Our friend and colleague, Jerry Olson has passed. We wish his family solace and will honor him at our upcoming gutty event on Bainbridge Island. A class act and #HickoryGolf fanatic. Onward, Jerry! Jerold (Jerry) Thomas Olson, 78, of Graham, Washington passed away peacefully surrounded by family on June 29th, 2024. Jerry was born on August 12th, 1945 to Robert Alden Olson & Esther Abigail Olson (Cummings) in Los Angeles, California. As an Aircraft Mechanic, he proudly served his country in Vietnam. After his service, Jerry had a long career with Boeing; titles held included Quality Assurance Inspector, Structural Engineer and was a Boeing company representative to the airlines. Aircraft…

3 January 2023 – Leading proponents of hickory golf from several European countries have formed the Society of Hickory Golfers – Europe for the purposes of providing support and guidance in promoting growth of the ‘royal and ancient’ game as it was played from its origins. Meeting at Ducks Inn in Aberlady, Scotland, the group represented hickory golfers from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK. Additional input was received from organizations and individuals from other countries. The Society of Hickory Golfers – Europe  (SOHG-EU) will be incorporated as a non-profit organization in a European country to be named in the near future. Membership in the Society will be open to organizations of…

By Tom Tracy Susan Tracy, of Star, Idaho, playing out of River Birch Golf Course, captured the Ladies Division of the 2022 World Hickory Open, played in the Highlands of Scotland on October 11-13. The W.H.O. annually draws hickory shaft enthusiasts from around the world to compete over classic Scottish courses. The great Sandy Lyle has won the men’s division twice. Tracy ran away with the gross competition, winning by 22 strokes on three difficult, world-famous links courses near Inverness. The 54-hole stroke play event was held over the links of Nairn, Castle Stuart and Royal Dornoch Golf Clubs in cool, blustery and sometimes wet conditions. She bested competitors from…

We’re heartbroken to announce that our friend and colleague, Rick “Tuna” Williams passed away, unexpectedly, on Wednesday of this week. He was the recent net division winner of the Statesmen division at the Gearhart Golf Links Hickory Classic; a fitting high point to go out on, if we do say so ourselves. Tuna was beloved by all and a spirited advocate for the game. His closest friend, Steve “Dog” Franich, with whom he served in Vietnam, will dedicate this month’s event at Trophy Lake Golf and Casting Club in his memory. We will miss you, Tuna! Well played. #RIP Rick will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery on October 3rd,…

SoHG board member and NWHP co-founder, Robert Birman, was invited to talk about hickory golf on Golf Today, a flagship show of The Golf Channel, hosted by Damon Hack and Shane Bacon. The original air date was December 13, 2021. Images shown in the interview are from the Society’s 2021 U.S. Hickory Open at Gearhart Golf Links.  Interest in the game is growing and we’re always grateful to have international coverage for the appeal and lure of the game.   The full interview is available here.                     EmailFacebookTwitterPinterestPrint

Garrett Morrison from The Fried Egg Podcast (click link, left, to listen) featured the 2021 U.S. Hickory Open in the latest edition of Fried Egg Stories, a feature-length episode with interviews with sundry members at Gearhart Golf Links and a brief, post-round, interview with the 2021 champion, Andrew Von Lossow.   Morrison, a resident of Oregon, spent the final day of the event walking the grounds, following the leaders, and checking in with event organizers to curate a compelling and audio-rich tour of what proved to be a magical day for the players, one and all.   The Fried Egg is where golf tragics unite to delve deeper into the game. In addition to the pods,…

The Board of Northwest Hickory Players is proud to announce its new Affiliates™ program. [April 2021] This program exists to encourage the organization and coordination of hickory golf events throughout Washington, Oregon, and Idaho under the auspices of the SoHG-recognized regional hickory golf association for the Pacific Northwest, Northwest Hickory Players, established in 2014. As a multi-state association, Northwest Hickory Players has hosted events over a 900-mile region, from Spokane, Washington, to events in Northern California—notably its “C.O.W. Cup,” (California vs. Oregon and Washington match play event, in association with NorCal Hickory Golf) and the inaugural U.S. Hickory Open on the American West Coast, at Del Monte Golf Course in…

1st Round of Play for 16 match players First Round of Goose Cup Hickory Match Play  limited to 16 Cup contestants. Due to the health crisis, the opening event is canceled and players will be contacted to schedule their opening matches individually as conditions permit. Gilles will contact registered players with further instructions. $20 – Bracket $5 – KP’s Important Links: Rules and Event Details (click here) Real-Time Event Bracket and Player Information (click Here)         Hosted by Goose Guenette – Questions? e-mail Goose at [email protected]   Click on the image below to view a Presentation file from the host…(we increased the day-guest allowance to 16…)  …

For possibly the first time in 80-plus years, at least in Idaho, a club championship has been won by a player wielding a full set of hickory-shafted sticks. Tom Tracy, 69, of Star, won the senior club championship at River Birch Golf Club August 17-18 playing his hickories. Tracy, winner of the 2016 U.S. Hickory Open (senior division), fired 74-78 on the 6028-yard par-73 layout to win by three. “I decided to play hickories just for fun and to try to drum up some interest among other players. To my knowledge, nobody else in Idaho (other than my wife Sue) has caught the bug, and it would be great to…

Niblick & Spoon – How the name and sign came to be… By Mark Persinger After a round at Jackson Park in Seattle, I was having a beer with my playing partners, a couple of brothers who were 85 years young, and former caddies during the hickory era of golf. We reclined in the café, in the new couch and TV area which had been recently set up, complete with an electric fireplace. I explained to the brothers that our GM, Kathy Wake, had added this area to give the café a sort of Irish bar feel, the first step to rebrand the café into a proper 19th hole. “Every…