Joe Hollerbach nips Belvedere victory by one

June 15, 2021
MacDuff reports:

Few fairways seem as smooth and inviting as those of the Belvedere Golf Club in Charlevoix, Mich. The seasoned Belvedere player, though, is well aware of the rude treatment possible once the greens are achieved, the sixth and 16th come to mind as particularly disagreeable to the approach which fails to land just so. Many a competitor’s hopes of victory are diminished through repeated putts or chips on these fiendishly sloped surfaces. (Mine fell off the chart as surely as a failed chip down the slope of 16 green.)

Still and all, this is one of the finest of hickory golfing experiences available in one of the country’s loveliest summer playgrounds, and it is here that the annual Belvedere Hickory Open welcomes players from throughout the Midwest and beyond. This year’s contest was June 10-12.

From the warm hospitality of both the Belvedere and Chicago Club members, to the tasteful banquet and drinks on the deck of the Belvedere Casino overlooking Lake Charlevoix, here are three delightful days of enjoyment in good company amid three rounds on a historic 1925 course that has hosted the game’s greatest players.

This year, 46 players were treated to the above and found nothing in short supply from good will to birdies, bogies and, yes, it must be admitted, “others.” But not enough to spoil the charm of one of hickory golf’s premier events.

Head professional Dennis “Marty” Joy and crew had the course in immaculate shape.

The overall results may be found by clicking here for a PDF.

But it is to the final threesome on the final day that we turn our attention. Father and son, Joe and Ben Hollerbach (North Carolina and Georgia), were engaged with Peter Flory of Glencoe, Ind., in a very tough match that took the threesome to the final hole. The Hollerbach fellows are no strangers to competitive golf and have seen their names attached to several trophies over the years. Both are, annually, players to consider in such as the U.S. Hickory Open, for example. And Mr. Flory finished second at the USHO in 2019, held on the Belvedere course.

As the gentlemen told it, the back and forth was nearly evenly balanced until the final hole when the two younger men just failed in their pars and the elder Hollerbach, with a deft touch, placed his pitch just right on yet another of Belvedere’s curvaceously-surfaced greens to ensure his par with a steady putt that sealed all.

Mr. Hollerbach may have been inspired by words from Mr. Flory on the occasion of the former’s rifled three-iron second shot to the ninth green that resulted in a birdie. Not many men of his age could have pulled off such a shot with hickories, Mr. Flory is alleged to have remarked to Mr. Hollerbach, or words to that effect. Though meant entirely as a compliment, the elder gentleman took it as a challenge and the game was most assuredly on.

In the Senior Flight, Ernie Ernst of Neenah, Wisc., prevailed with a two-day 150. In the Super Senior Division, John Cova of Novi, Mich., took honors with a 164 total. Donna Kuhn was the Ladies champion with a two-day 184.

To Marty Joy, and our hosts at the Belvedere Club, we owe many thanks for another sparkling and admirably run Belvedere Hickory Open. 

(But really, can not something be done about that 16th green? Tom Watson is reported to have called it is his favorite second shot in all of golf. We must wonder how often Tom has played it with hickories.)