

Born on March 1, 1959, golfer Perry Somers has been a staple of the international hickory golf scene for years.  A member of the Australian PGA, Somers holds titles across Europe and has won the Australian Hickory Championship in 2010.  The PGA of Australia wrote, “He is good at the game he plays, maybe the best going around.” Now based in Cologne, Germany, where he teaches at the Golf and Country Club Velderhof, while at the same time supporting his wife Henriette in her career with the Cologne City Council, Somers is a throwback to a time when golf was pure.  “I feel like I was born 50 years too…

Like something out of Loyal Chapman’s fantasy golf holes, the image on the cover of the April 14, 1927 issue of The Youth’s Companion magazine appears unreal. It depicts a young man teeing off a precipice facing Mount Rainier, located 85 miles from Seattle, Washington, and rising to some 14,000 feet above sea level. Is this for real? How long was that drive? Did he make par? Alas, no such golf hole existed on Mount Rainier in 1927. This was a staged photo opportunity. Yet, sometimes life imitates art, and in 1931 a nine hole golf course was indeed built on Mount Rainier. The Rainier National Park Company, which had…

The great Sandy Herd was runner-up at The Open Championship four times over 28 years but claimed the Claret Jug only in 1902 at Hoylake by a stroke from Vardon and Braid.  His victory popularized the new Haskell ball with a wound rubber core.  It was said to give 20 extra yards compared to the old gutty, but supplies were scarce in Britain at the time and Herd, like most, was skeptical until trying one out in a practice round with his friend John Ball, the Hoylake amateur, who had already adopted the ball.  Herd won the British Professional Matchplay at age 58 and still played tournaments to a high…

Mike Just, former owner and President of the Louisville Golf Company, passed away on October 2nd.  Northwest Hickory Players remembers Mike and his profound love of the game of hickory golf. Mike Just was selected in 2013 as the Mike Brown Award honoree by the Society of Hickory Golfers.  Why Mike?  Because, each year, the Society looks for its best representative of the hickory golf community that embodies the respect for the traditions of the game of hickory golf; one who exhibits a singular dedication to growing the game of hickory golf; and a candidate who exemplifies the passion for promoting lasting friendships through hickory golf.  That was Mike Just,…