The World Hickory Open Was This Week...

I'm a bit horrified to have acknowledged this cash grab in Turkey when soulful golfers were teeing it up in the World Hickory Open. The event was Monday and Tuesday at Monifeith and Carnoustie Burnside, reports the Scotsman.

The World Hickory Open Championship was established in 2004 and played at Musselburgh Golf Course, the oldest surviving playing surface in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records.

Hickory clubs are available on the day, which is primarily to encourage parties of all abilities to participate.

According to regular hickory golfers, one of the main attractions of using hickory clubs is being able to ‘feel’ every shot - and also allowing classic golf courses to be played as intended.

A BBC preview story featured this:

This year's event has attracted about 100 players from more than 30 countries.

Competitors are limited to clubs made before, or made to replicate those manufactured before, 1935.

The World Hickory Open Championship was first held in 2005 and has become popular across Europe and the United States.

The event's chairman, Lionel Freedman, said: "It is a lot to do with the fact that the game has changed out of all recognition in the last few years and there are people who enjoy the challenge of playing with clubs that were made after the Great War.

"It brings back into play the courses that are far too short for the modern club and ball."

The official website didn't have scores but it did have this fantastic featurette with the sweet-swinging Perry Summers and Randy Jensen talking about the joys of hickory golf, a famous challenge match between Old Tom Morris and Willie Park, and showing off the magnificent Musselburgh.