By Janeé Williams
There is no shortage of golf courses in Northern Virginia, and no shortage of those willing to sign up for a tee time. But there is a niche of golfers who are sticking with tradition, playing the game as it was set in the early 1900s: Hickory Golfers. How do you spot them?
First, they’re dressed in 19th century clothing (knickers, knee-high socks, newsboy caps) and they are playing with hickory wooden clubs. But the sport is more than dressing the part.
Players are collectors of the sport—refurbishing the equipment—and seek out golf courses that Have yet to be modernized. Here is a crash course on hickory golf.
“Modern Golf is about repeating the same swing with all the clubs and trying to re-create one swing on every shot. Hickory golf you have a lot more feel, you have to slow your swing down,” says Eric Wagner, mentor at the Society of Hickory Golfers (SOHG).
Hickory friendly playing in NoVA:
- Medal of Honor Golf Course
3313 Fuller Heights Rd, Quantico
(703) 784-2424 - Front Royal Country Club
Route 522, Front Royal
(540) 636-9061 - Shenvalee Golf Resort
9660 Fairway Drive, New Market
(540) 740-9930
Upcoming Tournaments:
Pennsylvania Hickory Open
April 17- 19
Bedford, Pa.
The National Hickory Championship
June 5-7
White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.
(April 2014)
