The Jack Rutherford Cup – Hickory Stick Open
On a warm and sunny Canada day, 18 of our veteran hickory members joined with 52 members of the Scarboro Club to celebrate their 100th anniversary. Format was a five-person scramble with a mixture of men’s and mixed foursomes groups. Dedicated to Jack Rutherford, a longtime Scarboro Member and one of our four founding members, it was special for a lot of us. Jack was well known for his dedication to hickory golf both at Scarboro and throughout the golf collecting world.
Scoring was a gross score adjusted by a net scoring system to adjust for the varying levels of golfing ability, devised by Scarboro Pro Terry Kirkup. The result was a number of quite low scores ranging from the low 60’s up to the even par of 71.
More importantly in polling the players, our members and Scarboro members alike, it seems that the event was a resounding success. The Scarboro members picked up the spirit of the event right away and had a great time experimenting – quite successfully – with the hickory equipment. It turns out they figured it all out very early in the round and then had great fun trying to make a respectable score.
We have used this type of scramble format for a number of years and with a number of the older clubs in Ontario. All have been quite successful but this one was very special .
First of all Scarboro is a terrific golf course! At only 6,500 yards, short for a modern course, it has one beautiful hole after another. You stand on the tee looking down the fairway at a distant green which turns out to be very challenging once you get there. The members were a great help to a lot of us around the greens, as not only are they well contoured but also very “rapido.”
Scarboro, which has hosted four Canadian Opens in the good old days, has attracted praise from the best players of the times. To a man they described Scarboro as the best course they played on the PGA tour. It always attracted a top field of competitors and was won by such Hall of Fame players as Boby Locke, Sam Snead, and Doug Ford; and by one non-Hall of Famer, Dave Douglas, one of the best players of his day.
The best thing about our event was the organization and hospitality of the host club starting with General Manager Denis Matte and Head Pro Terry Kirkup. We were able to integrate with the welcoming members with little problems thanks to Terry’s staff and were royally treated afterward in the clubhouse.
We will continue to have these sort of events each year to help clubs celebrate their history. Some will be larger and all will be fun but this one was very special. Our thanks to a great golf club and congratulations.!
Next year we are planning 100th-anniversary celebrations with Barrie Country Club and Stratford Golf and Country Club. Stay tuned for more information in future Bulletins.