Hot Springs Country Club will host the 18th annual U.S. Hickory Open on Oct. 3-5 to celebrate and honor the traditions of golf and how it was played in the past.
“It just continues to give us a great reputation of hosting nice events, which I think is why we continue to get great events like this,” Hot Springs Country Club General Manager Barry Howard said. “Golf course superintendent Trey Rutledge and assistant Trent Nuckolls, they do a wonderful job with the golf courses. People love coming here to play because of the conditions; pretty much tournament-ready anytime you come here.”
The three-day tournament, organized by Texas Hickory Golf, draws players from all over the world, Howard said. Participants from Canada, Sweden and Switzerland are signed up to play. Last year saw participants from China as well.
It recreates how golf was played a century ago. Competitors dress in 1920s-era attire and use wooden-shafted clubs, some more than 100 years old.
“The society of hickory golfers was formed in Cali close to 20 years ago,” tournament committee member Scott Pilgrim said. “Their mission is to celebrate and preserve the history and the traditions of the game. There was a lot of club collecting and people were playing here and there, and they had a couple of get-together tournaments. Eighteen years ago, several guys got together and said, ‘Hey, let’s recreate and bring back the U.S. Open as it was played with hickory clubs back in the day where you have forged steel, a wood shaft and a leather grip.’ It’s pretty raw, but they’re very playable. They started doing this and it went over great. So they’ve done it every year since.”
Pilgrim was at the course Friday with tournament committee member Alan Alison and tournament director Gary Krupkin to scout the location in preparation for the tournament — which has 104 players signed up — and to prepare local high school golfers who will caddy the tournament.
“Most of the guys play with clubs that are 100 to 120 years old,” Alison said. “Hickory shafted, from the early 1900s to 1935. Everything is pre-1935 as far as the clubs. They have some nuances compared to new clubs. I always say when you play modern golf and you hit a good shot, it keeps you coming back. When you hit a quality golf shot with a hickory club, it stabs you in the heart and you fall in love all over again with golf.”
Players of all different levels will participate, from PGA professionals to high handicap players. There are four divisions: open division, seniors, super seniors and ladies.
The U.S. Hickory Open goes all over the country. Last year it was in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and next year it will be in Oregon. This year’s tournament will be played on the Park Course, a layout fitting the hickory era. Hot Springs’ reputation as a resort destination in the 1920s also makes it a natural fit.
“The golf course was built by a prominent golf course architect, Willie Park Jr., in 1898, so it is in the time period of hickory golf,” Alison said. “And Hot Springs’ golden age was the 1920s when golf had come into its own.”
Hickory golf is a growing community with more and more players coming to try it out every year, Alison said. Howard said he thinks this event can only help grow the country club’s reputation for hosting nice events. He said he wants to help the community anyway possible, and this event will bring people to town to see the city and possibly provide a boost to the local economy. He is looking forward to seeing the event as well, he said.
“It’ll be pretty neat to see all the guys and girls out here in knickers and playing with wooden golf clubs,” Howard said. “I didn’t grow up in that era so it’ll be pretty cool to see. Some of my friends are playing that are golfers from around the state. I saw their names in the list, so it’ll be neat to see them play in that. It’s taking us back to its roots, so that’s pretty cool.
“It’s thanks to our members that we are able to have events like this,” Howard said. “It’s important to showcase our golf courses and our facility and our country club.”
U.S. Hickory Open tournament committee member Scott Pilgrim looks on at a past hickory golf event. (Submitted photo)
