Vintage golf fashions and equipment will be the order of the day at Royal Fremantle on Friday, April 28, with the club hosting Hickory Golf WA’s next event.
Competitors will turn back the clock to the era of Harry Vardon, James Braid and JH Taylor to tackle Royal Freo with hickory-shafted clubs, while plus fours, flat caps and Argyle sweaters are very much expected.
Organised by The Australian Heritage Golf Society member Dan Cullen and Royal Fremantle member Clayton Gunning, the ‘Nine and Dine’ event will feature nine holes of Stableford golf followed by a dinner and prizes.
All clubs used must have hickory shafts, although reproductions are permissible. A dozen or so participants are expected and if you’d care to give it a whirl, newcomers are most welcome.
“Playing with hickory shafts is a very different experience to what most golfers today are used to,” explains Dan Cullen, who founded Hickory Golf WA in 2022 after moving to Perth from Sydney.
“Our members tend to use clubs made before 1935, which makes them ‘originals’, although some groups play with reproductions, which tend to be more forgiving. We do use modern balls, but don’t recommend using harder, distance balls with hickory clubs.”
Cullen, a past club champion from NSW Golf Club and St Michael’s Golf clubs in Sydney, is the son of Dan Cullen Snr, a professional golfer who won back-to-back WA Opens in 1937-38 at Royal Fremantle and Lake Karrinyup. He believes it’s important to keep the tradition of hickory golf alive.
“If you’ve never tried hickory golf before, I’d recommend it. It’s a great insight into the history and traditions of the game – and a lot of fun to boot. We don’t take things too seriously, we play off the forward tees and it’s a very welcoming environment.”
If you’re interested in participating, the entry fee is $50 per person, which includes green fees, dinner and prizes. A number of sets of hickory clubs are also available to hire. Period costume is encouraged but not essential. For more details, contact Dan Cullen via email.
You can find out more about Hickory Golf WA by following their Facebook page.
