January 17 – 19, 2020 at the Winter Park 9, Winter Park, FL
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.
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!
You can view and download photos of the event by heading over here.
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 | |||
| 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’S NET 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 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 missing from the above photo.
The 2021 Winter Park Hickory Classic will be scheduled for weekend prior to the 2021 PGA Show in Orlando Florida, which typically occurs in the last week of January. Subscribe to our Instagram feed to get updates throughout the year. We are @wphickoryclassic
Big thanks to the good folks at the Winter Park 9 Golf Course, who helped make this event possible. And even bigger thanks to the players who came from far and wide to play this event. We hope you enjoyed it and we plan to make it even better next year!
See you then!
Feel like owning a little piece of the Winter Park Hickory Classic? We can help with that. For the fairly reasonable price of $25 (shipping included!), you can purchase an official Winter Park Hickory Classic caddy towel (17″ x 40″) and two-sided ball marker, both featuring the distinctive WPHC logos. They make a snappy addition to any hickory golf bag!
Email grula@pobox.com and we’ll reply with directions for purchase. Shipping to anywhere in the U.S. or Canada is included at no extra charge.
