Despite some cool weather and brief sprinkles, the 2nd Annual Winter Park Hickory Classic went off without a hitch and everybody seemed to enjoy the one-day, 18 hole format. Maybe we’ll keep it in place for next year! Let’s talk about winners shall we?
On the Ladies side (left to right), it was Marci Likens taking the 1st Place Open Award, with Natalie Wells grabbing 1st Place Reserve and Beth Chambers winning 2nd Place Reserve.
On the Men’s side in the Open Division (left to right), it was Will Peterson (71) followed by Gil Feagin (73) and Joe Foguth (75). In the Reserve Division, Tom McCrary took 1st Place honors in a scorecard playoff over Dave Webster (below) and Dan Capaz was only one stroke behind in 3rd place.
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2021 Winer Park Hickory Classic – Recap & Photos
There were clouds when we started and more clouds when we stopped. In between, there was a little bit of rain, some cool breezes and a whole lot of great golf! A full field of 44 ladies and gents teed off to play two nine-hole rounds at the increasingly legendary Winter Park Golf Course (aka, the WP9). Most people walked and in between rounds, enjoyed a truly fabulous lunch catered by Ghost Kitchen Orlando. After the scores were posted and the winners announced, everyone got to pick up a WPHC ball marker and a lovely tee gift from Will Jacoby from Steurer & Jacoby.
Big thanks to all those who attended, Jake and Maddy for scoring and the staff at WP9 for helping to make this a great day amid an ongoing pandemic. Below are photos taken by Greg and Beverly Wise and Rich Grula. You can find our full collection of photos here. If you have photos from the event you’d like to share, send them to grula@pobox.com. Feel free to download for personal but please do not use any photos in publications without seeking permission.
Thanks from the WPHC Committee (Bill, Rich, Marci, Natalie and Mike)
“The Winter Park Golf Course, or WP9 as the locals now call it, is one of the most unique models for municipal golf in America. A round of golf at the WP9 will take you across streets, around a cemetery, and right up to the front porch of some of the most charming homes in Florida. The course has always been memorable for its setting, but a recent renovation has resulted in a world class golf experience that every golfer should visit. I spent a day at the Winter Park Golf Course and my experience was a revelation.” — Jay Revell, Medium Magazine
The Winter Park Golf Course traces its origins to 1914 when Harley A. Ward and Dow George were commissioned to lay out a 9-hole course on 25 acres at the north end of Winter Park, a charming little suburb of Orlando created as a haven for snowbirds seeking more hospitable temperatures in the cold months.
Over the years, the course grew to as many as 27 holes, closed, became a sheep pasture, reopened and eventually settled into the current nine-hole layout. For a long time, it was a gentle, flat track known locally as “The Old Man Walking Course.” It lost so much money every year that there was a serious effort to turn it into a frisbee golf course (Personal Note: I actually saw the equipment for this potential change in the back of the pro shop. Thankfully, the items were never installed).
In 2015 Winter Park officials took a bold step. They ignored the advice of developers hungry to replace the course with more homes and instead invested $1.2 million in a renovation. Keith Rhebb and Riley Johns, a pair of associate designers for Coore-Crenshaw, won the bidding and stepped out as course architects for the very first time. The revitalized Winter Park Golf Course, opened in 2016, has been a spectacular success since Day One. It’s showcased constantly as one of the best nine-hole layouts in the country and has become an inspiring model of what a successful municipal course can be. Instead of losing six figures a year, it generates healthy profits, enjoys 40,000 rounds annually and is a source of great community pride. Also…it’s a lot of fun to play!
The Winter Park Golf Course is located at 561 West Webster Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789. The Pro Shop phone number is (407) 599-3419.
The Tournament Committee consisted of Rich Grula, Natalie Wells, Marci Likens and Bill Geisler (left to right) with Dennis James and Mike Stevens missing from the above photo.
Let’s start with other hickory-friendly golf courses in the area.
DUBSDREAD GOLF COURSE Dubsdread has been Orlando’s home golf course since 1924. It’s set on a rolling Florida layout between the houses of the College Park neighborhood. It looks easy, but it’s not. Lots of open fronts for rolling approach shots. The Tap Room is a great bar restaurant right off the practice putting green.
