Gary Melanson adds to Canadian golf titles – with hickories, of course

July 20, 2020 – New Brunswick, Canada
SoHG golfer Gary Melanson of New Brunswick, Canada, loves showing others how much fun hickory golf can be. His competitors might not find his enthusiasm so engaging as Melanson just captured another golf New Brunswick golf title with his hickories. The tournament was the 2020 New Brunswick (Canada) Senior Provincial Championship. The website http://golfnb.ca has photos and scores from the tournament.

“The field consisted of 99 players 55 years and older,” Melanson says. “I was the only one in the field playing hickory clubs and I earned a lot of accolades in the end. I also won the Prince Edward Island Senior Amateur, which ended on Sunday, July 19.”

Melanson says he played with Tad Moore’s woods, play clubs –Victor Irons, a Tad Moore “My Own” niblick,  a couple of Louisville niblicks bent to 52 and 56 degrees, and a Jean Gassiat putter. His golf bag was a classic beauty from Steurer and Jacoby. “I wore my knickers (multiple pairs) every day of the tournaments and I got a lot of interest and questions about hickory golf,” he said.

Our hats are off to you, Gary. You captured the day in true championship form and showed the golf community that hickory golfers can compete at very high levels, indeed.

The following story is courtesy of the GolfNB website.

Melanson Captures NB Senior Men’s & Super-Senior Championship Crowns

Established in 1925, the Miramichi Golf & Country Club has proved to be one of New Brunswick’s many premier championship venues and most recently hosted the 2018 NB Ladies Provincial Championships. The Par-71 6,100-yard T.F Robinson design features tight fairways that require immense accuracy off the tee. The 54-Hole Competition has provided the ultimate test for players as 99 of the provinces most elite golfers aged 55 years and older met in Miramichi to prove their worth in the race for New Brunswick’s 2020 Senior Men’s Championship.

This year’s championship event would be a tale of 3 days and 3 very different rounds as players were greeted with high humidity and fair scoring conditions on Monday’s opening round, then transitioning into Tuesday’s second round which saw the low score of the day restricted to an Even-Par 71. Players took to the course on Wednesday for the final round of the 2020 NB Senior Championship which saw the field compete for both the Senior Championship Title and the Super-Senior Championship.

The overnight leader, Darren Ritchie of the Hampton Golf Club was joined in Wednesday’s final pairing by Gary Melanson of Covered Bridge and Bob Brown of West Hills who were both hopeful to apply pressure to Ritchie’s lead during Wednesday’s round. A hot and humid afternoon set the tone for a friendly, yet competitive final round between the three players.

Players were met by a challenging Miramichi Golf and Country Club on Wednesday, fitting final day conditions after the first two rounds of the championship. Covered Bridge’s Gary Melanson was unphased by the heat and humidity that faced the field and relied on his consistent swing and the use of his trusty hickory golf clubs to record an impressive 1-Under Par 70 performance in his final round- tournament total 3-Over Par, 216 (75, 71, 70). A short-sided birdie chip stood between Melanson and the 2020 NB Senior and Super-Senior Titles on the 18th hole which he casually rolled into Miramichi’s COVID-19 altered cups to secure his two championship crowns. An impressive run of play over three rounds was sealed with composure as a small group of players watched the Woodstock native add to his already impressive record of New Brunswick Provincial Championships. Finishing the event in second is Dan Coulombe of West Hills Golf Course who carded a final round 1-Under Par 70 – tournament total 6-Over Par, 219 (76, 73, 70). Hampton’s Darren Ritchie finishes the event in third after a final-round score of 7-Over Par 78 – tournament total 8-Over Par, 219 (71, 72, 78).

Melanson’s impressive play during the championship has led to the Covered Bridge member leaving with two championships. In addition to the 2020 NB Senior Men’s Championship, Melanson has also won the Super-Senior Title, eligible for players aged 65 and over. Fredericton’s Sonny Phillips places second in the Super-Senior Division, the 2019 Champion completed a final round of 7-Over Par (78)- tournament total 14-Over Par, 227 (70, 79, 78). Fox Creeks’ Jean Leblanc joins Melanson and Phillips ontop of the Super-Senior Leaderboard after recording a 4-Over Par (75) in Wednesday’s final round – tournament total 23-Over Par, 236 (77, 84, 75).

Known for his unique style on the course and his use of replica hickory golf clubs, Melanson is coming off of 40 plus days of consecutive rounds, including his victory at the 2020 PEI Amateur Championships where he captured the Senior Title on Sunday. Adding to his accolades this week, Melanson captured the Golf NB Dormie Workshop Par-3 Challenge. The challenge was created to reward the player who performs the best on the Par-3’s during the course of the championship. After three rounds of play, Melanson was 2-Under on Miramichi’s Par-3’s which secured the challenge title over West Hills’ Dan Coulombe. Gary will receive a custom prize from Dormie Workshop for his victory.