MT. DORA GOLF CLUB Mount Dora Golf Club is billed as “the longest 5,700 yards in Florida,” which is high praise for this par 70, 88 acre challenge with both down and uphill lies, to keep the best golfers on their toes. Not fancy, but lots of fun and always reasonably priced.
PINECREST GOLF CLUB (Avon Park) A mostly unrenovated Donald Ross gem located about 90 miles southwest of the WP9. Not a cookie-cutter Florida course. Very good club restaurant.
DINING OPTIONS Winter Park has a lot of great restaurants. Here are a few we recommend.
THE COUP – Comfort food and Southern fare from the folks that brought us 4 River Smokehouse
4 RIVERS SMOKEHOUSE – probably the best place for smoked meats in Winter Park. The Fairbanks Ave. branch is on the way for anyone who has to get on I-4 to go home.
It was three glorious days of fun enjoyed by all. You should have been there! The weather was wonderful, the food was fabulous and the course was unusually difficult, with tricky pin placement courtesy of the event director, Bill Geisler. Just check out the scores below!
THE FINAL RESULTS The event was three 9 hole rounds with a par 35, or par 105 for the entire event. Players could only win in one division with the Open Division Results taking priority.
In addition to the results below, Richard Boggs won the event’s CAREER ROUND AWARD with a 28 (-7). The CAREER ROUND combined his best scores for each hole over all three rounds.
MEN’S OPEN DIVISION
Scores
Par = 105
1
Tim Anderson
109 (+4)
1st Place
2
Erik Fretland
114 (+9)
2nd Place
3
Jim Wilhelm
120 (+15)
3rd Place
T4
Mike Stevens
121 (+16)
T4
David Webster
121 (+16)
6
Frank Flood
121 (+16)
7
Richard Boggs
125 (+20)
T8
Tom McCrary
127 (+22)
T8
Ross McLean
127 (+22)
10
Mike Tracy
133 (+28)
T11
David Dunigan
136 (+31)
T11
Brian Schuman
136 (+31)
T11
David Shultz
136 (+31)
T14
Craig Coy
137 (+32)
T14
Jim Davis
137 (+32)
T14
Rich Grula
137 (+32)
17
Ben Bernacki
139 (+34)
18
Matt Hardisty
142 (+37)
19
Tad Moore
143 (+38)
20
Gunnar Eriksson
145 (+40)
21
JJ Jackson
147 (+42)
–
Wally Armstrong
W/D
–
Rick Eldridge
W/D
–
Will Peterson
W/D
MEN’SNET DIVISION
Scores
T1
Richard Boggs
110 (+5)
1st Place Net
T1
Erik Fretland
110 (+5)
T3
Tim Anderson
112 (+7)
T3
David Webster
112 (+7)
2nd Place Net
5
Jim Davis
113 (+8)
3rd Place Net
6
Jim Wilhelm
117 (+12)
T7
Ross McLean
118 (+13)
T7
David Shultz
118 (+13)
9
Frank Flood
119 (+14)
10
Mike Stevens
124 (+19)
T11
Craig Coy
125 (+20)
T11
Rich Grula
125 (+20)
T11
Tad Moore
125 (+20)
T14
Tom McCrary
127 (+22)
T14
David Dunigan
127 (+22)
T14
Gunnar Eriksson
127 (+22)
17
Mike Tracy
128 (+23)
18
JJ Jackson
135 (+30)
T19
Ben Bernacki
136 (+31)
T19
Matt Hardisty
136 (+31)
21
Brian Schuman
139 (+34)
LADIES
Open
Net
Natalie Wells
130 (+15)
103 (-2)
1st Place Gross
Marci Likens
141 (+36)
123 (+18)
1st Place Net
THE RESULTS ARE IN!
The Inaugural Winter Park Hickory Classic is in the books and the winners are finding places for their trophies right now. It was a fabulous weekend for all, with a great kickoff party Friday Night, 18 holes of hickory golf on Saturday, another nine holes on Sunday and a final Awards Party Sunday afternoon. The big winners are shown below and the rest are on the Results Page.
Tim Anderson (L) – Open Champion & Richard Boggs (R) – Net Champion
Natalie Wells (L) Open Champion & Marci Likens (R) Net Champion
He careered it! Richard Boggs (L) took home the inaugural Career Round Award with a combined best score per hole over the three rounds of 28 (-7)!